Chapter 4 - A Moving Story
Part 1

Goodness, packing up a house is a hideous experience. It is SO tiring, and yet, very cathartic. I have been forced to get muddle into order and in so doing have found all sorts of bits and pieces from my past. Teenage diaries, very cringy, old photographs of events, friends and family and much, much more. All tidy and organised now and ready to store. Feeling very satisfied.

So, let us talk about storage. A whole new world for the husband and I and quite a revelation. We began last year by clearing the shop in Dulwich and putting everything into the nearest Big Yellow. Very clean, and efficient and the staff were really helpful but on a long term basis?  No. It was very clear that we needed to find somewhere closer to Bexhill. Having Googled ‘storage’ the usual suspects came up. All fine but very costly. And then……while chatting to a friend, she groaned that they had to clear out the container they had been using for years to store their overflow of belongings.  CONTAINER? Oh, my goodness! Really? Never knew. However, you then have to find one. Would you believe how popular they are? I have been searching for days for somewhere big enough to store all the contents of our house and the shop. Everyone I contacted was fully booked. Quel catastrophe! I tasked Husband to do some in depth research. He is very good and thorough at detail and finally he came across a rather obscure ad for some containers to rent near Dorking. He sent them a message and they got back to say they did have 2 x 20 ft. The office was closed over the bank holiday so we couldn’t view them until the following week when they would send us the address and further details.  

In need of a little diversion, I resorted to my favorite pastime of looking up antique furniture on eBay. Scrolling through, I nearly fell off my chair. A fabulous Indian thakat dining table! So excited! Made an offer. Accepted. So, on Bank Holiday Sunday off we trot to pick it up in our fabulous new Ford Transit (a much needed purchase). On the way I just said to Husi, ‘wouldn’t it be spooky if it was somewhere that had storage too?’

Well it was and is. Not only did it turn out to have containers but it was the same place that we had enquired online the week before. How did we know? Well, when we mentioned containers to Fiona, who was selling the table, she said ‘ Oh yes, I’m pretty sure there are 2 coming up for rental here, I am babysitting for the owners tonight, I will ask them’.

Coincidence or something more ……….?

Now to hire a man with van to take everything over to our storage home for the next year.