New house

I am now seriously concerned about my second exam. I need to work a lot harder than I am. But you need to know that Lola II has moved house. Despite the exam season, I volunteered to help, so I journeyed forth to icy West London and on Tuesday night was found, alone in Lola II's old flat, surrounded by an assault course of cardboard boxes.

Why was I alone? Well, before all the house moving dates were organised, Lola II signed up to a 10-week wood-carving course, and the first session was Tuesday night. So she was off learning to carve wood, while my responsibility was to pack anything that isn't on the dining table, unless I'd rather not. Of course I'd rather not - packing is boring, horrible and dirty, so I was mostly blogging instead. As has been the case so many times before, Lola II's loss is your gain. As long as you consider my bloggy outpourings to be a gain. (I did some packing in the end. There was so much packing to do.)

On Wednesday morning, the Big Day, Lola woke me up quite early. "What would the worst sort of weather be like for a day when you move house?" she asked.

"Rain," I said.

"OK, what would the second worst sort of weather be like?"

It had snowed overnight, quite a lot, and was still snowing. We started packing the last few things, and then the removers turned up before we finished and started taking out the first boxes while we carried on packing, and then we gave them all cups of tea to slow them down a bit while we carried on packing more boxes. In the end we finished packing boxes just in time so they didn't have to hang around.

Sister D and brother-in-law J turned up just as all the packing was nearly done, but they cleaned up the empty flat while we made sure nothing had been missed. They came by public transport rather than by car because of the snow, and then we realised that four of us plus the boxes of breakable things and valuables and cleaning equipment and hoover and doormat and kettle, teabags, coffee, sugar, milk and mugs and my overnight bag would all have to fit in a small car if we were to travel to the lovely new house together. We did it, but Lola II was the only one who could move any limbs once we were all packed in, which was useful because she was driving.

I should mention that the removal men were very nice. Very, very nice. Art, Leo and Todd were cheerful, helpful, thanked us for putting books and papers only in the smallest boxes, and gave us 7 out of 10 overall for packing and organisation. Lola II was pushing for 8/10, but I think we lost that chance when she couldn't decide which room they should take the very heavy piano into while they stood holding it between them.

When it was all done, they posed for a photo and we said goodbye very fondly. Then Lola II and I managed to hang one curtain, unpack a very few things, and I set off home, where I am now going to get stuck into Diet Therapy revision. Definitely.