More moving

The more items that make the short journey from cupboard or shelf to bag, box or bin, the less homely the Athenaeum Club looks.

We have taken much, but not quite all, of those items we have designated as portable and are now beginning to concentrate on boxing up the items we want the movers to shift on our behalf. I am being comparatively ruthless in sorting out the books I want to take from those I don't want. This is very hard for me and I know that whilst there will be people out there with less ruth than me, there will also be many with far more. Anyway, I am trying and Furtle seems to understand that, though it is far from a meeting of minds over precisely how much stuff any person needs. Again, I have more than some, but also less than many.

We were rather upset to find when opening various bits of mail addressed "to the occupier" that British Gas are a) threatening to cut off the supply on the day we move in (Monday), and b) getting ready to instigate court action for unpaid bills. We are rather more concerned about the former than we are the latter, since the letter was dated mid May and we only signed the tenancy agreements last Saturday, 7 June. We took the offending letter down to the premises below, where the landlord and landlady have their optometrist practice and gave her the letter. She seemed to be in rather a friendly mood - somewhat less startled by life than when we first met her and has promised to sort it out on Monday. Let's hope.

The landlady did mention the fact that she and her husband heard noises from the flat early yesterday evening, around 6.00pm. The management agents also mentioned it - apparently they thought they heard a dog barking in the flat and wanted to remind us that no pets are allowed (or aloud, I guess - what they can't hear can't hurt them). This is all rather odd since we neither visited the flat yesterday (or Thursday for that matter) nor own a dog. Imagination, I expect, or a neighbour's beast. When we went to the flat today to deliver bits and pieces, it was precisely as we'd left it. Anyone breaking in to let their dog bark and then slipping out unnoticed and without damaging anything has to be somewhat of an expert in these matters.

The phone is now connected, though for a moment I thought otherwise when an attempt to phone the landline produced the message 'number busy', which was patently untrue as I was sitting next to the obstinately silent handset, clutching a lying mobile. It then occurred to me that maybe it would work the other way round, so I phoned my mobile from the land line and hey presto! You need to activate the line by dialling out, it seems.

No-one told me.

Next stage, was to disappear off to B&Q for various items, such as waste bin and drying wrack for the kitchen and other stuff. We bought a plant for the slit window on one side of the kitchen work surface, which has no blinds. The plant, whose variety I have since forgotten has been watered and Christened 'Bilbo' and now guards that place for us.

A stop at the pub for a couple of refreshing beers, some cheesy chips and a cheesy garlic baguette (Mmmm... cholesterol!) took up a little longer than we intended and then I came back to fail yet again to get something switched on line, being defeated yet again by a website. Luckily a phone call sufficed and the broadband will go active in the new flat on Friday 20 June. If we want to post anything in the meantime, it will be a case of grabbing the laptops and going to the pub to use the free wi-fi connection. I am sure we will manage to cope.

Next up is to arrange TV reception. We will have to get by with indoor aerials for a few days, I guess. Quite what the landlord was thinking by not having a TV aerial installed ("we didn't know what you preferred..."), I dunno, but I guess the insinuation is that if we wish to buy Sky and have a dish fitted, we can do so. I'm not sure we need it, though there are a few programmes I'd like to see off the satellite now and again.

Anyway, tomorrow and Monday will be taken up with more packing and sorting. The rest of the week will be lost in getting the flat the way we want it. Not really the way to spend time off work, but hey, once the physical move is over...

More moving

The more items that make the short journey from cupboard or shelf to bag, box or bin, the less homely the Athenaeum Club looks.

We have taken much, but not quite all, of those items we have designated as portable and are now beginning to concentrate on boxing up the items we want the movers to shift on our behalf. I am being comparatively ruthless in sorting out the books I want to take from those I don't want. This is very hard for me and I know that whilst there will be people out there with less ruth than me, there will also be many with far more. Anyway, I am trying and Furtle seems to understand that, though it is far from a meeting of minds over precisely how much stuff any person needs. Again, I have more than some, but also less than many.

We were rather upset to find when opening various bits of mail addressed "to the occupier" that British Gas are a) threatening to cut off the supply on the day we move in (Monday), and b) getting ready to instigate court action for unpaid bills. We are rather more concerned about the former than we are the latter, since the letter was dated mid May and we only signed the tenancy agreements last Saturday, 7 June. We took the offending letter down to the premises below, where the landlord and landlady have their optometrist practice and gave her the letter. She seemed to be in rather a friendly mood - somewhat less startled by life than when we first met her and has promised to sort it out on Monday. Let's hope.

The landlady did mention the fact that she and her husband heard noises from the flat early yesterday evening, around 6.00pm. The management agents also mentioned it - apparently they thought they heard a dog barking in the flat and wanted to remind us that no pets are allowed (or aloud, I guess - what they can't hear can't hurt them). This is all rather odd since we neither visited the flat yesterday (or Thursday for that matter) nor own a dog. Imagination, I expect, or a neighbour's beast. When we went to the flat today to deliver bits and pieces, it was precisely as we'd left it. Anyone breaking in to let their dog bark and then slipping out unnoticed and without damaging anything has to be somewhat of an expert in these matters.

The phone is now connected, though for a moment I thought otherwise when an attempt to phone the landline produced the message 'number busy', which was patently untrue as I was sitting next to the obstinately silent handset, clutching a lying mobile. It then occurred to me that maybe it would work the other way round, so I phoned my mobile from the land line and hey presto! You need to activate the line by dialling out, it seems.

No-one told me.

Next stage, was to disappear off to B&Q for various items, such as waste bin and drying wrack for the kitchen and other stuff. We bought a plant for the slit window on one side of the kitchen work surface, which has no blinds. The plant, whose variety I have since forgotten has been watered and Christened 'Bilbo' and now guards that place for us.

