Death by Moving
As I write this I am virtually flat on my back, high on a pain killing shot. Yep, my back finally caved in after 4 days of moving and cleaning. I can’t see the carpet in our bedroom, but thankfully the pain killer has also dulled any care factor!
NEVER, EVER try to move yourself!!! Beg, borrow or steal to get the professionals in!
Here are some shots of our adventure. Don’t ask about Mr O Jnr 2′s hair attachment – I don’t know – he found one of my combs and put it there for safe-keeping!
Boys discovering Mum can drive a truck
Dice – not sure who usually drives this truck!
The boys discovered Mum can drive a truck. Mr O couldn’t do this as his licence is an automatic. So the truck driving was mine. I think this was a contributing factor to the back problem, as jumping in and out of the truck was difficult with my back problems. Mr O of course did the lion’s share of the lifting, so even if he did have a manual licence, asking him to do both might have been a bit much! I hope it was a practical example for the girls that women CAN do anything!
We had started in the morning – as you can see, the above shot was taken at night! It had been a long day!
The dice dangling from the mirror are a mystery, but so were the rubber skeleton and other toys in the dash. Not sure who normally drives the truck, but they must be fun!
Mr O and I nearly divorced over assembling the boys’ bunks. I have no idea why, I guess that is just moving! Don’t panic, we made up.
It was SO good Sunday morning to hang out washing on a typical Aussie Hills Hoist! Yes, that is the tail end of the truck – not nearly big enough – we have a lot of “stuff”!
Washing actually dries on these!
While the boys were at soccer on Sunday morning, I ventured into the vegetable garden. Silverbeet already growing, which we use a lot of.
Silverbeet
The garden is actually quite a reasonable size, but those stepping logs are very slippery, as I discovered! Maybe that didn’t help the back either.
Vegetable Garden
I am not at all familiar with some of the plants growing, such as this one below. Any ideas, anyone?
Mystery vegetable
One thing I must have missed when we looked at the house originally is the light fittings.
Chandeliers
Chandeliers are NOT my kind of light fitting. Dust collectors is a better name for them I am sure. But this is an older home, so chandeliers it is. I would prefer downlights! I am a minimalist type of person: no nick-knacks in my house! 
To be continued……
Related:
I just caught up with your blog and you’ve been busy! Moving is a pain. We’ve done it 5 times (once over 650 miles *1046 km* away) and always by ourselves. Of course the last time, we didn’t have any stuff to move.
Between moving and furniture assembly, I’m amazed I’m still married. Divorce seemed like a good idea every time. Hope you get settled soon and your back feels better even sooner. You need a vacation.
I DO need a vacation. One where the washing machine doesn’t break down, the oven works and I can sleep 12 hours a day!!!
BFF and I handled most of the last move ourselves . . . but we left most of the furniture in the house we sold and inherited new furniture in the villa we bought.
Rest your back . . . then enjoy your clothesline, your veggie patch, and all other things about the new abode.
The number managing moves themselves is adding up! In your case, it sounds manageable.
Had silverbeet out of the garden last night in the sauce. Lovely!
Flat pack assembly arguments are accepted reasons for divorce in the UK. Well done for surviving; get those boys and men to give you TLC! Prayers coming your way from me.
Thank you Richard! This weekend we start actually organising our new home. The bathroom is done and the kitchen and lounge are almost there, but the bedrooms? Ground zero, I’m afraid!
Hope your back gets better soon – nothing worse than that. Yeah, moving’s expensive. Time before last we hired a truck & moved our own stuff, mostly. But last time we splashed out for the mover – given the distance we moved (4 km), I am not entirely convinced it was worth it, but some of our gear is quite heavy, so maybe it was.
Matthew, I’d say definitely worth it. We were, I think, swayed in our decision by the distance. We should not have allowed ourselves to be as some of our stuff is quite heavy too. Our dining table is Tasmanian hardwood and large enough to seat 8 people. Not a light or small piece of furniture.
Plus removalists have the protection art down pat. We managed to chip a couple of corners. Wood glue needed!
