Well chapters 3-5 in my tale of downsizing definitely got misplaced whilst I was rocking backwards and forwards in the corner slowly going bonkers!

What an absolute war and peace, lord of the rings length epic! Never again will I be moving whilst a resident of this life!

Thanks to our wonderful REA and her brilliant contacts our house was sold first weekend.

Settlement: 6 weeks. 

We extended an invitation to the new owners via our REA which was accepted with delight. We wandered around, showing them control panels, bits and pieces that would make their life easier. I also found an eager gardener among them who wanted to know all about the plants I’d lovingly tended for so long. This brought a tear of joy to my heart. As much as I had tried to sever my emotional attachment to my garden, it just didn’t want to be cut. 

Moving week

Whirlwind, literally! Who’s idea was it to move in the middle of Winter? I can’t remember eating, sleeping or sanity that week… no, really!

In short: 
Packing
Meltdown
Daily garden maintenance.
Packing.
Meltdown
Trips to dump, charities, give aways to friends
Meltdown
Packing
Paint touch ups
Packing
RAA – yes a really inconvenient time for the Subaru to need a new battery!

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We finally made it to Thursday, when our fantastic Removalists loaded our life into half a truck (yep that was a shock TBH) . That left us with a few boxes, plants and odd bits to take in cars the following morning.

Oh and lots and lots of dust bunnies jumped out at us. But…where did you all come from?? They breed like real bunnies, I’m sure of it! And most of the cleaning goods were on the truck. How ironic is that? In my manic state I’d packed them into the box labelled ‘Cleaning and Laundry’. Yep,yep yep. Cue the local Foodland and we were back on track. 

Most of the night before our move was frenetic OCD-style cleaning of every space, cupboard, tile and room to within an inch of its life. Very tired and discovering muscles long gone dormant!

The final night in our home of 18 years was spent in a good old fashioned camp out on the floor with pizza and wine delivered by our REA. What a treasure she is!

By about 2am, done and dusted…literally!

Moving day came along. Freezing cold, wind, rain and quite literally miserable. 

But even this didn’t dampen the expectation of the next chapter of our life. 

Only personal downside was our cat crying on the hour long trip to our new home. It broke my heart to hear (in hindsight kitty Prozac would have been the way to go!). With her safely ensconced in the new ensuite with her familiar kitty stuff, the movers were upon us. Fabulous job boys! 

Unpacking time. 

Oh what fun… yeah nah! I had two amazing helpers, my daughter and my wonderful friend Lynn. 

Daughter supplied lunch, Lynn started unpacking the multitude of boxes and bags ( it was a lifesaver to have such an organised person in my midst). 

The rest of the day went by in a haze of total organised chaos! BUT, the three of us made fantastic progress. The place was semi liveable by the time my wonderful helpers departed.

As a side note Lynn also gave up her Saturday to continue helping, I am forever grateful. Xx

Where was hubbie you ask? He was setting up a stall at the Lego expo, where he would be the entire weekend…Secretly I think us girls got more done with less stress, but don’t tell Jason that

Where are we now?

4 months on we are still adjusting in some ways and adding our own style to our new home.

Our community is fabulous, with modern amenities and a real sense of belonging. We are learning the local hot spots, visiting the local restaurants and businesses and feeling comfortable with how far we have come in just under a year.

Our cat has taken over most of the house, and very quickly found out the warm spots for cold winter days. She seems to be at peace with her new domain, except when the street cleaner goes past, under the couch she goes!

Now as Jason continues to attempt to sever ties with his lego collection so his car can be housed in the garage, I am turning my attention to transforming our small walled back garden into my own little spot of serenity. I must admit despite the size it is going to be much more manageable with the creaky knees and arthritic fingers going on!

Cue bird bath, some rocks and flowering native shrubs to bring the wildlife in. Not finished yet but it’s getting there. I have time.

Oh, and those crates that daughter needed to go through? We brought them with us…

Verdict? Best thing we did, without a doubt.

Kind regards

Bel 🐨

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EDITOR’S NOTE

You may have noticed it’s been a little while since we’ve heard from Bel. Well, there’s a very good reason!

Bel has been busy navigating the not-so-small task of downsizing, selling a much-loved family home and moving into a new chapter of life. And, judging by this instalment, it was quite the adventure!

We’ve missed Bel’s honest observations, wonderful sense of humour and ability to find the funny side of life’s more chaotic moments.

In this latest instalment of Diary of a Downsizer, she brings us up to speed on the move, the meltdowns, the dust bunnies and the beginnings of a new home and garden.

We’re delighted to have her back; the verdict is in: despite everything, it was the best thing they did.

Welcome back, Bel!