Boxes Everywhere

This morning I made up the six flattened supermarket boxes which have been sitting on Mum’s bed for almost a year. I have quickly become adept at reinforcing them with sticky parcel tape to make them as strong as possible (there’s nothing worse than having all your belongings fall through the bottom of a cardboard box). I’ve already got four big plastic boxes with lids, and have also ordered 20 extra-strong double-walled cardboard ones, to use in both Tiptree and Chesham. Hopefully the removal firm will provide more when we get to a stage where I can safely book them, but I’m having to crack on straight away to have any chance of getting everything done.

I’ve been taking out all the rare books and other items I’ve collected and squirrelled away over the past four years, and am packing them up safely until the renovations at the bungalow are completed. Next, I need to empty out all the unwanted furniture that will be donated to charity etc, and sort the contents of those into various boxes as well. There is a fair amount of china which was Mum and Dad’s, and some of that is antique, so we’ll have to get it valued by an auction house to see what ought to be sold rather than given away. I’m finding it really hard to say goodbye to items like that, many of which have been in our parents’ home for a long time and meant something to them, but I just don’t have the space to keep everything so sadly they will have to go.

I’m hoping that the worst of the paperwork for the conveyancing solicitors is out of the way, and that I can now focus my time and attention on sorting, disposing and packing at both properties. I shall most definitely be heartily sick of packing by the time the flat sale has completed…