ALL MY WORLDLY TREASURES PACKED INTO A FISH VAN.

ALL MY WORLDLY TREASURES PACKED INTO A FISH VAN

“Life’s a journey, travel light”

This was the moment that it finally dawned on me that it was really happening!  Seeing all my worldly treasures jam packed into the back of my husband’s fish van, soon to be heading for the overnight journey on the North Sea Ferry.

Firstly let me point out that I steam cleaned this refrigerated fish van out at least 5 times and still there was the faint whiff of fish.  I sprayed Fabrise and then my best Jo Malone room spray, but it did not work!!  My husband, who is more than used to the whiff of fish, was not in the least bit concerned, but imagining my treasured wardrobe of  clothes, bags, shoes, underwear, and possessions, smelling of fish for the rest of their lives was causing me some bother!!  I tried to explain that we should rent a van, one that did not spend it’s days delivering fish, but he was not having any of it!

The only option was to put all the clothes into the vaccum plastic bags and with my hoover magically suck out all the air.  Of course everything would be creased to hell but it was the better option than stinking of fish forever!  Since this day I have always had a soft spot for these bags and find the temptation to fill and suck the air out of them overwhelming.  TIP.  These bags are marvellous for packing hand luggage into the carry on cases on aircraft, you will be shocked just how much more you can get into the case!

Unfortunately the bags were no use for packing my endless pieces of mix and matched vintage china that I had salvaged from one charity shop, car boot sale, antique shop or another over the course of the last 20 years.  My china crockery collection was a big part of my English life and I had to bring it with me.  Not to mention my purchases from every TK Maxx shop in the whole of the North of England, here I had found super bargains, such as lamps, rugs, more china, bedding, towels, cushions, plus also the odd cashmere cardi from time to time.  I love this shop, I guess it is because we all love to think we have purchased a bargain, I am ashamed to say that it is the first place I nip to on my return to the UK!  My guilty pleasure.

You can’t imagine how thrilled I was when I heard that they were opening stores in Germany, now rainy Saturdays are spent driving 2 hours over the border to Kempten to see if there are any bargains to be had!  (TKMaxx.de)  Now I bet I will meet my lovely Austrian girlfriends, who love a bargain too, there one day.  Be warned, it is addictive, as you never actually know what they have in store, if indeed anything, but usually there is a treasure hiding somewhere to be recovered!

The packing of the fish van took some time and thought, and with the help of my dear friend Sarah, the most efficient and organized lady you could wish to meet, we got started.  Sarah is marvellous at de cluttering and sorting out stuff in your life, ruthless but kind (to me at least).  It was Sarah who kindly pointed out to me that I did not need 10 bags of HOMEPRIDE PLAIN FLOUR! “Don’t they sell flour in the supermarkets in Austria?” she asked.  This had not actually crossed my mind before, just the thought of not being able to make Yorkshire Puds and pancakes for the kids, like we had been so used to doing over here, had consumed my brain.  I mean I must be rational, I was not moving to a third world country where flour is scarce, no I was moving to the middle of Europe, where the economy was strong.  Yes she was right, so I only took three bags, you know just in case, she was wrong!!

Now TEA BAGS, that was another matter.  Buying Yorkshire Tea bags in the Alps was not possible, so how many boxes would I need until my return trip in 3 months?  I think half the van was full of tea bags, and of course my lovely mismatched china tea cups!  You know us Brits and our love of a cup of tea… in fact one of my favourite sayings is  There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a cup of tea!  Simply marvellous and so true!  As you can imagine I consumed plenty of tea over the forth coming year, whilst trying to adjust to my new life.  Actually I consumed plenty of alcohol too, finding a gin and tonic or 6 very comforting at times.

Along with a new 2 meter sq Vispring Mattress, (not keen on the Austrian twin mattress, having a line down the middle of my bed) which was folded in a horseshoe shape (not ideal), a huge GLASS table top and legs, which we had had in our lives for 20 years, a lovely antique table from my parents, antlers from antique shops, a Union Jack footstool I had covered, cushions galore and plenty of items that made me feel like I was HOME FROM HOME….. space was becoming scarce.

As the fish van filled up quickly and the charity shop pile grew rapidly, thanks to Sarah’s ruthless de- cluttering of my life, I realized the journey I had never planned, was about to begin….