Monday, 12 April 2010

Observations #101

Well, our shipment of 'stuff' from the UK finally arrived. Only 3 months after we did, but let's not go into the reasons behind that...

(Oh, you insist? Well... No, I couldn't. Let's just say it's not me that's to blame. Or the Boys. 'Nuff said?)

Anyway, 30 or so boxes turned up the day before we went away for a week, so it's only now, 10 days after our return, that (almost) all of them have been unpacked and distributed into the additional storage we had to go to Ikea to buy once we realised how much useless crap we had spent good money to bring with us.

And now that I have had the chance to take stock of what was packed in that mad pre-departure rush, I would like to make the following observations...

1. Electric hand-whisks work better when you remember to pack the beaters as well.

2. Packing enough bed linen for 4 double beds and 2 singles - twice over - is a somewhat pointless exercise when you are currently living in what is basically a 2 bedroom cottage.

3. Likewise towels. What were you expecting PM, to be training as the local midwife?

4. Promising your Husband that you would love to rustle up some wonderful dinner parties, but only once your Le Creuset arrives, leaves you no place to hide once it does.

5. Leaving all your summer shoes back in England (which could so easily have been included in the shipment) to be collected at some future date, when said 'future date' is one month after the official start of summer, is not the smartest sartorial move one can make.

6. Entrusting your Husband with the safe packing and delivery of the dvd player remote control was just asking for trouble.

7. Keeping your own counsel when he pronounces that it will be no problem and he is sure he'will find it somewhere', (making the Boys' watching any blu-ray dvd's until he does so an impossibility - and this in a house currently not connected to tv) is advisable, as...

8. ...Revenge is sweet when he wants to watch Episode 2 of Series 2 of The Wire and finds that to do so without the dvd remote control, he has to watch the whole of Episode 1 again to get to it.

(It's good, but not that good. I think he may now have prioritised finding that remote).


12 comments:

  1. Series two of the wire... worth finding the remote for.

    Finding what you said in reverse. Having just packed up our house in Bosnia, realised how much stuff we bought out with us that we never used. Why did I think fitted sheets were going to fit?

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  2. Something tells me I'll be making that very remark when we eventually leave here, Brit...

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  3. Isn't it funny how we let husbands get involved in the oacking and shippingas if that is a sane thing to do?

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  4. You let your husband pack? You let your husband within breathing distance of packing?
    I have no sympathy for you woman!
    (Impressed you could fit everything into 30 boxes - half of those would probably be filled with my photo albums).

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  5. Maybe at some deep sub-consious level, you thought that if you left all your summer shoes in Britain, the weather would get warmer quicker in Moscow. You know the kind of thing. If all your summer shoes had arrived, you could bet your bottom dollar that it wouldn't get summery for ages. But since you left them...

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  6. Totally sympathise.
    I am rueing the day I thought there was no point in packing summer clothes for Canada as the summer doesnt normally happen until July here. What bloody happens? Freak heatwave. Blah.

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  7. Haha, rings a lot of bells. Our stuff didn't arrive for so long that we ended up having to buy things that we knew were in the shipment but just couldn't live without - kitchen stuff mainly. There are things I always wonder why we left behind, and things I stare at and wonder why did we bother. But I guess you never get it quite right.

    I guess living in the US the temptation is always to go and buy it - that is the mentality here. It must be far more difficult in Russia though....

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  8. I'm with Tara! Why on earth did you let him near the packing? Husbands are for entertaining small boys (or girls, should you be so blessed), preferably out of the house, while you pack. This means that not only will you have what you want but it will arrive complete in all meanings of the word. Supervising some lovely professional packers is an acceptable alternative. The 30 boxes was good though, we had over 100 boxes for our move plus furniture (and not one thing was broken) but it was a one-way trip.

    Hope the remote turns up soon.

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  9. Hope you find the remote soon and some suitable shoes

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  10. Irene, 'funny', yes - but not 'ha-ha'...

    Tara, I know, I brought it on myself. Lesson learned.

    Iota, if only there had been that much deep thought involved!

    1950's Mum, well, on the plus side at least the temperature has dropped down to around 12degC again - so my boots look less out of place...

    NVG, you CAN buy most things here, although at a price. A few things though I just haven't managed to find, like a pyrex measuring jug. Why it's so hard to find, I have no idea... Have now cracked 3 plastic ones making vegetable stock...

    Sharon - that was us travelling light. Most of our stuff stayed in the UK...

    Mel, thanks - and me too!

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  11. And I thought traveling for a few weeks with "forgottens" was bad! Yeeesh!!! Bet you will be using internet shopping before the week's over. I found a critical part for my juicer that daughter lost on the company website. Apparently it's common to order missing components. Not that this helps your budget or eases the ruffled feathers of misfortune.

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  12. You must secretly be happy it wasn't your fault, right? And you can NEVER have too many towels.

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