Isn’t that the problem though? We believe in the fairytale of the prince on the big white horse who’ll save us from everything, and the happily ever after and the everything working out, the good guys get all the riches and happiness they deserve while the bad guys get punished.

Perhaps the Grimm brothers had it right after all… if you’re gonna believe in a fairytale, believe in the ugliness of their stories. Cause life isn’t like a fairytale at all. You don’t find a prince (99.999% of the time you meet the frog and he turns out to be a toad), there is no such thing as happily ever after, best you can do is happily most of the time if you work on it. As for just deserts… well, maybe karma does exist if you’re patient enough. The tree on the gate at our old place in Tasmania might be proof of that.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life, its that nothing just happens. You have to make it happen. Its all up to you and no one else.

I’m not really down on the world… ok, maybe just a little bit right now. Its the whole “I made a huge decision and acted on it immediately not giving myself time to really let things settle and I moved to the other side of the world and now its all sinking in and I feel a bit lost and miss my dogs like crazy” thing.

Everyone says I’m so brave. I don’t know. I didn’t think it was brave. I wanted to do it, so I did it. If anything it was a kind of selfish decision – I decided that I wanted to move back to Greece and live on Paros so I made it happen. Sure, I’m closer to mom here so I can spend time with her and be part of her life. Sure, I missed being surrounded by family (a decision I might come to regret, remind me I moved here to be closer when that time comes, ok?). But at the end of the day, it was that Paros called to me deep down, in my heart.

Greeks are like homing pigeons… we seem to fly back home even after being away for years.

So here I am. Happy to be with friends and family. Thrilled to be going to Paros in a couple of weeks. Actually waiting impatiently to be on Paros in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait for this new life I dreamed of to start…

My own space, my own stuff (ok, borrowed stuff to start with), my creative space. The winter skies and the winter seas…

Till then I fill my days with catching up with friends, spending time with mom and the old girls, escaping the old girls to see friends and the constant search for wifi.

More next time I can connect without using up the pitiful data allowance my phone plan allows me… I’ve already had to invest more money to top up.

z

I know I’ve said it a thousand times, but I’m going to say it again. I really don’t like Athens. Its a dirty city. Too many cars. Too many people…

I’d been looking forward to the Athens of my teens where we did our Christmas shopping in the city centre in the cold weather. Yesterday I went into the city centre to buy myself a Christmas present (ok, to buy art supplies) and it was too darn hot in my winter coat. The sun was shining and it was a glorious day.

But I shouldn’t complain about good weather…

I can complain that I didn’t find what I wanted. Seems the biggest/best art supply shop in Athens doesn’t carry a good selection of soft pastels. Well, not compared the stores in Hobart. I’m used to having a choice of REAL soft pastels: Sennelier, Rembrandt, Windsor Newton, Art Spectrum – in both sets and loose where you can choose the colours you want, colours not included in the boxes. Here they only had Faber Castel – the square hard soft pastels.

Not happy.

I’ll have to do my pastel shopping online unless another store carries the sort I want.

I can also whine and complain about other things… Like the deal I got when I charged up my prepaid SIM card… the one I used when I was here in June/July. On that trip the card worked fine. I had included calls, texts (though not a lot) and mobile data which actually worked. I was able to pair my phone to my tablet and use the tablet to surf or blog. This time around the connection sucked big time.

I went to the same company to put money on the card to reconnect the phone. I put on 17 euros instead of the 10 I paid in June thinking 1GB data wouldn’t be enough. So I opted for the 4GB. I got home and I send one text and promptly ran out of texts. The internet was pathetically slow. For some reason the internet wasn’t working on the tablet though they were paired to ‘share the connection’. I went back to the shop to sort it out and they said well, you paid for the bigger data, you paid for 300 free minutes of talk time… you didn’t pay for texts. We suggest you use Messenger, WhatsApp or Viber for messaging. Great. I’d do that if the internet actually worked! Oh, yes… the internet is slow, thats cause its only 2G… Why? I don’t know. My greek is good but I’m lost when it comes to understanding all this crap.