I hope your back improves soon. Having broken mine twice I know what back is and it is horrendous
I am surprisingly good today compared with yesterday afternoon! I honestly thought I was going to be in bed for a few days. I could hardly move my right leg at all. I’m being careful today and there is still some pain, but nothing that isn’t manageable. Mind you, I wouldn’t like to be still fetching and carrying and bending!
I can certainly appreciate compared with your broken back, mine was minor! Twice is just unbelievable! What is it they say about lightening?
Well they are wrong it does strike twice !!!!!
I sympathize with your back problem Robyn – I suffer the same way. We moved ourselves once (a 4 bed house) – never again. I was on my back for days afterwards!
Love the Hills Hoist, you can’t beat ‘em – and strong enough for the kids to swing on – but don’t tell them I said that!
Great vegie patch too – lots of scope there! Can’t help you with the mysterious veg – green beans perhaps? Tell us when you find out!
The clothes just dry so much faster on the rotary clothesline.
Green beans, huh? Hmmmmmmm – possibility. Definitely not peas. I have some more for the next article!
Backs are just a pain, I reckon. Once they are shot, they are shot. I need to build up my core strength to help support it better.
They say swimming helps strengthen a bad back – if and when you have the time, that is!
I used to swim 3 mornings a week years ago – we have actually moved closer to the pool, so that is possibly a thought….
Well there ya go – no excuses!
We moved a lot when I was a kid, and always by ourselves. Then again, we moved from one tiny apartment into another — I’ve never lived in a house — so there wasn’t so many things to move, except for books.
Anyway, I hope your back gets better soon!
Thank you! Yes, moving all those beds and the MOUNTAIN of clothes (I am sure we never wear half of them). Six people is just a BIG BIG job!
This spring/summer, SO and I threw away a lot of clothes we don’t wear anymore. Now I can actually find the clothes I want to wear.
THAT is what we should do!!!
I hope your back recovers soon! Moving is hard work for sure, all that bending and carrying. What a great veggie garden you have inherited!
The back is a bit better this morning – at least I can move from point A to point B!
What a cracking veg garden!!! Looking forward to following Mr O’s progress…I take it he will be in charge of this? Is mystery veg broad bean??? not sure… maybe peas…
Hope the back responds to the rest and of coure the kids will wait on you hand and foot…won’t you ?
Huh! Hand and foot? I asked one of them (who shall remain nameless) to shut the gates for me this morning and he said “Oh, you can do it Mum”. I was too p’ed off to argue!
We shall have words tonight! Parenting is such fun sometimes – not!
Yes, the garden looks great! We are going to use some of the silverbeet tonight. As it is nearly spring here, I have to think about what we can plant.
Well done, well done !! Moving is VERY hard.. I did it 4 times in 5 years! The first one of those was from Ireland back to England ably helped by 2 married friends of mine – he had his own lorry and lots of friends in Ireland in the couple of weeks before and my son who still lived there then but now lives 1/2hr away with my daughter.. I have never cried so much in my life !! I had lived in the house for nearly 25 years but it wasn’t that it was leaving friends and my son.
I bought my cat with me (on each move) in a cat box sitting with the 3 of us in the front.. she meaowed almost ALL the way.. getting on the ferry was a relief as she had to stay in the lorry in the hold ( with the windows open a bit obviously) but continued the racket all the way top new destination ( 6 hrs drive! )
There’s more but I think that’s enough..
I have always moved myself because it’s so damn expensive here to hire anyone!
I can honestly state a removalist would have been worth the money – we just don’t have the money this time!
We didn’t have any pets to move, but I know how cats can wail. I moved one to New Zealand in the ’90s but when I came back to Australia I gave him to some lovely people. I couldn’t put him through moving countries again.
I take it you aren’t planning on moving again for a while?
We would have been seriously stuffed if a friend hadn’t helped us. I just have to think of a thank you for him!
Food and fun is always a good thank you
.. I am not planning on moving for a VERY long time and my cat is very attached to me so was okay about the other moves… she is sitting under my chair as I write this 