Last. day of May! Can you believe it? I can’t!

I can finally share my news, now, so I’m devoting this week’s Chai and a Chat to that!

But, first, a quick shoutout to my colleagues who were really supportive, and who clubbed together to allow me a couple of days off, to prepare!

So, my big news, is, (I hope it’s not an anti-climax for any of you!) that we finally MOVED HOUSE!

You knew we were trying to sell, and that we were looking, but up until it all was official, we didn’t want to put it out there, too much, but yes, we actually found a property at the end of January, but needed to sell ours in order to make it happen. That happened in March, then it was thw whole rigmarole of mortgages and solicitors, surveys and searches…

But, as I type this, I am sitting on my bed, in my new, hopefully, forever home!

I actually don’t have pics to share yet, but there is plenty to keep you entertained, because the move on Friday wasn’t without its hiccups…

So, on Tuesday I was off from school to supervise the removals company, who we instructed to help with our packing, as well as the removal (FYI, best decision EVER! Who wants to be wrapping each and every plate and bowl?) The guys were amazing and they packed all they could, bar the bits we needed for a couple of days, by 1.30pm.

Then it was a waiting game until Friday. I was entitled to a Moving Day from work, which was ideal.

The kids were dropped off to my in-laws, ready for their last day of term, and for Lil Man, it was the last exam assessment, and his last day of school!

We awaited for the lorry to arrive, and boy, was the removals truck a big un!

I wasn’t sure how it was going to fit on the road! But, it did, and again, the super removers had all the rest of our stuff packed, and the furniture on the truck by 12pm. As they moved things out, we hoovered, dusted and cleaned, so the place was in as good a condition as we could leave it, along with a card and a plant for the new family.

We had a call at around 9.30am to say that the sale of our property was complete, and at 12.30pm another caall came to confirm that we had officially bought our place!

It’s strange, but last time, we didn’t actually have this stress, or excitement in the same way, as we weren’t selling. We were moving out of the family home to our own, so there was plenty of time to slowly get the place clean and ready, before moving.

This time, we were heading out of one place and setting up home, again in a new location.

But getting our keys proved to be a bit tougher.

Here we were, ready to go, the removal team chomping at the bit to get to the property, so they could unload as quickly as possible, and start their Friday earlier than usual.

Life had other plans for us.

Apparently, the Vendor still hadn’t finished packing and emptying the property, and needed a bit more time. 3 0r 4 o’clock.

We’re pretty reasonable people, so we said okay, you’ve got until 2pm, then we really need to get in. After all, we needed to pick the kids up too, once we were unpacked, so we had a bit of a trek to do that.

Oh, I forgot to mention, we’ve left the Gravesend suburbs, for a greener part of Kent! We are now part of the Sevenoaks crew, nearer for Lil Man’s District Cricket, and in the countryside, now!

What we had been searching for is a larger house, with a bigger garden, and rooms that allowed everyone space, as well as an office for Hubby Dearest, a spare bedroom, and if possible, a writing/study room for me.

And we found it!

But I digress.

So, we ended up arriving at our new property to pick up the keys at 3pm after getting a pleading call from the estate agent, saying that the guy still wasn’t ready.

We’ve been planning this move and completion of the sale for weeks, now. How was is that we arrive at 3pm to a house still filled with beds and wardrobes, the sheds and summer house crammed with his belonging, and even stuff still in the kitchen?

That is exactly what happened. Nowhere for us to unload our own stuff, as his was in the way.

The plan was the removal team would put all the boxes in the relevant labelled rooms, making it a little easier for us to unpack. Well, that didn’t happen!

Instead, we walked into our new property, that was still filled with the vendors stuff, and I could have cried. It was a tip, and there was no sign of him, or anyone, cleaning up a little, at least.

But it was the kitchen that broke me.

It looked like they hadn’t bothered to even clean the hob since they heard we were buying. Grease and grime was congealed on it. And there were even dead wasps, bees and flies caught up in it all. Drawers left with layers of flour in them, items still in some cupboards, and an awfu smell in the conservatory that is connected to the kitchen.

I actually lost my rag then, exclaiming in horror at how someone could leave their property like this for another family. He said this was normal practice! Not inn my world, it isn’t!

Before I could take photos, I ended up grabbing the bleach from my cleaning kit that I had kept handy, and coating the hob liberally, before scrubbing, all the time, ensuring he could hear my loud mutterings about how it was sickening that anyone actually lived like this.

He, meanwhile, wandered around on his phone.

The guy’s behaviour waas unbelieveable.

He hadn’t hired proper removal guys, and hadn’t even thought about packing his stuff in advance. Now he was waiting for his tiny van to arrive, and considering he was moving furniture and belongings from a six-bed house, what was he thinking, not even getting a bigger lorry? They had done one trip already, and the second was on the way. They needed to get back, to dismantle three beds and wardrobes, as well as empty the sheds and summer house.

Except, they were travelling 1.5 hours each way. These guys weren’t getting back here until 6pm earliest.

