23rd June 09

Well here I am in wait for it, sunny Glasgow. Its not sunny all that often, so best make the most of it! Yesterday was the day from hell, having kittens waiting for the van - about twenty to nine I suddenly realised that the police were outside stopping everyone travelling in the bus lane. I was a touch anxious about how they would feel if a vast pantechnicon suddenly turned up and parked on double yellows, but thankfully a) we have loading permissions, and b) the van wasn't a pantechnicon, but one of the smaller varieties. Panic over!

As for the loading it went really well, three very nice lads, rushing up and down the stairs with all of those boxes - amazing. And the junk that was left after they'd gone! Anyhow my back got shot about three days ago now, so I was glad of a bit of rest - eventually I took myself off to the station, and here I am.

We got in to Glasgow Central Station about 11.15, which was actually a bit early. I t was a magnificent journey up, in fact I'd reccommend the 17.30 train to anyone - not many people on it, plenty of seats, the only problem was with the 'shop' where the hot water equipment was out of order, and there was no tea or coffee all journey. Having arrived I grabbed a taxi, a) because I wasn't exactly sure where the hotel was, and b) because my back's shot, and I had a case not dissimilar to that of Dr Who's tardis. You just don't want to see inside it, trust me. Whe we got there and I found out that I had to lug it that last 50 feet or so from the road to the hotel I was very distressed! On the other hand maybe it did me a bit of good, having been sitting for the last 7 hours or so.

So I'm now clued up as to the differences between a cheap hotel, and a hotel that costs £75 per night. Firstly, the lift. The lift here is a thing out of Grace Brothers, without any form of attendant - you couldn't get one in. It creaks and rumbles it's way to the third floor (where I am) and when you stop, it sort of shakes from side to side as if it can't wait to get anyone inside outside. And the noise! It makes a noise like - well I don't know, but I don't like it that's for sure! My room is nice - not as nice as the Millennium, but you can't have everything. I've moved here now, and frankly that makes any sort of hotel feel like cheating. In a bit, I'm rushing off to the letting agents, and then on up to the house. I shall be so pleased to get there, I'm going to just die for a proper cup of coffee which this hotel seems to think is beyond it. The coffee served with the breakfast was best described as a cup of hot water, appropriately coloured so you might possibly think this is coffee but ha! We fooled you!

19th June 09

Now do I want to bore everyone to death with more accounts of my battles with boxes? Not really. But I'm sitting here in my dear little flat where I've been living for more years than I care to remember, looking at all of the spaces on the walls where the pictures where, and it's so sad!! So many memories associated with this place. Sniff. One thing I don't think that I'm going to forget in a hurry is how sore my back is from moving out!!
Anyway one of the worst things about this, is that I've packed the clock. I keep looking at where it was, the way that you do, you know it's not that you need to know the time, simply that you're used to knowing what the time is. And it's not there!
Apart from this, well, most of the packing is done. Martin and I had a devil of a time with the sacks of stuff going to the charity shop - I rang them to see if they could do a collection, and they tried, but apparently their van broke down, leaving me with 7 heavy sacks of stuff - we got a taxi and it was bad enough having to lug it downstairs! I've booked a collection from the council for the rubbish, but are they making any kind of special effort to pick it up? Are they heck. Nope they're coming on the regular day, but they are prepared to pick up to an extra 15 black bags, which is pretty good going I reckon. So I've got a bit more stuff in the bedroom, and of course the kitchen, but apart from that, I'm done. I must remember to call the hotel - yep, another night in a hotel, but I need to call them and remind them that I'm going to be arriving very late on Monday night. The plan is to have the van collect everything in the morning, do the cleaning, and then grab the bags, grab a taxi (bags girls, bags!) and catch the train to Glasgow. I should (fingers crossed) arrive by about 23.30. Then the next day I rush off, sign the lease, and be there to greet the van which should arrive sometime in the afternoon. I can't believe this is going to be my last couple of nights here. It's been a gas people!

Monday 15th June

Ah well, the boxes arrive tomorrow, and the serious packing starts - I have a week to do this in, and the big move is next Monday! Despite this though, I'm already surrounded by boxes, I've had to stack black bags for the local Hospice Shop on the upstairs landing - I'm hoping that they might even come and pick it up if I speak nicely to them, otherwise it's into a taxi with it at some point. I've put little notes through every one's door to let them know what's happening, and tonight I've spent a good while cleaning the kitchen. Why you ask? Because the wretched agency who rent this place out phoned me today to say someone wants to come and look at it tomorrow. Since the kitchen is the only room wherein there is furniture - ha, furniture, let's say cupboards, cooker and fridge, that's staying. The rest of it's all mine and is coming with me. I feel a bit, well to be honest, really quite violated by this, as if this person is coming to inspect my belongings. But I don't have the right to say no, because basically it's a rented flat and the right to view the property is in the rental agreement. But this person is going to have to pick their way around the stuff and peer about in a very quick fashion, because I'm not stopping.
So what else has been going on? Not much to be honest. Right now my brain is fixated on did I order enough boxes? Am I going to get it all in? Still John has very kindly agreed that he'll pop round on Tuesday night to help me assemble stuff - basically I need to get the bed up as soon as I get there I reckon, and it'd be nice to get the bookshelves fixed so that I can unpack books. I spoke to Sky Tv today, and I'm arranging for them to get their stuff switched on for me. The letting agency do the gas and electric for me so that's ok. I don't need to take final readings down here because it's all communal. I'll have to take the emergency stuff with me on the train, but because this is all happening overnight, I don't have to take as much which is really good. I figure I can put clothes for the night & next day into a backpack, and drag my big bag with me with the emergency kit - kettle, tea, coffee, a bit of food to tide me over until I can go shopping, the hoover - yep, you read rightly, the hoover, must leave the place in a reasonable state. Anyhow on top of all this is my diy kit - hammer, nails, drills etc, cleaning gear. I think I will be able to get this into my large bag without too much difficulty. Then once the boxes and stuff have all been collected, I head off to the station, and that's it - I'm on my way to Glasgow!