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Strangely violated by the house move


woolybanana
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My 'stuff' went in storage today for a couple of months whilst the notaires get their act together.

I have moved many times but I realise that this is the first time that I have witnessed others taking my odds and sods and loading them into a truck.

And I felt violated as these things were handled by others, impersonally, packed in odd ways, their connection to me severed, albeit temporarily.

And these things, some old, others antique or unusual suddenly felt irrelevant and shabby as if I were seeing them in an Emmaus.

And I was upset and disturbed and depressed as if violated.

Very odd indeed.
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That's sad. ?

I expect it's a bit like packing the dogs off to kennels for a few weeks, and thinking that they don't understand you will be coming to get them back again.

And knowing that they will smell different when they come home, too.

Still, think how happy your furniture will be to be welcomed into your new abode...

Angela
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First time that we were 'packed up' was when we moved to France and my feelings were of elation, someone else doing it was wonderful.

When we left France, we were supposed to be packing up, but my friends came round and chased me out of their way as they packed up most of our stuff, one crying as she did it. In fact I made cups of coffee and did as I was told which was next to nothing, so that was as they say, bitter sweet.

Sorry you are feeling so wooly, hopefully all will be in it's new home very soon.

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Sorry it's been a less than joyous experience for you, Wooly.

I have to say that when we moved last year after 20-odd years in the same house, I insisted we got the removal people to do the packing, and the sense of relief and freedom was immense.

It wasn't all plain sailing, though, as we needed two vans, and they called us a few days before the move to ask if they could come and pack the first one on the Saturday prior to our removal date. I was caught a bit on the hop, and had already arranged to meet a friend at Bicester services on the M40, as he was bringing some stuff back from France for me. By the time I returned, there wasn't much left, but they were about to start on the kitchen, and I had to make several on-the-hoof decisions about the crockery, cutlery and kitchen equipment I would need for the next three days. We had planned on eating simple meals and it seemed OK to pack most things. I subsequently discovered that the tins of Tuna I'd set aside for a salad on the following evening were still there, but not the tin opener...so I had to borrow one from a neighbour. And the van had gone with all the tea, coffee and sugar, so I had to go out and replace them all, purely so I could provide tea and coffee for the very blokes who had packed the first lot!
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[quote user="NormanH"]You should write a poem or short story about it.

You clearly have a talent with words.

I never saw you as a someone with feelings [6]

[/quote]

Don't you believe that, Norman.  He definitely harbours "feelings" for you![:P]  He worried endlessly when you were ill.

Dear darling Wooly, it's normal to feel like that.  We too have moved umpteen times.  With some of the removers, I could have cheerfully killed them, for the cavalier way that they treated my prized possessions.

We have also had removers who took an inordinate amount of care and practically wrapped every teaspoon in tissue paper.

In the last few years, I seem to have developed a very offhand attitude towards possessions, to the extent that, were we to say move back to the UK, I am not sure that I'd be taking very much back at all.  Partly this might be because I still have boxes of "stuff" which have survived intact over two moves in France and never been even opened![:-))]  Can't be that needed then, can they?[I]

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It also dépends on the way that people handle things, there is a great difference between picking something up  and putting it down wagain ith equal care and throwing stuff around like you see on films.

 

Some people are just plain lazy and insensitive, to put something down involves bending at the waist and/or leaning forward, that is too much to expect of some people, when its your own goods be it your carefully packed possessions or the cashier bouncing your fruit and veg across the till it gets my back up.

 

I do yoga and keep fit classes I am the only guy amongst a total of probably 70 + women spread amongst the classes, we are in a salle de sports on Tatami judo mats, we use "bâtons" of plastic conduit for exercises and for balance, when the instructor says "posez vos bâtons sur le sol" with the emphasis on poser I am the only person that bends over and puts the thing down silently, there is a barrage of noise as 30 other  unladylike women drop theirs from waist height, would they do that with a baby? - They probably would [:(]

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"bending at the waist and/or leaning forward"?  Chance, you're having a laugh, right?

Not counting the frail and elderly, there are innumerable people that don't seem able to do either of those things[:-))]

Having had people sort of "fall back" onto armchairs and settees thus pushing the furniture to impact against the walls, I have now learnt to position them at least a foot away.  Don't know why they can't bend at the waist and lean forward (as per your remark) and LOWER themselves into chairs so as not to push your furniture half way across the room[:@]

 

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We got our removal company to pack everything and transport it to France. We also took out extra international shipping insurance which gave us 90 days to make a claim, plenty of time to unpack and check things. We did this because our logic was that if they packed it and there were any problems it was all down to them. It worked out quite nicely for us, things were broken and there was no problem with getting items replaced. Other than that it was quite painless, we just walked out of our house one morning giving the keys to the movers and told them to get on with it. We never packed a single thing, not even a cup (we did take important documents and jewelry but that was it). They even took the Sky dish down not that it worked down here being too small and all.
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