Not happy.

TV in Greece sucks. Or should I say greek TV sucks. Same thing. I spend my days catching up with people and I enjoy that. Evenings are boring. No internet at home. No TV (that I’d actually enjoy watching). Yeah, I love my mom, but she has her own routines…

So today I went out and got myself another plan – a contract actually. A new phone with a plan with another company and its MUCH better. Only 1GB data (how sucky is that?) and included calls, but I will have wifi where I live so that should be ok. Best of all, its 4G so the internet actually works on the phone.

Have you I mentioned how much I dislike Athens? Its such a culture shock. I’ve been here many times before. I’ve lived here and worked here, yet its so hard to get used to. Again.

I’ve been feeling really down in the evenings and early morning. I miss my dogs. I miss my own home. Its like I’m finally slowing down after 5 months of whirlwind activity and its finally sinking in … the reality of the hugeness of my decision to move back to Greece.

I know this is the hardest part, the beginning, the starting over, the fitting in… things will fall into place. When I can get to Paros and begin to create my own space and my own life.

I hope.

z

One day in Beijing is quite an experience.

I arrived here yesterday morning around 5.30am. In -3 degrees celsius. Then spent the next 2 hours getting out of the airport. I think I went through 3 or maybe 4 security checks, filled in about 5 forms, waited in about 4 queues, got a temporary airport exit card, got a transfer to the hotel and all without hardly anyone speaking English.

On the way to the airport I met some really nice guys – Richard and Gary who’d just done a driving tour of NZ and were on the way back to Germany. And Sebastian, a german guy on his way to meet his girlfriend for a holiday in Kuala Lumpur. We managed to check into the hotel with minimal loss of patience, had breakfast together and went to our rooms to rest up.

Given this might be my only ever visit to China, I didn’t think I should waste the entire day lying in bed in the hotel room. Besides, the TV remote only had one of two batteries in it, wifi wasn’t working, I hadn’t brought a charger with me thinking I wouldn’t be able to plug it in here anyway, and I learned that google, facebook and messenger don’t work in China, even when the hotel gives you the wifi code (which you need to log in using a code you get on sms… when your phone doesn’t work in the country and you have no roaming…)

Ah the adventure.

Anyway, turns out Sebastian was planning to experience a little China so I figured, what the hell, you only live once and I’m quite happy to see another place in the world. Incidental travel… So I joined him in a trip to the Forbidden City.

As part of the whole experience/adventure thing we decided (wisely) to take the subway there and a taxi on the way back. Wisely cause let me tell you, its a whole lot of walking to see the Forbidden City. Not to mention a whole lot of buildings that look almost the exactly the same.

The Monty Python ‘And more f#@g gondolas’ came to mind…

Don’t get me wrong, we had fun and it was something I’m glad I saw, but I won’t be rushing to see it again. If I ever come to China again I’ll visit the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army. They were just a little too far for us yesterday cause we both wanted to get some sleep before our next trip.

China sure was an interesting experience. Nowhere like I’ve ever been before. Hardly anyone speaks English for one thing… Even after the Olympics, where apparenly signs were put up in English everywhere, there is still a lack on signage I could understand with my non-existant chinese.

The security, military and police presence here is huge. At least they’re not carrying submachine guns like they used to in Greece…

It was pretty cold too. I was tempted to buy one of those army type hats but I refrained. I don’t see me wearing one of those anywhere else in the world, even if it is cold!

Naturally, I wasn’t dressed for the cold. It just never occurred to me… Beijing… winter… iced rivers… duh! My luggage was checked through direct to Athens so I only had my carry-on. I had to wear both my Tshirts, my jean jacket and my fluffy sweater to keep warm. Luckily the sun was out and we kept going from sunny spot to sunny spot.

After walking around the city for about 2.5 hours we stopped at the first restaurant we saw and had a (bad) coffee and a (great) noodle soup.

Yum. Warmed me up nicely. Though I do think I’m flirting with a cold right now and I’m not impressed.

