Professionals

The movers said that as well as shifting furniture into the shed they'd have room to take eight boxes to the friend's attic where I'll be living so Tivoli and I got ready the bulkiest, heaviest and nastiest for them to carry up four flights of stairs. Then we carefully arranged outside the shed the things that we will stash behind and between items of furniture as the movers bring them in. We were ⅔ of the way through that task when the movers arrived, about two hours ahead of schedule.

We said we knew that they were the professionals but that we did have a plan they might care to look at. They smiled sweetly and looked at it, then removed the legs from one bed thereby seemingly doubling the space available. Each time they said, 'Anything else to go in?', and I replied, 'Um, these chairs?' (most dining chairs are vile for tessellating) they smiled again and fitted them in. It seemed to be an amiable challenge to show us how very much better than us they were at 3D Tetris and wow - they were!

And fast. All done including 15 (not eight) boxes run up to 'my' attic in 90 minutes.

If ever you want a removals company...

We rested from the movers' exertions by taking a gentle walk by the river. Then the brother-who-can-do-everything unexpectedly turned up in his van and agreed to drop off the remaining packed boxes on his way home. Luckily, friend's partner was out.

Tivoli and I walked back across Christchurch Meadow and somehow fell into a drinking (& eating) hole on the way.

Still lots more to pack, but suddenly I have enough space to stack the next lot of boxes.

Beds gone, Tivoli and I slept on blow-up mattresses.