‘We’ll Finish What We Started’

31st March 2014
Posts over the next few days will be late, brief, and sparsely illustrated. Please bear with an exhausted elderly gent. The main reason for this will be stated next time.
Today, however, no way did I have either time or energy to apply to writing. Jackie and I began, with Ian’s help, by making the last three trips to Shelly and Ron’s with the rest of the portable garden. That is, we spent the morning trudging from the house to the car, loading it up, driving fifteen miles each way, and unloading.
In such intervals as there were, I was exchanging phone calls with agents and solicitors, seeking confirmation of the final transfer of moneys and consequent release of keys. Before this freedom of entry to our new home was announced, I received the promised call from the removal men to say they were 40 minutes from Downton with the furniture from London.
This sent Jackie scuttling off to the new home to meet the stalwarts from Globe Removals and update them on the situation. Ian and I continued with the last of the packing. I then received the go ahead for key collection. Jackie was now near Lymington, where Spencers, the excellent estate agents are based, so she dashed off there, collected the keys, and arrived just before Aegis and another Tomas, who were to be our companions for the day, arrived. I don’t actually know how the first mentioned man spells his name, and have therefore written it onomatopoeically. He is so powerful, it should be spelled as I have done.

These two men, having begun loading the London furniture at 8 a.m. and leaving it in Downton, drove to Castle Malwood Lodge, packed the van again, returned to Downton, and came back to Minstead, where they fitted all they could into their vehicle by the light of the headlamps of Ian’s Fiat beamed onto the garage. By this time they were grateful for Ian’s help with the boxes of books.
Then it was back to Downton for the final unloading, which was completed at 11.30 p.m. I don’t remember what it was I suggested to Aegis that they could leave to us, but I will always remember the answer of this cheerful young man who must have been exhausted. He replied: ‘We’ll finish what we started’.
As, having bid farewell to Globe Removals, the three of us dined on toast, Hoegaarden, and Piddle, we reflected on the superb service once again provided by its representatives.