I'm sure that everything is going to be just fine...you're so organised ! Hopefully you have left yourself a whole day before you leave, just to sit down, relax and take it all in???

Well done you! Will be thinking of you !

Awww, thank you! That's very sweet.

I think saturday will be that day.... if the weather's like this it might be a case of book, park, lie on grass and watch the eagles soar....

That sounds lovely...add to that, take your camera for some last minute photo's to remind you of your last day

Ooh yes, thanks for the reminder! Luckily it didn't accidentally get packed for shipping like a couple of other things I had to reopen boxes for

It's really weird sat here, having already left in spirit but just the physical part left to do the catching up....

(By the way just gave the dog his "last bath" here - which guarantees he is about to find something exceptionally slimy, smelly and dead to roll in )

Of course...isn't that usually the way? I'm sitting here trying to get up the courage to go begin MY packing..lol. Still haven't decided whether to try to pack it all in just two suitcases and take them both with me, take one with me and have the other sent over via FedEx....LOL. I just go into my room and see my cases and think 'oh good grief'

I have no idea what wobbling means but I would not mind becoming a Collywobble too

Especially if it takes me to the Peak District and....Chatsworth

Karim

Oh crikey, yes, that part. I've just guessed what will fit into my suitcase and backpack, and left it out. What fits in, comes with me - what doesn't, goes in the bin. And I'm going to have to guess 23kg as the bathroom scales are gone!

it's that knock-kneed, butterflies swallowed, slightly surreal nervous feeling as the giant ping-pong bat comes swinging your way

Chatsworth is beautiful, and the peak a real gem - looking forward to getting in some walks before they cover it in houses

You could always buy a cheap pair of scales and then donate them to Goodwill or something before you leave. Once you've weighed your suitcase that is..LOL.

In a way I'm lucky, I don't have to worry about shipping stuff over to the UK at least not yet.. I do have 10-12 boxes in storage in Australia that still need to reach me..LOL. For now though it seems like everything in my room HAS to go..at least in my mind ! I guess one of these days I'm really going to have to sit down and go through it all and work out what has to go now and what could possibly come later. I'm sharing a house right now, so my 'life' is basically what is in my bedroom...LOL

That's cool - wish I had the willpower to live like that permanently. Still working on the self-discipline!

I think the neighbours, being both beautiful people and very kind, may well have scales I can borrow. Usually when I travel the case is 14kg, every single time without conscious planning, so there's a bit of leeway there. And you can pay $75 and go up to 32kg, which isn't too bad.

If only we could just post ourselves and all our stuff!

I guess it depends which airline you fly..because some I've seen have a 50lb allowance and some charge for the first and second bags.

Living like that permanently helps when and if you decide to move, but it doesn't make a house a home..LOL All the little things that I miss having around..

You've done a great job the last few weeks! If I was you, I'd be nervous, too!! In fact, I'd be a basket case!!!!!! In fact, to be quite honest, I read MoshiMoshi's experience and prep for sending her pets back and now read your update and after all of it, I am fit to be tied and I am not even travelling!!!!!! When my time comes, I wonder if I can actually do all this on my own with four pets!

Nah, you can do it, it's not hard, it's just the sheer quantity of things to do, so the trick is to start early.

I have no cure for the worrying over the pets part, but then we animal lovers tend to do that anyway, right? I still wake my little guy up sometimes, to check he's breathing

Yeah, the airlines all seem to have different allowances and charges. And it still depends on how nice your check-in person is, just luck of the draw really.

As for stuff, you have a point - I'm cultivating a love of tiny things

I think I'm already a member!!

I've been to-ing and fro-ing about moving back for years and came to the conclusion last week that I have to go and see. My house is for sale and I've started looking into getting the dog over there, but I'm not quite ready to fully commit. I am thinking that I shall get rid of anything that really needs to go no matter what and then put everything else in storage and head over for a few months. I can stay with family which is a big plus.

I'm nervous and excited all at the same time. Nervous because I already have a house and a job and a life and I'm giving it all up for I don't know what. And excited because I just want to do Englishy things with English people, eat English food and go for walks in the English countryside and end up at an English pub or at a friend's house.

I haven't lived there for so many years that I don't know if I'll really fit in for longer than the couple of weeks each year I've gone back for but I have to find out.