Nothing is ever easy

I've been trying to sell our furniture and other worldly belongings over the last week or so. I thought I was really prepared cos I emailed the local paper and got the lead-times for insertion of adverts, so was quite confident about getting my ads into last weeks paper, did it happen - NO. Apparently they had problems opening the photos for the ads, they let me know about these problems after the paper had gone to print. I took a deep breath and re-sent the photos and prepared myself for an onslaught of phone calls today. I've just got the paper had a look through and imagine my surprise when our ads once again had not made an appearance. I've rung the paper and spoken to them, they tried to claim that I'd never sent adverts in so I calmly talked them through the email correspondence I've had with them including dates and time of emails and their replies to them....and they finish up by saying 'well we can only have so many ads in each week and yours didn't make it' . So I've lodged a formal complaint, apparently the first one they've ever received because nobody in the history of the planet has ever been unhappy with their service.

You know I really feel better just getting that out of my system. I'm going to have to go round all the supermarkets and fill in those little placard-thingees for items for sale. If in doubt I'll give it all to charity.

My boxes from the shippers were supposed to arrive yesterday along with an email supplying all the forms I need to fill in. The boxes didn't arrive and neither did the forms....have rung them and now the boxes are arriving on Friday and the email has been sent, albeit with my stuff apparently going from the UK to the USA??? So another phone call to them and I'm not at all sure that they'll pick the boxes up on the first attempt when we're leaving, so will need to get them collected a few days before we go.

The goods news is that the holiday-let I've been trying to arrange in NZ has finally been confirmed and the deposit is being paid on that this weekend.

Have failed to get double luggage allowance with Singapore Airlines because my hubby's visa doesn't state that he can stay in NZ indefinitely, it's a bloody Resident Visa, he's hardly going to use it just for the holiday is he! So now we're limited to 20kg each for me and the kids (cos we're using kiwi passports) and 25kg for my hubby (he gets the extra 5kg cos he's got a visa). So that's more stuff to go in the boxes that may or may-not be collected or even be going to NZ.

I've started to make all the phone calls canceling things like Child Benefit and Tax Credits, what a nightmare it is trying to speak to a real person in those places. Have got all the change of address forms for the bank accounts that we're keeping here, so I seem to be making some headway on moving down the endless list of things to do before we go.

I've arranged a big family dinner for 2 weeks before we leave, I'm not sure whether I'm looking forward to that or not. I really want to see everyone again and we always have a brilliant time, but not too sure about it being our last extended family dinner, our UK family at any rate.

Well I think that's enough of a whinge from me. Hopefully next time I write something here it can be some exciting news