Today we finished the process of packing, packaging and getting ALL our 424 wrapped/boxed items onto the truck to be loaded into a 40 foot container. Who would have thunk there would be so much 'stuff'?
We are at the point where we say things like "Well, if it all sinks, we wont miss any of it!". We cant insure items we have packed ourselves, so we opted for Total Loss! What more can we do?
We have to put a value of 30% of retail (roughly) on the items, which means the whole shipment is basically worthless, lol. Given that everything has been in storage since October 2012, and we havent seen 999% of it since then, it is now 6 yrs older than originally.
I remember moving to a new home on Maui, and after 2 years I emptied some of the cartons, to find that we just didnt need the contents any more. I donated a truck load to charity. Some of it was brand new.
We have signed a piece of paper to say we will not gift, sell or donate anything we are importing, within the first 12 months of our residence in France.
Phew! I feel that I have been a crazy woman all day. We started packing, packaging and loading the truck yesterday with a crew of three excellent folk. Crown Worldwide Relocations is a New Zealand company well known for the quality of their moves. We were happy to employ them, and can honestly say we are delighted with the service so far.
The only fly in the ointment appeared late morning in the form of two new men, to load the truck, as the two others from yesterday kept packaging. Our remaining two from yesterday worked like Trojans both days, and we learned a lot about packaging and packing...two distinctly different things.
Just getting started!
Our two new fellas were not as careful, didnt appear to read the FRAGILE signs all over some boxes, and didnt know how to spell Heavy! HAEVY?? I did (with a big smile on my face) remind them to read the signs on each box, and insisted that they were careful when I thought they were being a bit rough and ready. I shouldn't have had to do that. I almost felt as if I was watching those luggage handlers at the airport! They seem to forget that people have personal belongings in their bags, and that they paid good money for the bag itself.
I have made my feelings clear to our company contact.
Fitting in the pieces of our lives. They couldn't fit the 40ft container into the parking lot, so they had to transfer it all from the truck to the container at the depot, which is a quarantine area.
We have been rising at 6am to be at the Storage facility by 8. It is still dark...this is middle of May in NZ, and winter is just around the corner. It has been 20-24C during the day, but cool in the mornings and evenings. Today was normal humid Auckland weather and it didnt take much to raise a sweat.
While the company folks packed and packaged, Waz and I checked, identified items to pack and where, and number and inventory. I am the keeper of the numbers, each of which had to go onto each carton/item on a white sticker. This was distinct from the other 'old' numbers that some of the recycled boxes had on them.
The company have their own numbering system, and they have to know what is in each box, and preferably eye-ball it for themselves, so that we dont pack anything illegal. They sign for it all on behalf of the company. We threw plenty of illegals out and took plenty of no-go's to the local Women's Shelter shop, with the rest going to my brother who has a business nearby, fortunately. Gardening equipment or anything with rust on it is a no-go due to bio-security concerns. Best not to pack anything that might raise eyebrows and sniffer dogs at customs!
We were most anxious to get our lovely black sofas out of the unit. We knew they might be moldy, but didnt know HOW moldy, and were prepared for the worst. I dont remember cleaning the leather prior to storage. So, out came the love seat...a 2 seater. They have electric footstools, which is one feature we love about them.
I had purchased a leather cleaner and conditioner in advance of their big reveal, and rather tentatively started on the clean-up. Voila!
Waz wished the recliner reclined!
The pile outside the truck grew. One of the crew spent the majority of his time fitting it all into the truck.
We were so glad to finish for the day...but wait! I had homework...I had to type the inventory in both French and English at the end of the day. Thank goodness for Google translate. I do know enough French to know when I haven't entered the correct phrase or words to elicit the correct translation. It takes a little time, but I am also learning more vocab as well!
Another 6am start to the day, today, as we were told the crew would be at the Storage facility by 8am again. We beat them by about 1 1/2 hrs. They were busy transferring our goods from truck to Container, apparently. It gave Waz and me an opportunity to take a look at what was left, and to do some packaging for ourselves. I had requested that they take the 3 seater sofa out as soon as possible, so that I could clean and condition it. This one was in better shape than the other, which was interesting considering how damp it was in the unit. Some of the leather had almost no mold at all!
When the truck left for the depot this afternoon, I took our washing to the laundry in Silverdale 5 mins away, and while there found someone to give me a haircut. It was a bare trim with no wash or dry = $32, thanks. It took all of ten mins.
I also managed to find mum a warm sweater in almost new condition, at the Hospice Shop.
Waz stayed behind to help one of the Fellas from Hibiscus Coast Guard (where Waz used to be a member) dismantle the infrastructure inside the Unit. We have donated the timber to their cause.
I arrived back at the unit with all the freshly laundered clothes just as the car and trailer was pulling out and Waz had keys in hand to pass back to the owners of the facility. We said our farewells and made our way to my brother's workshop to drop off those items we chose not to pack. He has 'inherited' rather a lot of 'stuff'!
Home and a cuppa, and straight to work finishing the inventory.
Some shitty news from France about documentation needed that we cannot under any circumstances provide....and I have sounded off about people who tick boxes for a living without thinking outside those boxes. We have never lived a 'normal' life and it creates problems at every turn. You would think??? that they would get curve balls all the time, wouldn't you? I am not sure I look forward to tomorrow's mail! They are asking us to provide evidence that we are moving 'back' to France, who our employers are/were (in the USA) and an attestation from some 'authority' in the USA to say we have lived there for more than the past 12 months.
To begin with (and we have stated and signed this information) we are retired and have been for the past 6 years. We dont have nor have we ever had employers in the USA. We are NOT returning French people! What part of this information do they not understand? Because it is written on a form, nobody has questioned its relevance to us! Blimey! Anyway, moving right along!
Sunday was Mother's Day. We all gathered at Mum's apartment to celebrate. Lovely to have my brother David and his two sons there and joining my youngest son, Waz and myself. We bought a Carrot Cake for the gathering and we boiled the kettle for cups of tea. Conversation flowed between all of us, and we remembered to take some photos! Cant take enough of our mother at 89 3/4. She is doing so well, and we love spending time with her. It is very difficult to be so far away from her at a time when we could do so much with her, but she has a wonderful support system in place, and I look forward to those free phone calls from landline to landline, once we return to France.
Having dealt with a medical emergency on Friday, we are happy Mum is doing better. She looks marvelous in these photos.
I am working with mum to increase her nutrition. Medics said she was underweight for her height, and I concur. She is determined to live independently as long as she can, and one way to do that is to eat better food, and get enough calories. We have seen a huge difference over the past four days, since she has been eating more protein and drinking a complete supplement first thing in the morning when her blood sugar is lowest. Long may it last. I will do my best to ensure she is in tip top shape by the time we leave for France.
Well, its now 9.30pm and I am at the tooth-picks to keep eyes open stage. A nice hot shower sounds wonderful...
We are having lunch with friends tomorrow and dinner with a dear cousin. We made the appointment with the friends early this time, as we always seem to miss them, on previous visits. Looking forward to catching up on all their news, and probably welcoming them as guests to our new home in France, later in the year.
Friday we are having dinner with Sam (son) and will see him for the last time, this visit. He is doing really well, but I miss so much about his company and person. We make sure to have plenty of hugs, the two of us. Hoping he will choose to visit his old mother and Waz in France some time soon! We live in hope:)
Ciao for now...Au Revoir? A bientot!
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