All this time, poor Sonu Singh was sat in his carrier. After a distressing drive, for him, he was now in a new house, with new smells, and all sorts of strange people around. We couldn’t even let him out, because everything was all over the place, and it would have been unsafe for him…

And our kids were calling, to ask whether we were in yet, and if we could come and pick them up…

Long story short, our super removers even offered to help shift stuff out of the house at least, so they could get our stuff in, but when they realised it was all dismantling, and not ready to shift, items, they stepped back. If the guy wanted to pay them, then fair enough, but they weren’t labouring for free, for him!

Instead, we had to unload our stuff, some into the garden, and some in the rooms, around all his items, then the small room was filled to the rafters with the kitchen and misc boxes, as the kitchen was in no fit state to have anything in it.

We even ended up calling emergency cleaners, as it was so bad.

They turned up, after our removal guys had a well deserved beer with Hubby Dearest, and left us.

But this Vendor’s removal guys still weren’t here, and it was now 7pm. Actually, the Vendor wasn’t even there! He’d gone off on a drive! Leaving all this mess behind!

Oh, then we discovered the source of the stench in the conservatory. It was a blocked drain, leading from the kitchen sink. The water was leaking out onto the patio, and it reeked!

When he got back from whatever jolly he had been on, we showed him. Apparently, it had never happened before.

Sorry, but “B*llo*ks!” to that!

Also, he barely used the garden. (No. sh!t, Sherlock! The grass was to our knees…)

This is after he then grovelled and apologised, because he was having a tough time with his own purchase. Apparently he was going to clean, with his wife, but then they got delayed. Oh, and he would have provided a cleaner. The woman he uses every two weeks, apparently.

Er, no thanks. Not if this is the way she cleaned! That kitchen hadn’t seen bleach, or any other cleaning agent, for months!

Once his van turned up at 8pm, they began dismantling and loading up his furniture, while we sat there stewing, and losing the cat, who was finally out of his carrier, but confined to one, cleaned room, yet still found places to hide (this time inside the recliner mechanism of the sofas!)

We were tired, frustrated and hungry, having only eaten a sandwich at lunchtime.

The cleaners more or less finished the kitchen and bathrooms, then tried to get into the bedrooms, with not much luck, since the vendor’s guys were trying to dismantle furniture.

The Vendor popped his head around the door to tell us he’d arranged for an emergency drain specialist to come and look at the drain problem, which was done at 10pm.

It waas 11pm before we were finally alone in our new house.

He was going to have to come back the next day, suggesting 6am. Nope. Not happening.

7.30am was agreed upon, because he had 3 sheds to clear, yet. And to be done by 11am.

We could start charging rent, now. On top of the bill for the cleaners who he was going to have to foot.

Exhausted, we nibbled upon sandwiches we had in our coolbox, alone. The kids had been informed that they would have to stay with their grandparents for one night.

Oh, that’s another thing! I made sure this guy was aware of the fact that he had really messed the day up for us. Because of his inability to organise himself, we were unable to have our first night in the house as a family, and we couldn’t celebrate our son’s last day of school. Two huge things.

Sleep was fitful, as we didn’t have our bedding. It had been stacked in with all the other boxes, as we hadn’t been able to access the rooms, before, to place boxes in the right places.

I woke early, as we still didn’t have curtains, either.

And waited for this clown to arrive.

He didn’t.

Half nine, he turns up, smiling away, as if things were all hunky dory. His guys had let him down (probably after seeing what was expected of them today…) so, he needed a different lorry, and manpower, who arrived at 10am.

I meanwhile, attempted to start shifting boxes into the right rooms, and gave myself a hernia in the process! (Currently in pain…)

We were meant to be taking delivery of the kids beds on Saturday, too, but I got a message from them, at 7.30am to say they had made a mistake with the depot the delivery was meant to be going to, so they wouldn’t be turning up today.

Fantastic. Anything else?

Oh, yeah, the internet and Sky TV wasn’t playing ball either.

Seriously?

I ended up calling my sister-in-law to help me unpack the kitchen items, at least, which took us ages. Thank goodness for help with a logical mind!

She brought the kids with her, too, so they were able to unpack some bits from the boxes in their rooms, at least.

We ended the day with a takeaway, since I hadn’t had time to even get milk for a cup of tea, what with the goings on of the last couple of days.

I fell into bed, shattered.

Sunday, yesterday, I did the last touches on the kitchen and conservatory, for now. Moved some bits to the conservatory, and went in search of our closest supermarket to finally get some food!

Then we spent time in the afternoon, after trying to sort out a washing machine that had jammed mid cycle, and caused a flood, ordering curtains. Hoping a washing machine engineer is coming today to sort that out.

It’s starting to feel a little more like home, thankfully.

We are happy. Still a few niggles to iron out, but we’ll get there. I’ve met a few of the neighbours, who all seem lovely, so that is a huge positive. The ones next to us even have a pool, and offered to allow the kids to use it in the summer!

We meet with the clown in a few days, to go through our grievances, and the fact that he breeched his contract by not leaving at the right time, then denying he had ay hand in the faults that occured.

So, that’s it.

Our new home.

The journey started with many hiccups, but I am sure it will get much smoother, now, as we settle in.

Right, now, I am off to go to sleep, as it is very late/early, and I have been up for far too long. If there are any typos, I apologise, but my brain is frazzled, right now, as you can imagine!

I’ll post some pics when we’re all settled down!

Luck and love to you all, Peeps!