The last thing I want is to develop a full blown cold on the plane or even after I land and spend Christmas feeling miserable.

Panadol here I come…

z

That song describes my life perfectly right now.

As does the picture of the mouse on the wheel…running flat out and still managing to not move an inch…

The last few days have been a whirlwind of things to do, things remembered that were not done, things ticked off the list and a lot of stress. Which very kindly let itself be known by immense pain in my chest and back (thank you GERD). I spent quite a lot of time on the floor with rolled up towels to try to relieve the pain.

Its gotten to the point where I’m afraid to eat anything just in case my body doesn’t like it. On the plus side I’ll lose weight. On the minus side being bloated doesn’t let you look thin. On the minus/minus side, losing weight too fast when you’re been overweight for too long means a lot of sagging ugliness which I’d like to avoid thankyouverymuch.

Yesterday I had my last gym session at the gym I found here in Melbourne. Such a great place. Cycle class and a PT session to finish it off. I thought I’d never walk again but today I feel fine. Don’t tell Simon (the trainer)… then again, I won’t be seeing him again so he can’t take pleasure in torturing me anymore. heheheh

I’ve been so lucky that when I was ready to get fit again I found two great gyms in New Norfolk (Freedom Fitness) and Mitcham (Lifestyle Essentials). Great motivators. Thank you Simon, Chrissie, Michael, Stacey D, Stacey B and Janine. Not to mention David, the man with hands of gold… I did offer to take him to Greece with me as my personal masseur… I’ll miss you all.

Its funny how the people you end up seeing at the last minute, to say goodbye to, aren’t the people you saw the most of. Not the ones you hung out with or spent the most time with. It just seems that I’ve been catching up with people I haven’t seen in years… then again, I’m in Melbourne now so that makes sense. Its been years since I lived here.

And soon I’ll be living on the other side of the world.

Wow.

Its only just now sinking in. Its been such a whirlwind… I was in Greece in June/July, I came home, started packing, selling, finishing up and wrapping up my life in Tasmania. By the end of November I was in Melbourne. And tonight I leave for Greece indefinitely.

Though I’ve second guessed the move a few times, through all the bad times like having to rehome my beloved dogs who were both born in my bedroom and lived with me their entire lives, I’ve just plodded on. I made a decision so I was moving on, you know… following through with it. We don’t muck around here!

So now that the dust is settling its becoming real.

This whole experience has been difficult. I’ve moved back and forth to Greece and interstate quite a few times in my life, but this has been by far the hardest move ever. Selling a house, car, almost everything I own. In the past I either put stuff in storage or I didn’t have much to worry about.

Its been very expensive too. I’ve gone through so much money… and lost a crap load of money as well. On selling things way under what they were worth, just to get it done. And giving away so many things.

Thinking positive again, it feels good to let go of things. Its hard to start with, but as you begin to go through and look at things more practically, you realise there are so many things you don’t need to hold on to. I didn’t need to keep all the dogs’ sashes, rosettes and ribbons. I know they won them, its imprinted in my mind and heart. I didn’t need to hold onto all my collectables. Or all my crockery. Or my linen. How many things do you need in order to live comfortably? Not that many. Simplify your life. It feels good to not be surrounded by so much stuff.

In a way I look forward to living in a bedsit for a while. A small space, with only the necessities for daily life.

And creativity.

I am so looking forward to going to Paros and just spending time alone, finding the real Zefi. The artist who I’ve buried in the need to make a living, the need to do things every minute of the day.

And of course spending time with mom and my extended family. Being part of a family again. I’ve missed that.

(Remind me about that when I start complaining about not having any privacy, will you?)

z

Yes, its been a while since I last posted. I’ve been rather busy.

I know, I know. I said I’d keep you updated on how things were going and I’ve done a poor job of it so far. So how about I try to cover it all in a nutshell?

I arrived in Melbourne safe and sound with two poodles, my car and crapload of stuff.

I started selling stuff on ebay.

