So remember how I was going to be in Bristol until
June? I had projects that ran until May
so that I could then transition everything to whoever was going to take my job
and then I could head back to Texas with a clean slate in June. Remember that?
Remember how God has a little laugh every time I try to make
my own plans?
Yeah. Me too.
So when we decided we were moving at the end of March
instead of in June, I was a bit nervous at how to transition everything. Nervous might be an understatement. Anxious, worried, tense, panicky even. So I gave away the parts that I could and set
my mind to finish off about 5 weeks of work in three. Thank goodness Adam handled all the actual
moving!
The way it worked, my last day in Bristol (28th
of March – UK has a 4 day weekend for Easter) coincided with my boss’ last day
with PwC. His much longer in the
planning than mine! And as he had been
in the office for going on 12 years (slightly longer than my 22 months…), the
office was throwing a huge going away / end of busy season party for
him. So we decided that Adam would
handle the movers on Thursday while I was at work, then Friday I would meet the
carpet cleaner at the Bristol house and do all the end of tenancy cleaning once
the furniture was gone and he would return on Friday to pick me up and take me
to London.
The pupsters went to stay at Auntie Sue & Auntie Kim’s
house the Wednesday before the big move day.
Sue & Kim have been the girl’s favorite dog sitters during our time
in Bristol. They give much better walks than
Adam & I plus they might be allowed on the sofa…maybe. I don’t know if we’ll ever find a place as
loving as their house. With the girls
safe – and us not having to keep track of how many doors are open in the
house(s) at all times – we prepared for some ‘removal men’ (movers in American).
They arrived on time Thursday morning (Adam told me later, I
left for work about 6:30 and played happily unaware of what was going on at
home). Adam & the movers packed up
the house, drove to London (them in their van, Adam in the Fiesta), Adam picked
up the keys to the new house, and then they tried to get into the new place. Try is the key word in that last sentence. The new keys – the ones that the realtor had
changed the locks on the house to just two days earlier – they didn’t
work. I, thankfully, was still
blissfully at work as Adam started calling every number he had to the realtor’s
office at 5:15 the day before a 4 day weekend.
Thankfully after call number three he was able to get one of the agents
who hadn’t gotten out of the office on time.
The agent took the office set of keys and came over to help open the
front door. I should probably point out
that it is still about 30*-35* in the UK.
So just hanging out in front of a house with your favorite three movers
isn’t the most entertaining way to spend an evening. Thankfully the agent’s back up set worked, so
Adam and the boys unload the van.
While that was going on, I was busy trying to sort out the
chaos that was going on in the office. Between
myself & my boss leaving, and it being the final day to file many accounts
in the UK, the office was manic. So much
for people to sign off, so much to finish up, not to mention I had to clean out
my desk – which always takes longer than you think it will, and we all had a
party to get ready for!
In the afternoon however, the other managers in the office found
a way to surprise me. I always get a bit
tickled when people manage that. It’s
not easy. I am naturally nosey and so to
pull something off without me noticing (especially since I’d been in the office
all week too!), is a huge fete. In
addition to some lovely words of thanks (and not too many embarrassing
stories), they gave me the most beautiful picture of the Clifton Suspension
Bridge. For those who have taken the
Powell City of Bristol Tour, you’ll know what an icon of the city the bridge
is.
Did I mention that any time our office has a party, it’s a
costume party? When I first moved here,
they told me that the Christmas Party was ‘fancy dress’. Lovely, I thought. I’m all for a chance to wear a beautiful ball
gown. Nope. In your English to English dictionary, you’ll
note that fancy dress means costume. Spectacular. This party’s theme was ‘recognizable film
characters’. I really wanted to go in
jeans and a t-shirt as ‘Extra #3’, but my girlfriends in the office wouldn’t
allow it. They found habit costumes and
decided we were going as Sister Act.
None of us could decide who was Whoopi.
After the party, I stayed at our old house, on a blow up
mattress that Adam left me. I thought I
was really being hard done by having to sleep on the blow up mattress, but when
I called him to say goodnight, Adam said that the heater wasn’t working at the
new house, so he was wrapped in three blankets.
At least I had heat – and the Grandma Theresa blanket. I swear you could wear a swimsuit in the Arctic and keep warm as long as you’re wrapped in one of her blankets. We both survived our evenings. Adam had a light dusting of snow to wake up
to & I got up four times during the night to re-air my bed.
We had hired a professional carpet cleaner who came Friday
morning. He worked on the carpets while
I cleaned bathrooms and the kitchen. I
finished up around 2 and Adam showed up about 3:30. We went and rescued the girls (or probably
more accurately, rescued Sue & Kim from the girls), and headed east.
Thank goodness it was a long weekend! We were able to spend Saturday – Monday unpacking
& organizing. The cable company came
Saturday morning. We got the heat to
work by Saturday evening. All the boxed
were out of the house by Monday night. I’d
say we’re getting better at moving!
It took us until the following weekend to get hot water, so maybe not…
Pictures to come!
