Moving!

The boxes are packed!
Originally uploaded by MhairiT

I think as I'm about to move out of my flat I'll write a little bit about what I've been up with with all the packing, moving, transitioning etc!

My flights are all booked to leave London on 17 December. I've got a few days in LA and San Diego then I arrive in NZ on 24th December. So I've got three more months left in London! I've got some great things planned - a couple of weeks in Turkey, weekend trips to Reims and Brussels, a day trip to Chirk, visiting Buckingham Palace and completing the London Loop! Not to mention finishing off at work and trying to catch up with people too.

Thankfully one of the hardest bits is nearly completed - I'm moving out of my flat tomorrow and all my boxes are being picked up by Anglo Pacific to go back on the ship to NZ. They should arrive in Wellington around Christmas time. I have 21 boxes! And that doesn't include most of my clothes which I will need for the next wee while as it will be winter by the time I leave. The majority of boxes are 'book boxes' which are the small ones in the picture. They hold about 200 CDs or about 30 books. Each box is meant to be able to be carried by a man so you can't totally fill them up with heavy stuff. I've also got a couple of linen cartons (to my left in the photo), a picture carton and a couple of other sizes. Everything has to be inventorised for customs. I'm wondering what they will open to inspect - I suspect my Egyptian rug and my wooden souvenirs (so I've packed them at the top). I've tried to be quite ruthless about everything, so there have been a few trips to Oxfam over the last few months, and there is also a lot of kitchen ware which is too tired to continue with so I'm just going to chuck it.

I'm not sending back any big items at all. The furniture I own I've either given to friends or contacts I've found on Freecycle. Freecycle is a community bulletin board where you advertise free stuff you want to give away or would like to be given. A guy came round to get the sofa futon last night (he'd just moved in somewhere and was sleeping on the floor!) and he took the wine rack and the clothes horse as well! So it's really nice to know that things are going to a good home.

I'm going to stay with friends for the next few weeks - thanks friends! It will be nice to stay in different parts of London too - I've already got beds organised in Highbury, Putney and Hither Green.