I looked for homes for my dogs. I found homes. Lost homes. Found new ones.

I drove my dogs up to Queensland for their new homes.

No, I didn’t find any nearby.

It was a long drive. It took me 2 days to get there with a night in Dubbo on the way up.

It took 3 days to get back. 2 days in Lismore with a friend (cause I got sick). One night in Newcastle.

I only stayed in Canberra for 2 days since I took so long to get there and back.

I had my car booked in to have the rear bumper fixed and a broken tail light replaced.

I’m selling my car.

The poodles are doing well. They settled in with Sue from Qld poodle rescue. They wont be going to their new homes till after Christmas but they are happy and loved with Sue. Sleeping on her bed. Sharing her love with her two poodles.

I’m so grateful to Sue and so much happier knowing she is looking out for them.

I visited my brother, a cousin and my niece and nephew while in Canberra. And met my great nephew… Randal.

Can you see the family resemblance?

I bought my ticket to Greece. December 20 is D-Day. Departure Day.

I fly China Air and get to spend some time in Beijing cause there’s a LOOOOONG stopover. They provide a hotel so all good.

I arrive in Athens December 22 in the morning. Yay.

I found out that I won’t be allowed to leave the country on a one way ticket without a Greek passport (mine expired and I dont have it with me anyway).

I went to the Greek Consulate and got a copy of my birth certificate to get translated.

I already had one. But they said I needed a fresh one. In case something changed I guess…

I’m waiting for the translation. Then I get to go back to the consulate to get it stamped. Oh the joy.

I went in to Vic Roads to change my Tasmanian drivers license to a Victorian one. I had to pay $18 to make an appointment to see someone about it.

I had to pay $18 to make an appointment.

I thought that bore repeating.

No. It was not refunded once I turned up.

I went to the doctor on Monday for a mole check.

Turns out I had to go to the doctor again today cause I needed her to sign a form saying I was healthy enough to drive and can see with my new fake lenses (installed due to eye surgery) and no longer need to wear glasses to drive.

Something I’d have appreciated knowing BEFORE I went to the doctor this week. Like when I paid $18 to MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. That would have been handy. Then I wouldn’t have had to pay for TWO doctors appointments…

I hurt my back. Driving too much.

I spent most of my time in Canberra flat out on the couch and groaning like an old woman. Not to mention walking like I’d shit my pants.

I had a massage in Canberra. It helped. The driving from there to Melbourne didn’t.

Turns out standing and walking isn’t a problem. Neither is lying down. Sitting can kill me.

I had another massage in Melbourne. That helped.

I’m having one more next week. Before the trip. Cause what’s an airplane trip but sitting for hours on end?

I am still selling stuff on ebay.

I am still selling my car.

I have a ton of packing and sorting and STUFF to do.

Always stuff to do.

I write lists. I tick things off and add more.

I can’t wait to go to Paros and turn my brain off for a while. Not that I can do that at any time… but its a nice thought.

Did I mention I can’t leave Australia on a one way ticket without a certificate proving I’m a Greek citizen? I could have bought a return ticket for almost the same price, but they don’t do open ended tickets for longer than 12 months. I doubt I’ll be in a position to visit in a year.

I may have found a job on Paros. Fingers crossed.

Its hot in Melbourne. It was hotter in Qld.

I still have a sore back, so I’m going to go have a swim. Why not take advantage of staying with a friend who has a pool?

z

Well… lots.

In fact too much lots.

Let’s see. I’ve been in Melbourne for 1.5 weeks now. I began listing stuff on ebay. Sheesh it takes a long time to photograph and list things! I found a gym and went every day as soon as I recovered from my sleep disorder… the one where I couldn’t get enough sleep. I did some shopping for cowboy boots. We went out to dinner a couple of times… vietnames and thai. Yum.

I then had a relapse and slept a whole lot again.

Yesterday I drove to a country town to see my oldest friend in the poodle world, spend some time and say goodbye. She’s been like family to me for so long… I’ll miss her and her gorgeous toy poodles who I’ve groomed for years.

