We're on the road with the motorhome, but this time it's not for fun. Peter's mum is moving, from a house to an apartment, and we are there to help with the move. Motorhomes are practical in many contexts!
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Peter's dad passed away earlier this year, so Peter's mum needs to move from the big house to a smaller apartment. But what a lot of things need to be cleared after all these years! Peter and his brother Micke have been here once before, clearing out storage and barns. That time they rented a truck and made seven (!) trips to the recycling centre, where everything has to be sorted. Several days of hard work!
Don't we want to save anything? Well, of course we try to take some things with us to take care of ourselves or maybe give away or sell. But sorting and figuring out what to do with everything takes time, time that none of us have. This time, when we set aside three full days to help with the move, we ordered a mixed container to throw things away.
All sorts of things went into the container: old furniture, carpets, clothes, books, collections of magazines, ornaments and so on. It's a bit sad not to be able to take care of more of the stuff than we have, but there really isn't enough time.
Peter and Micke work 12-hour days. I (Helena) don't have a holiday, so I work remotely from the camper van during working hours. I spend an hour in the morning and all evening helping with packing and carrying. So that it doesn't become for heavy and for A lot of running on the stairs, we have thrown things out of the windows on the upper floor, and then carried them to the container. Turn after turn after turn.
The container was full before we ran out of things to throw away, but we had also hired a trailer. In the evening, just before they closed the recycling centre, we got there with a load. Dinner was late, late in the evening.
Today we continue and now we will pack the things that Peter's mum will bring to the new apartment. Keep your fingers crossed that we can do as much as possible! Of course, we also hope that Peter's mum will enjoy her new apartment!
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4000mil says:
Heavy duty in more ways than one. Dreading the day, even though my dad doesn't have much. But it's still a lifetime.
01 October 2020 - 6:57
Helena says:
Yes, that's how it is. Both physically demanding and mentally exhausting at the same time. But it has to be done.
01 October 2020 - 9:21
Ama de casa says:
Tough in more than one way such a cleansing. So many memories that come up and the fact that you do not have the time to go through everything more carefully.
I hope Peter's mum will be happy in her new place!
01 October 2020 - 9:06
Helena says:
Yes, that is indeed the case! Yes, we hope it will be good. It will be much smaller, but on the other hand, closer to shops and stuff.
01 October 2020 - 9:22
Monet says:
Wow! We will never expose our children to that actually. We have moved from a large villa with attic, basement, garage and storage room and have containerised both it and subsequent houses ourselves. A so-called "death cleaning" every time. It is exhausting, not least mentally, and it takes time because you can easily get stuck in old memories. And some things are hard to let go of. Especially if one in the family is a "collector" 🙂 .
But the children have been able to choose what they are interested in each time - we have organised a free "family flea market" and it feels good that they have taken things that they could use or feel nostalgic about. When we moved from our house in France back to Sweden, we didn't need a container. We gave most of it away to neighbours and friends and the rest to charities who came to collect it. Yet we still have several unpacked boxes with unknown contents in our tiny basement storage room - why is that, you ask?
We've moved a lot, and that's when this type of clearing out becomes relevant. If you stay in the same place for all those years, it doesn't happen and eventually you get too old to cope with it yourself. We are happy that we fixed this in time. Even the motorhome is sold but we may miss it from time to time!
01 October 2020 - 9:49
Hasse says:
I've been through this and there's a lot going on in my head and everywhere else these days.
Motorhomes are used for most things, but mostly for travelling and relaxing.
01 October 2020 - 10:01
Mickey says:
Perfect corona office! You can work from home and you can be left alone 🙂
01 October 2020 - 10:04
Nils-Åke says:
Difficult and sad to empty a relative's home for whatever reason. I have been there and afterwards there are always things that could have been taken care of. that have been sold or the Salvation Army or the rubbish dump.
We have tried to get the children to pick here at home, it feels better to give away nets you are with, we do not live so big now!
01 October 2020 - 10:35
bmlarstravellingblog says:
We've also done this a couple of times at our parents' house and now it's our turn to "doze"... There will be a bit to clear when we move from a house with a garage, storage room and attic to 72 square metres. There is no room to be sentimental!
01 October 2020 - 15:13
BP says:
OMG! You accumulate much more than you realise when you have lived "a whole life" in one place. Physically and mentally stressful for both Peter's mum and you. It will be a big adjustment for her, as she can probably only bring a fraction of what she had before.
I hope the mum is able to cope with the transition and that you don't fall to your knees. Thinking mostly about Peter's back problems.
PS. You wrote that your mum is also moving. I just say hire a moving company;-) DS.
01 October 2020 - 20:46
Emma, sun like sun? says:
Huuuu.... My black hole is the period when we emptied the house of most things. Do not have full control over what we did with everything if I am to be honest. So I know the job.
I hope she enjoys it!
01 October 2020 - 22:27
Lena - good for the soul says:
Yes, my sister and I have that whole journey ahead of us. 300 square metres of house and summer cottage. Not relevant yet, but it will...
I've always said that my children shouldn't have to look for "shit" (or nice things) after me, so I clean up after myself from time to time.
What's wrong with that generation! Save save save save. What good is that going to do? If they don't have time for retirees, how will we have time for those who work and have lots of other things? But, of course, you bite the bullet and help out.
I hope she will enjoy it. There are a lot of changes in a short period of time.
Hug Lena
02 October 2020 - 6:57
Lena in Wales and Spain says:
So much harder to move than you think.
I have done it a few times.
Well done!
03 October 2020 - 11:21
Elisabeth says:
Moving house is hard when you have lived in one place for many years! I remember all too well when my mum moved from a 3-room apartment to a retirement home.
I hope everything goes well and that Peter's mum will be happy.
09 October 2020 - 18:30