Today we moved to Minstead.  Up before seven we continued packing.  The removal men arrived twenty minutes early and sat and waited outside until the appointed time of eight o’clock.  This courtesy was extended throughout the move.  Two men, possibly Polish, friendly and helpful, worked at a great rate loading the van; arrived at Castle Malwood soon after we did; and cheerfully unloaded in continuous drizzling rain, unfazed by the fact that they had to walk across soggy grass peppered with rabbit poo, carrying all our furniture and belongings.  I was quite chuffed to be able to use my previous incarnation as a furniture remover by suggesting that a desk which refused to go through the door to the sitting room would possibly go through the window,  It did.

This has been the most efficient and economical move I have experienced in the last few years.  It was arranged on line at http://www.anyvan.com, a service I would thoroughly recommend.  Within an hour of posting our details and requirements I received four quotations all within £35 of each other.  The successful bidder phoned me and we fixed a date which was adhered to.  The man’s name was Andy, and his firm was Easy Move.  When a Globe Removals van turned up I assumed Andy, who introduced himself as he arrived on the doorstep, had hired his van from Globe Removals.  As we said farewell, his dark and my white hair plastered to our heads by the rain, I noticed he sported a Globe Removals logo discretely placed on his T-shirt.  I said I thought his firm was Easy Move, yet he was wearing a Globe Removals T-shirt.  He laughed and explained that there were two Andys.  They each ran removal firms and exchanged jobs when necessary.

Facing the task of unpacking was just too much.  After we had collapsed and relaxed for a while, it was off to The Trusty Servant for lunch.

On the way we realised that our new home was surrounded by primaeval creatures.   We arrived there just after 2.30 to learn that food stops being served then.  The chef was in the bar and he said he was still there so we could have food.  What a contrast, as we told him, to our experience at The Flower Pots Inn on 1st October.  We were given excellent ploughman’s lunches; Jackie had draft Budweiser and I drank Doom Bar.  Then it was back to Castle Malwood to do a bit of unpacking before going to Elizabeth’s for the evening.  Apart from a wonderful roast chicken meal served with Hardy’s Stamp of Australia shiraz, cabernet sauvignon 2011 and, in Jackie’s case, Stella; followed by minced pies and custard, we needed showers at The Firs because we have no hot water at No.4.  A contractor is coming in the morning to see what he can do.

On our return to our new flat we passed a cow in a hedge.