On the way back from there today I went past my first house and took a photo. It looks so unloved… its sad.

Anyway, it was part of my life in Melbourne. I’m glad I drove by.

I took my poodles to a friend’s grooming salon to give them a good clean and clip. I’ve found homes for them finally. Thankfully. I had so many people enquire about them, wanting them, but they dropped out like flies. It was confusing and upsetting. I thought I had homes lined up but they disappeared into thin air.

Luckily a couple of ladies from poodle rescue in other states helped me and now I have it sorted in a way that I feel good about. I’m confident my dogs will be loved and looked after for the rest of their lives. I can leave Australia with a clear mind. (So far I’m avoiding even thinking about saying goodbye to them… it will be the hardest thing about this whole move.)

The downside is that the homes are both in Queensland. That’s like a two day drive from here. I’ve been planning my trip using google maps and think I have it sorted. I’ll start out on Saturday or Sunday this weekend. I have the number of a dog friendly motel in Dubbo so I will stop there overnight on the way up. The trip up will take me through Tocumwal – the small town where we lived when I was 2-5 years old! And also through Parkes, which is where The Dish is!!! I loved that film… I want a photo with the Dish!

I might even be tempted to drive through Griffith where I grew up… who knows…

On the way back I’ll visit friends in Lismore, maybe visit Byron Bay cause… well, why not! And then to Canberra to visit my brother, my neice and my cousins.

Then back to Melbourne to sell my car!

I’ve organised a ticket to Greece. Not easy despite the fact that this is supposed to be a quieter time of year to head that way…

But that brought up a whole lot of other things I didn’t realise I had to do, or would be a problem. Turns out I won’t be allowed to leave Australia on my Australian passport with a one way ticket. I’ll need to prove that I can stay in Greece without a visa. So I have to go to the Greek consulate and get a copy of my birth certificate, get it translated and notarised, and have it with me to prove I’m a greek citizen… and thus allowed to stay in Greece. All this cause I let my Greek passport expire years ago…

I mean, who knew I’d actually chose to move back to Greece?

I also have to renew my Australian passport cause it will expire next year and to be honest I’m not sure I have a full 6 months left on it, which is necessary in order for me to travel on it.

Sheesh.

The things that pop up when one decides to move to another country!

So, still a ton to do, but I’ll get through it. I have to.

z

I went out yesterday and found a gym. The plan was to check out as many around here as I could till I found one which was right for me. On my way to gym #3 on my list I saw a small gym behind a shopping center and stopped in.

Its tiny. Run by a couple, 2 workout rooms – if you want a treadmill you run around the block. If you want a stair master you go up and down the stairwell. If you want to do a spin class you have to book in as they only have 5 bikes. I liked it. It was personal, more like what I loved about Freedom Fitness in New Norfolk. Freedom is way bigger but so friendly and felt like I knew everyone that went.

I did my personal training/intro yesterday and then did a circuit strength class. Today I’ll do a boxing class and a 30min spin class. I need to work hard. I need to sweat. I need it right now.

I felt SO much better after my workout yesterday. I finally felt like I had energy again. You know, the best kind of tired. Not to mention how exercise helps with the positive frame of mind I need to tackle all the stuff on my Must Do List.

You have no idea how relieved I am that I’m finally feeling like myself again. I hated the tiredness and feelings of hopelessness which were dogging me for the last two weeks.

And hey! I got a new, bigger, more user friendly bluetooth keyboard for my tablet which actually has an apostrophe where it should be! Makes all the difference. We all know the importance of punctuation. I saw this on FB and just have to share it:

Back to work. Can’t spend all day on here…

z

This is not my bed… but man… I wish it was.

Still, I’m in love with the bed I’m currently sleeping in at my friend’s house. Its a big old cast iron and brass bed, very romantic and oh so comfy…

But its not the bed itself I’m in love with. Not really. I’m in love with sleep right now. Not hard to understand really. I’ve been going flat out since I returned to Australia from Greece in June.

