At the weekend we worked like Trojans. Our aim was to get Frances and Stewart happily settled in the flat that they have bought for a king's ransom. Stewart's parents were there too. His father is a vicar here in Sheffield and his mother is an occupational therapist. They are both at the very end of their working lives.
Everything went according to plan. The estate agent handed over the keys at 1pm on Friday. At 2pm we arrived from the motherland (Yorkshire). At 3pm the carpet fitters arrived. At 5pm we were putting flatpack furniture together. Stewart and his father were in the bedroom working on a massive double wardrobe while I was in the living room/second bedroom working on a designer coffee table with drawers. Frances and Mummy went back to Tooting Bec in South London to finish her packing and cleaning.
It was funny lying on the new carpet with my complicated flatpack instructions. Next door I could hear the vicar and Stewart struggling with their bigger job. I chuckled because I knew that if I had been in the next room the air would have sometimes been blue... "Jesus Christ! Where are the number eight b*****d screws?"..."Whoever made these ****ing instructions wants shooting!" etcetera.
Instead I heard calm and patient endeavour... "Oh my giddy aunt, do you remember where we put the number eight screws Stew?" and "These instructions might have been a little clearer in my view." Yes, it made me chuckle.
At 9pm we went for dinner at the nearby "Westbury" pub. It was very nice and even nicer that the vicar and his wife fielded the bill. Afterwards, I drove to Southgate which is three or four miles north of Wood Green. I was staying in a brand new Premier Inn where I slept like a log. Shirley stayed the night over at Tooting Bec.
On Saturday, I was up at 8am and eating scrambled egg on toast in a nearby cafe by 8.30am. Then I caught the tube back to Wood Green and by 9.15 I was waiting to get in the flat to carry on working.
Frances's removals van arrived and The Queen and Princess turned up shortly afterwards. It was a day of window cleaning, unpacking, a visit to The Temple of IKEA, swilling, mopping, putting screws in walls (not screwing!), popping out to Wood Green high road for various things until night-time arrived once more.
The vicar headed back to Sheffield to prepare his Mothering Sunday sermon. Stew's mother crossed London to stay with one of her sisters and we went to an amazing Turkish restaurant called Capital. It was on three floors and buzzing like a hive. People of all nationalities were eating there - many of them Turks. We were assigned a table on the top floor and our order arrived pretty quickly considering the number of diners in the place. It was a very efficient operation and the food was deliciously simple Turkish fayre washed down with bottles of "EFES" beer. Oh my giddy aunt it was marvellous!
Is this blogpost getting boring? Sorry. It will soon be over.
Shirley and I headed back to Southgate and on Sunday morning drove back to Wood Green - no parking restrictions on a Sunday you see.
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| Our Ian - Mr Bosh! |
More work at the flat and a trip to Awful Homebase but not so frantic now. Everything was coming nicely together. Mr Bosh! arrived at midday and at 2pm we were back at "The Westbury" for Sunday lunch with the two mothers on Mothers' Day. Mr Bosh! revealed an exclusive copy of the cookbook he had picked up in Italy.
Another shopping trip to bustling Wood Green's high street. More work at the flat and at 6pm Shirley and I commanded Clint to take us home. Three hours up the scenic M1 motorway to Yorkshire. Job done... and here's hoping that Frances and Stewart's current joy, love and togetherness endures. It was a privilege to help them. Renting is over. They have their own place.
Gosh I'm exhausted just reading that, as you must have been driving back up to Sheffield after all that screwing and rushing about.
ReplyDeleteCough..cough. The less said about all that screwing the better. After all, there was a vicar present!
DeleteThe kids are very lucky they had all of you to help them...and I'm sure they appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteAs for flat-packs...I hate them! I would've been in the room with you, performing a perfect duet, in unison using similar words as your colourful renditions; definitely not in the other uttering niceties such as "Oh, my giddy aunt!" :)
I bet you slept well upon your return home!
I pray that in my life I never have to tackle another ****ing flatpack! I think it would be easier to put the bloody things together in the factory instead of parcelling it all up in parts.
DeleteI agree wholeheartedly re flat-packs. I have two packs here that have been here, unassembled for the past four or so years. They shall remain in that state in this state as long as they are in my possession!!!
DeleteI have the tools to put them together, but not the patience. :)
Congrats to both of them -- I am envious -- and to you for surviving it all! Moving is always such a nightmare, especially when assembling furniture is required. Homebase IS awful. Why is that?!
ReplyDeleteOur Homebase in south Sheffield is also bad. B&Q is much better - better organised, better stocked with helpful staff. I feel that it is only a question of time before Homebase collapses.
DeleteI'm amazed Homebase hasn't already collasped!
DeleteWhat a nice looking couple. They must be so thrilled with their new place!
