frenchinos at home
  • stories
  • about

Moving Day

6/21/2012

0 Comments

 
We saw our container driven away for Marseille yesterday. It was a long day for JL who had been with the movers since morning. Glad we won't be doing this for the next three years at least. I only joined the party after lunch and they sure worked fast! 
Picture
The garage had already been half-emptied before the guys went for their lunch break. As most of the boxes (packed in Singapore two years ago) are still in good condition, the guys only had to redo their inventory list using their own labels. 

Nonetheless our three Bulgarian acquaintances came armed with new boxes in assorted sizes. Not too bad, because they've come all the way from Lyon and they'd better not forget nor run short of anything they need. Otherwise it'd be three hours' drive both ways to get it!

Picture
There was nothing much for us to do while waiting for the movers to return from their break. I entertained myself by squeezing through the boxes and guessing the contents behind those exteriors. The round carton against the left wall must be our marble table top. That's a no-brainer, until I saw a wooden crate about the same size (but square). The slab of marble was in the wooden crate, and that carton was just the wooden frame for it.

JL also brought along the Singapore inventory list. 25/06/10: how time flies! And hey, we moved on my sister-in-law's birthday back then!

Picture
Then, upon closer inspection, I told the husband, "I hope they don't send our stuff to Madagascar!"... Coz Kwala Lampur sure looks like it's there! 

Oh well. Good thing all these boxes are packed in one huge container. As long as the paperwork is correct, never mind the typo on these labels.

Speak of the devil, the container truck pulled up right at the gate. What a forty-footer mother trucker! It's more complicated this time: the movers and transporter are from separate companies.

Picture
Oh, here's a tip for Moving Day: bring your camera. Not to capture those tearful moments, silly! Take a full-frontal shot of the container and the license plate. You'll never know when you need the container number, or the vehicle that carried it. 

The driver was chatty - he showed us the 14 staples on his head from a recent injury. He had picked up something on the ground, but hit his head against the bottom corner of a container while getting back up. No kidding, he really looked like some badass character in JL's comic books. But so cool! 

Picture
Also, take a shot of your seal for the container showing the number clearly. It's a one-way lock for you to ensure nobody opens up your container. Whoever wants to access your container will have to break this first. So you will want to see this guy - same number - intact when your shipment arrives at your next home.

And while the guys were at work, I took a peek at how much coffee they had consumed, and ah, the croissant and pain au chocolat we got them the evening before. And check out my MIL's classic flask!

Picture
Picture
Picture
I was really getting bored and since the guys had cleared more boxes by then, I went back to the guessing game. Look what I found! Remember what I said earlier about things for the "attic"? My CDs!! 

Picture
And somehow when I saw these, only two words to came mind.

Dusty Springfield.

Two years, darlings, two years!

Picture
Picture
There. The FIL finally gets to have his space back. He had even planned what to do with it, he said the other day. Clear out the pallets and knick-knacks at the side, build a mezzanine level right at the end where the ladder is. I think he's going to rent this out too when the job is done.

The picture looks rather nice with some bokeh, doesn't it? It's the bits of dust on my lens, dammit! So just bring your cheapest point-and-shoot, okay?

And the final touches of loading up the container. 174 cartons for two adults, non-hoarders, no kids, no pets. That's Stapleman talking to our Bulgarian mates. Hot, hot, afternoon.
Picture
Back to the container seal. Remember what I said earlier about how important it was for the movers not to leave anything behind when they left Lyon for our house? Well, they had forgotten about the seal. 

It was Stapleman who came to our rescue with his spare one. And the movers called us two hours later for the container number, because they were supposed to take the consignment note from Stapleman earlier on but did not. Because Stapleman told them the note was for JL to keep. Remember what I said about taking full-frontal shots of the container? That's why!

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    briefly

    JL and S grew up in France and Malaysia respectively. They met while living in Singapore, stayed a year in the USA (Cambridge, MA) then the south of France, Malaysia, and are back again in the USA (New York, NY). 

    frenchinos at home is where we share some of our stories with friends, much like the living room, dine-in kitchen, or the timber-deck balcony which we've always wanted to have, which sounds most impossible where we live now. 

    Welcome and we're happy to have you here :)

    archives

    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    November 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010

    categories

    All
    15 Minute Meals
    15-minute Meals
    5 Minute Snacks
    All Things American
    All Things French
    All Things Malaysian
    All Things Singaporean
    Asian Recipes
    Baking Recipes
    Beef Recipes
    Carb Free Meals
    Carb-Free Meals
    Comfort Food
    Culinary School
    Desserts
    Easy Recipes
    Edible Mistakes
    Finger Food Recipes
    Fish Recipes
    Good Habits
    Hearty Meals
    Home
    Kitchenware
    Life
    Light Meals
    Marriage
    Noodles Recipes
    Pressure Cooker Recipes
    Salad Recipes
    Snacks
    Soup Recipes
    Stew Recipes
    Stuff
    Vegetarian Recipes

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.