Now, what could possibly go wrong? Leading up to ‘removal week’ we were as organised as we could possibly be (after all I am an Aries!). We had culled the items stored in the garage as much as humanly possible (no garage at the new place), dismantled the trampoline (will figure out where to store it another day as no back yard at new place!) and even managed the impossible, tying DHE down to a march out date which would actually fit in with us moving and having the house so clean you could eat off the floors. ‘Removal Week’ should go like a military exercise as follows:
1. Monday:
a. 0930: Pick up house keys. Both Nathan and Paula to attend prior to Nathan heading to work.
b. PM: Paula to begin taking non-packable items to new residence before school run.
2. Tuesday:
a. Nathan on school run duties for day and to spend time at work.
b. 0800 – Electrician to fix light (that Paula broke last week)
c. 0800 – PM: excess hire furniture to be picked up from current residence (house comes with fridge, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer – but no laundry!)
d. 1200 – PM: removalists arrive to begin pre pack
e. Last dinner in house (actually at pub as now without refrigerator) and last night in house (on mattresses)
3. Wednesday:
a. Nathan on school run duties (after having fed kids something that did not require refrigeration and finding clean school clothes amidst the packing) and tasked to take non-packable items to new residence.
b. 0800 – PM: Removalists finish packing and load truck.
c. PM: Goods delivered to new residence.
d. First night in new residence (take out for dinner followed by sleeping on mattresses)
4. Thursday – Kids able to scooter to school (after finding clean uniforms and assuming not pelting down with rain!) Paula to begin unpacking, Nathan back at work (best he stay away from Paula unpacking).
5. Friday – Paula back at old residence to let in cleaners and coordinate gardener.
6. Saturday – Working Bee at old residence painting out marks on wall – these cannot simply be wiped off as paint tends to also come off (all in preparation for them repainting them anyway!)
7. Tuesday 11th 1300: Nathan to be present at old residence for march-out (good luck with that!)
What do they say about well-laid plans? We should have been concerned when our handling agent asked the real estate agent for an invoice of the professional clean and he looked blank. When we got to our new house it not only hadn’t been cleaned (landlord obviously a smoker), but also still had furniture items left by the owner including a load of washing and a cat. To top it all, she’d taken the sliding doors off the only ‘built in’ cupboard, left the lounge floor littered with cables and forgot to flush the upstairs loo.
So, strike Monday off the precision list. Replace with house hopefully being emptied of landlord’s belongings, cleaned and repaired before Wednesday. Surely nothing else can go wrong?
There is an old saying (probably Irish) Man proposes and God disposes!
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