ReplyDeleteYes Jennifer but not so thrilled about the monthly mortgage payments!
DeleteNot boring at all! I enjoyed reading this post from the comfort of my chair ... while you worked :)
ReplyDeleteYou surely have a lovely family to be proud of and it is so nice that both families got together to help. Well done!
(p.s. your Italian is perfect)
Greetings Maria x
Sei molto gentile Maria!
DeleteWhat a relief that everything went according to plan! No thumbs were squeezed hammering down nails, no backs pulled dragging heavy boxes around and no nerves completely lost in the process of setting up flatpack furniture or doing the shopping.
ReplyDeleteYour meal sounds nice, I like Turkish food. Which reminds me that I have not been to the Turkish restaurant less than 10 minutes away from my place in a long time.
You will have to take OK there or perhaps he can buy you a birthday meal there Meike.
DeleteIt is so much work to move, with all the cleaning at the old place and often cleaning at the new place (or in your daughter's case, new flooring to be installed). It's good that everyone pitched in . . . many hands make light(er) work. Now to recuperate! Maybe it's just me who needs a week to get over helping with a move; you may be made of stronger stuff.
ReplyDeleteYorkshire folk are really tough O'Jenny. Even tougher than Nova Scotian fishermen. It was a joy to help F&S to move in.
DeleteFunnily enough I never get fed up with reading your posts, crawl crawl, lol
ReplyDeleteI can imagine the cost of a home anywhere near London, our Grandson has looked into it and decided to stay sharing for the moment. He lives in Roman Road in Bow and loves the place but knows that he will probably have to buy outside of London.
Swearing? I wouldn't have thought it of you, ha ha.
Briony
x
Tell Young Tom that the average house price in Burnley, Lancashire is £75,455. He could move there but he'd have to lose the cockney accent me owl china!
DeleteSome people say that we in Brighton sound just like cockney's.
DeleteTo me anybody who lives south of Watford Gap is a cockney me owl cock sparrer!
DeleteCongratulations to you and Shirley for raising such wonderful, caring, resourceful children. May they always be as loving and sincere and joyful as today. All we can ask as parents, isn't it Mr. Pudding.
ReplyDeleteBoth my Prince and my Princess moved into new built homes in 2017 and they are as happy as bugs in rugs. The Prince bought a new duplex on a postage-size lot in Denver and is living there with his woman-friend and their dog. The Princess and her British consort built on 5 acres in Minnesota and both couples paid about the same price for their residences. Go figure.
I have had so many days like you and Shirley had, helping the children move hither and yon. I hope it is over.
Thank you for calling by again lovely lady. I am pleased to learn that your offspring are set up with homes of their own and it is nice to learn that The Prince is not too far away in John Denver. In contrast Princess Barbie is far away but Minnesota is a fine state. Are they close to The Twin Cities?
DeleteYes, they are in Rochester.....both working at the wonderful Mayo Clinic.
DeleteBut today, and for the next week, they are in England! She has already had her first fish and chips of this visit!
I hope her British hubby is from Yorkshire as we have the very best fish and chips up here. It is often said the best of the best will be found in The Magpie at Whitby.
DeleteWell I found that a good place to rejoin your Blogland. I hate missing bits so usually read them all but have skipped a few this time. Why was the exclusive Bosh picked up in Italy? Is that were they are being printed or is there an Italian edition? And am I the only person on planet earth who enjoys assembling flatpack?
ReplyDeleteYes the Bosh! book has been printed in Italy. As for the flatpack question, the answer is also "Yes!" which makes you a bit of a weirdo Graham! No normal person likes putting flatpack furniture together.
DeleteNot true! I am in Graham's club when it comes to assembling flatpacks. For years, I have been holding the (unofficial) title of Baden-Württemberg's Champion in Flatpack-Assembling. More than half of the furniture in my flat comes from IKEA, and most of it was assembled by me alone. I only had help for the bits that were too heavy to handly on my own, such as my wardrobe with the large sliding doors.
DeleteI guess that people are different but not usually that different!
DeleteThe vicar seemed to leave his sermon prep quite late but I guess after preaching on 20, 30 or 40 Mothering Sundays, prep is probably a moot point.
ReplyDeleteA weekend like the one you had would leave me exhausted for a month, good thing you are from Yorkshire!
I think he will have presided over forty Mothering Sunday services. I guess he could have delivered them in his sleep. I suggested Skype but this joke fell on stony ground.
DeleteOne of the pleasures we have for having kids. they grow up and move and say, "Dad, can you help me." They already know that we will help them. Anyway you've put in your time.
ReplyDeleteNot all grown up kids have caring parents to lean on.
DeleteWell I found that a good place to rejoin your Blogland. I hate missing bits so usually read them all but have skipped a few this time.
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