Getting on with things

More sorting out and disposing of stuff.  It’s getting harder now, there are things I am having to decide to rid myself of, rather than wanting to.  But it’s all part of taking control.

I really must write to all of you who have said you’re coming to the party, to check who is staying over.  It’s a bit vague at present, but it’ll work out.  Also, I must get to grips with food, once I’ve worked out numbers.  If anyone intends to bring anything, it would help to let me know, please – as ever, no obligation – though I seem to remember eating eight or nine delicious desserts last year, as of course I tried everything!

Rupert’s owners are moving house on Friday, they had confirmation today, so I’m going over to their house tomorrow evening to fetch Rupert and keep him overnight and for the next day.  He’d have to spend much of the day in the car otherwise.  I’ve got a lot on tomorrow, so couldn’t have him earlier.  Now I think of it, I must set an alarm for the morning – I forgot to last night but fortunately woke at 7, which was rather earlier than I really needed to get up.

One thing I finally did today was to deal with ownership of Russell’s little van.  After he died, I notified the insurance company and changed the policy to my name, with Weeza as a named driver, as they occasionally need two vehicles.  As time has gone by, it’s been apparent that they really could do with two and I certainly don’t need that, and could always borrow it back if necessary.  So I rang the DVLA to ask what to do – on the slip you send in, you write ‘deceased’ where the owner should sign, and write a covering letter.  Quite charmingly, the department you send that to is ‘Sensitive Casework.’  We’re dating the changeover to the end of the month, since the road tax is due on 1st June.  I’ll also have to tell my insurance company, as Phil will have to take out insurance in his name and I’ll cancel mine.  The woman at the DVLA was kind and helpful and had a lovely, soft Welsh accent.  I had to ask her to repeat ‘sensitive casework’ as I hadn’t caught it and she said “sorry, that’ll be my accent,” which it wasn’t, it was just unexpected!

Also dealing with Russell’s headstone.  Must email the draft the stonemason sent through to the family.

I brought down a couple of boxes of wrapped items – most of it was fairly uninteresting china that I’d never seen before and certainly didn’t want, but one small box contained a set of fruit knives I hadn’t seen for over 40 years.  They were a wedding present and I knew where they had been in our first house and had never seen since.  I thought they must have been lost in the move.  I haven’t the faintest idea where they had been in the meantime.  I also found Great Uncle Ronan’s christening mug from the 1870s, that my mother had re-engraved for Alex – I hadn’t seen that since we moved here, nearly 30 years ago, and I’ve no idea how that ended up in that box either, or where it has been since 1986.

2 comments on “Getting on with things

  1. PixieMum

    Seventeen years ago when we moved into our present home we found a wedding present that we had never opened. Embarrassed to admit that after twenty years we didn’t write a thank you to the distant relative who gave us a full set of glasses. We do use the sherry glasses occasionally.

    Our decluttering is continuing too, now DD has her own house her belongings that have been stored here are either going to Dorset, or if she doesn’t want them going to charity shops or offered on Freecycler. We don’t want sleeping bags or camping mats.

    Reply
    1. Z Post author

      That’s a brilliant story, how funny!
      Eloise and Alex have long since cleared away their stuff, but Ronan still has to go through a few shelves and drawers. He’s promised to do that soon.

      Reply

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