A stop at the pub for a couple of refreshing beers, some cheesy chips and a cheesy garlic baguette (Mmmm... cholesterol!) took up a little longer than we intended and then I came back to fail yet again to get something switched on line, being defeated yet again by a website. Luckily a phone call sufficed and the broadband will go active in the new flat on Friday 20 June. If we want to post anything in the meantime, it will be a case of grabbing the laptops and going to the pub to use the free wi-fi connection. I am sure we will manage to cope.

Next up is to arrange TV reception. We will have to get by with indoor aerials for a few days, I guess. Quite what the landlord was thinking by not having a TV aerial installed ("we didn't know what you preferred..."), I dunno, but I guess the insinuation is that if we wish to buy Sky and have a dish fitted, we can do so. I'm not sure we need it, though there are a few programmes I'd like to see off the satellite now and again.

Anyway, tomorrow and Monday will be taken up with more packing and sorting. The rest of the week will be lost in getting the flat the way we want it. Not really the way to spend time off work, but hey, once the physical move is over...

All in the head

A bright-eyed and bushy tailed Furtle was up just after 8.30 this morning: a time that on a work day she would kill to be in bed for.

I was still tired so decided to doze for a little longer and I am fairly sure that at least half the discussion about getting up and how busy today will be took place in my head. In fact I think I had several not quite awake discussions in my head. I don't recall particularly about what, simply that they took place. I think I finally realised I was dreaming when jfs appeared in full Goth outfit to lecture me about the pros and cons of growing bananas. Or was that 'going bananas'? I remember that bit because it was the part that woke me up.

Right now I think we are going to get some breakfast and then back to the boxing and binning routine, I guess.

Later, Doods.

All in the head

A bright-eyed and bushy tailed Furtle was up just after 8.30 this morning: a time that on a work day she would kill to be in bed for.

I was still tired so decided to doze for a little longer and I am fairly sure that at least half the discussion about getting up and how busy today will be took place in my head. In fact I think I had several not quite awake discussions in my head. I don't recall particularly about what, simply that they took place. I think I finally realised I was dreaming when jfs appeared in full Goth outfit to lecture me about the pros and cons of growing bananas. Or was that 'going bananas'? I remember that bit because it was the part that woke me up.

Right now I think we are going to get some breakfast and then back to the boxing and binning routine, I guess.

Later, Doods.

The last evening in the Athenaeum. The end of an Ear (or something like that).

The packing is almost finished, which is a good thing since the burly blokes with muscles in their muscles turn up tomorrow evening at about 8 to cart our furniture across to the new flat.

I have again trimmed my library. This does not come naturally to me. Actually, getting rid of just about anything does not come naturally to me - I am a hoarder by nature - but ditching books is probably harder even than losing extraneous CDs or DVDs.

On the bright side, it clears shelf space for new acquisitions... :-D

The only room left relatively untouched by our endeavours is this one, though I see that Furtle has packed the framed prints of HMS Egret and HMS Warspite that used to hang over my computer. Much to my surprise, we have boxes left - enough, I hope to clear the study/computer room.

All the other rooms are full of boxes and bags. This time tomorrow night I shall be trying to get used to sleeping in a new home after three and a half years in the soon to be ex-Athenaeum Club. I shall miss the place in many ways, but over all I am more than happy with the new place and we have already seen more of the landlady than we ever did here in the Athenaeum. This is a double edges sword, of course, but so far my feelings are entirely positive - we had a potential problem with the gas bill unpaid by the previous tenants and I received a text early this afternoon to say that the issue has been sorted. The place is well-decorated and in excellent repair; the fixtures and fittings are brand new. We shall enjoy living there, I feel.

Of course, I have to get a bloody TV aerial installed. Ptcha. I'm happier now I've found a minor quibble.

Shower, now and then bed.

I may post tomorrow, but it all depends upon timing and opportunity. It may be necessary for me to take the laptop to the pub at some point to get my LJ fix, but hopefully the broadband will transfer on Friday as promised.

The last evening in the Athenaeum. The end of an Ear (or something like that).

The packing is almost finished, which is a good thing since the burly blokes with muscles in their muscles turn up tomorrow evening at about 8 to cart our furniture across to the new flat.

I have again trimmed my library. This does not come naturally to me. Actually, getting rid of just about anything does not come naturally to me - I am a hoarder by nature - but ditching books is probably harder even than losing extraneous CDs or DVDs.

On the bright side, it clears shelf space for new acquisitions... :-D

The only room left relatively untouched by our endeavours is this one, though I see that Furtle has packed the framed prints of HMS Egret and HMS Warspite that used to hang over my computer. Much to my surprise, we have boxes left - enough, I hope to clear the study/computer room.

All the other rooms are full of boxes and bags. This time tomorrow night I shall be trying to get used to sleeping in a new home after three and a half years in the soon to be ex-Athenaeum Club. I shall miss the place in many ways, but over all I am more than happy with the new place and we have already seen more of the landlady than we ever did here in the Athenaeum. This is a double edges sword, of course, but so far my feelings are entirely positive - we had a potential problem with the gas bill unpaid by the previous tenants and I received a text early this afternoon to say that the issue has been sorted. The place is well-decorated and in excellent repair; the fixtures and fittings are brand new. We shall enjoy living there, I feel.

Of course, I have to get a bloody TV aerial installed. Ptcha. I'm happier now I've found a minor quibble.

Shower, now and then bed.

I may post tomorrow, but it all depends upon timing and opportunity. It may be necessary for me to take the laptop to the pub at some point to get my LJ fix, but hopefully the broadband will transfer on Friday as promised.