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Monday 4 October 2010

A ‘moving’ weekend – bit like ‘war & peace’ I’m afraid!

Gosh, the weekend felt like moving house all over again – I have aches in muscles I didn’t know existed! But we did it, we moved everything as planned into the cottage. It wasn’t without it’s dramas though to be fair and we need another weekend right now to get over it.
We started as planned last Friday. I’d hoped to get the car loaded early afternoon but I ended up spending hours at the opticians trying out a contact lens for the first time, (I’ll have to explain that one in another post). Pete collected the van and set off on his ‘collections’. First stop was the British Heart Foundation for the two seater and two armchairs, meanwhile I was taking my sister and niece to the train station as they were setting off for a weekend in Devon. First step successful, even though Pete had to persuade someone to help him load the van (and that was after I’d checked at the time I paid for the items that there would be someone available to assist!) Pete then collected the Fridge/Freezer before meeting me at Moms to get the desk loaded. By now the van was looking surprisingly full and we still had lots of stuff to load. Back home Pete did a spot of rearranging and managed to get the rest of our stuff in, including the new bed.
We didn’t set off until after 19:00 and so, after a quick stop at Morrison's in Newtown for Pete to get petrol, we didn’t arrive at the track to the cottage until after 21:00 – in the pitch black!. I went through the gates in the Focus first and left them open for Pete to follow. I made my way up the track, cursing myself ever so slightly for opting for the estate rather than the 4x4 as I slid a little. At the point on the track where we head off for the corner post of our land I just couldn’t get the car to go more than a few feet it just slithered and slid on the very soggy grass. I gave up after a few attempts and looked back down the track for Pete, I could see the lights from the van but not the van itself so I walked back down. Pete was stuck in a ditch, well the back passenger side was to be precise. It took us a while but eventually we got the van out of the ditch but there was no way it was going up the track, we could get it to a certain point and it would go no further. So we abandoned it for the night.
NYX
The next morning we were hopeful that as it hadn’t rained overnight it would be easier to get the van further up the track. Not wishing to dwell on this I’ll cut it short. Pete tried a few times to no avail and so I went down to try too. Woohoo for girl power, I did it. Bit of welly later the van was as close as we were ever going to get it the gate for the cottage and then the grind began. It took us all morning to unload everything off the van and place it in the cottage. As we were moving stuff around it became clear that it would make more sense to put another double bed in the second bedroom rather than the two singles we’d  planned on. After a spot of lunch we drove into Newtown calling first at the dump to drop off the two oldest single beds and then onto Focus where we bought a new double and mattress. Back again at the cottage (no trouble this time getting the van up) we unloaded again and then put the other two old single beds back into the van to take home as a charity donation. We were knackered but we still needed to put at least one bed together to sleep on. Our new bed is one hell of a solid piece of meccano is all I can say, it took an age to put together but it was well worth it. It’s lovely and, as I say, solid. Pete cooked us a lovely chilli whilst I made the bed up. After we’d eaten we collapsed on the sofa for five before hitting the sack. Within minutes we were out like a light, end of day 1.
Day 2 dawned wet and miserable – well we were in Wales after all lol. We had plenty to do inside so it was no great shakes. Pete made us a cuppa and came back to bed with it at which point Maisy joined us on the bed – just this once! Once breakfasted we put together the second double and adjusted the furniture in the room to accommodate it. Again it looked just right and yesterday’s decision proved to be the right one. For the next couple of hours we pottered around righting stuff, Pete chopped up some old bits and pieces for firewood and we had a wander around our little estate (it did stop raining). We have two or three streams that run across our land and due to all the recent rain we could really hear the water flowing, something we haven’t heard before. It did highlight to us though just how much work will be involved in clearing the areas around them but it definitely needs doing. Suddenly it was time to go, Pete wanted to stop off at the tip again with the old fridge and they closed at 16:00. As I left a few minutes later than Pete I met our nearest neighbour, they had post for us and so I had a quick chat with them before heading home. We love our time at the cottage and it breaks my heart to come home after so short a visit. Already our next trip is in the planning with Steve and P joining us for the weekend. Before then though I have curtains and blinds to make, no rest for the wicked.
Thanks for dropping by.
  Wendy x

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