At the DMV

As I needed to renew my driving license and we both needed to update our address details, we went to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles early this morning.

The queue when we arrived just after the 8am opening time was already out of the door and around the block.

Over the next hour of vertical sunbathing we gradually moved closer to the door where the Stars and Stripes and flag of the State of Virginia were flying. 

On the wall by this entrance was this rather appropriate plaque and motto..

Once inside it was just a matter of presenting every single piece of ID that we had with us and waiting patiently for a further hour to be called forward..

Getting Organised

This morning, just after 8.30, the delivery of items to the new house was complete and we were on our own to get to grips with unpacking and finding a place for everything.

Gradually the empty boxes started to outweigh the full ones.

There is still a long way to go...

The agent who helped us find the house gave us some lovely flowers..

No photos as yet but we were pleased to see lots of birds coming to the feeders that we have hung up on the decking.

All Change

At 10.30 this morning the 'old' house was empty and the truck was full and on its way to the new one.  I was able to cadge a lift in the truck as David was already at the house for a walk through with the landlord.

David took a few photos as he waited for us to arrive.

Gradually it began to fill up..

Tonight the furniture is in place but we are surrounded by boxes, yet to be unpacked.

It doesn't feel anything like our home yet, but the view out of the lounge window is promising and there appear to be lots of birds in the trees so we will get the feeders set up shortly to see who we can entice over to the decking.

(Bug alert - stop now if you don't want to see..)

And finally, one of the not so great moments of the day came the first time I put the tap on in the bathroom and this popped out of the plug hole..

What a lot of legs!  You won't be surprised to hear that he is a member of the centipede/millipede family - specifically a house millipede.  Apparently a very useful insect to have around as it catches and consumes many pests, including cockroaches.  Unfortunately I didn't know this and in any case wasn't prepared to share the bathroom with him so out of the window he went.

How many boxes??

Just before 8am a truck drew up outside and the serious business of moving house was underway.

The stairs were clothed in blue rubber matting to keep them clean.

Quite soon the cardboard boxes started to multiply..

And just kept on multiplying.  I had forgotten (already) that removals people like to clad everything in generous layers of printless newspaper and boxes - they estimate 250 in all...will we ever find anything again??  

Do we need to downsize a bit??  I tentatively asked whether this was a normal amount of stuff and was told that a house this size could fit a lot more in (is that a challenge?) - also that the biggest house move this company had done was for a collector with a large house which had taken 19 days just to pack up.  That's ok then..

This truck may look empty but at this point it has half the contents of the ground floor in it!

The carrying methods were impressive..

This young man is from Peru and his favoured method of carrying boxes of china etc was to pile several up, lasso the bottom one and hoist it onto his back..

Packing Up

The packers are due to arrive at 8am tomorrow so everything is beginning to look a little bare and transitory..

Even though we are moving just a couple of miles up the road, it seems to have taken a great deal of time and effort to prepare!

Curiosities

At the Bargain Loft on Friday I took a quick picture of this very heavy metal child's plate, cup and spoon.  The label indicated that it was from 1968.

The design was appealing and the little spoon almost looked like a coal shovel.  I found the weight of it disconcerting..it wouldn't be easy to knock over but if it did go over the edge it would make quite a dent!!

The second curiosity of the day was something that a fellow volunteer brought in for me to look at and identify.

It was obviously a vintage item and the black spikes were set in gold and on a gold chain - so obviously prized.  Shiny, uneven and quite light, the spikes are just a mystery to me.

Any thoughts?

Mom's Day

The second Sunday of May is Mother's Day in the USA.  Our local Giant supermarket has therefore gone into overdrive with flowers and balloons..

Not to mention cakes..

Giant cookies..

Chocolate bars..

And even (apparently) pepperoni pizza roses..