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the empty house

Fulltime Foster Carer - Harriet author of: A Less Ordinary Family

the empty house

Thursday 19th May 2016

House Move – Day 1

So finally the day of the big move came.  I had been feeling nervous all week, and kept dreaming about things going wrong.  On the morning of the move Charlie took the girls to school while I waited at home for the removal company to arrive.  I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that they were not going to turn up.  Thoughts were going through my mind about what a nightmare it would be to rearrange the move for another day!  Finally at 9.30am the huge removal lorry arrived, and four men stepped out.  After a quick tour of the house and an explanation of what needed to be moved, they were ready for their first tea break!

This was our first house move using a packing service, so I did lots of research beforehand so that I knew what to expect.  One tip was to make sure you keep the packers happy by making teas and coffees and giving them lunch too.  So we made sure we had plenty of supplies, I had even baked a cake the day before.

I had planned the move for quite a long time, so I had been pretty organised making a to-do list on the day, checklist for addresses that need to be changed, and a floor plan of the new house – so the movers would know exactly where everything needed to go when they got there.  What I didn’t plan for was the packers actually packing my to-do list and floor plans!  However, if this is was worst thing that could happen then I shouldn’t worry too much.

The four guys were obviously very experienced in packing, they each worked on different rooms and seemed to clear what has been our home for the last seven years in next to no time at all.

When they left on day one, they had cleared everything but the contents of the kitchen and shed and the beds, which would be dismantled the next day.

We collected the girls from school and returned to the house.  It was very strange looking around the empty house.  We decided going out for dinner was probably a good idea – after all we had no furniture to sit on and all the food had been packed!  The girls enjoyed the excuse to go into the city and choose a restaurant to eat.  Then we went back to the house for one last night in our house.  The day has gone smoothly – both in terms or packing and emotionally.  The girls are excited, as are we.  However, we know that tomorrow will be a big change for them all, and we are anxious to have a good nights sleep and to have a good day tomorrow!

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