First it was working flat out to groom all the dogs I had put off while I was away. Then it was the beginning of the move to Greece – all the sorting, the selling, the packing, the complete wrapping up on one life to start another.

Not only was that physically exhausting, it was mentally and emotionally draining. No wonder I can’t seem to get enough rest right now.

Hopefully I’m on the mend now though as I was able to stay up till midnight last night and sleep till 10.30am instead of falling asleep over my dinner, waking up at 6.30am and needing a nap in the middle of the day.

I unloaded the car (mostly) in installments as even the smallest effort wore me out. Now I’ve cluttered up my friend’s house with all the odds and ends of my life… still so much considering all I sold and gave away!

I have all this stuff to sort through and a million poodle items to list on ebay. I’m still at that place where I look at what I have to do and am overwhelmed by the enormity of the task… even though the biggest is finally over.

I still have to sort out homes for my dogs. I had lined up potential homes but as with so many things, people change their minds so now I have to start over.

That’s the hardest part of this whole adventure for me. In fact I try not to think about it at all if I can help it, I seem callous at times, discussing it like I’m taking it in stride, but trust me… I’m broken up over it. I just need to keep it objective or I will cry. My dogs are my family. Both of the were born in my bedroom. They are the biggest part of my life. Leaving them behind is the hardest thing I will ever do.

Today I plan to find a local gym I can visit while I’m here so that should help me get back my energy and a more positive outlook in general. Nothing like a workout to help you out of a dark mood.

So, no more wasting time… up and at em girl. Get a move on…

Well, its the home stretch now. I’m ready to go. One more night at home and my last night in Tasmania. Perhaps forever. I don’t know if I will ever be back.

The house is bare but for the very few basics I need till tomorrow.

The purchasers from hell came through for a final inspection before settlement yesterday and they made demands. Why am I not surprised?

They complained about a broken window in the shed, claiming it wasn’t broken when they looked through. We didn’t break any windows since we moved in but I’d really like to know how they could tell if a window was broken since the shed was stacked so high with all my junk.

They complained about the grass being long. They had the option to buy the ride on and didn’t want it. So I sold it. I mowed the lawn 2 weeks ago. In fact the guy who bought it had to wait for me to finish so he could take it. But they also complained about the grass in the paddocks being too long!!!

Sheesh. Do these city dwellers have a rude awakening coming their way when they move here. Grass grows. And when it doesn’t you have a problem.

They wanted to know what we were doing about the tree that fell across the driveway. Um… nothing. We moved it out of the way. Thats all we needed to do. Its firewood people. Firewood.

And they complained about the stuff left in the paddock, which was Waynes department to clean up. I believed him when he told me that area was cleared out. Seriously, I made sure everything else was gone or cleaned up. That was his job.

Now apparently they can hold up settement till they at least get assurance in writing that we will take care of it.

And last but not least by any means… they demanded I vacuum inside the air conditioner cause the filter was covered in dust.

Unbelievable.

Soon they will no longer be my problem. Soon they will no longer be my problem. Just keep repeating that…

So how am I feeling? Tired. Sore. Busy. Alternately depressed and excited. But the excitement has been dampened lately by the reality of this move. And having to rehome my dogs being the next big thing i need to take care of.

I try not to think about any of it too much. The friends I’ll miss. The dogs. Those things make me want to cry. Instead I concentrate on what needs to be done now. And what needs to be done next.

Baby steps as Bob said.

https://youtu.be/fA7LGqwjhYs

Its not like I don’t still have a ton to sort and do and figure out and organise and just get through.

This is the biggest move I’ve ever made in my life. And I’ve moved back and forth from Greece a few times, I moved from Canberra to Melbourne on my own, from Melbourne to Tasmania on my own, not knowing a soul in either place, and now I’m moving back to a country I have lived in, where I have tons of family. Still, for some reason this move feels bigger than any other.

Maybe its cause I’m not just going back home, to live in the family home but instead planning to buy my place (if I can afford to!!) and live on Paros where I’ve only ever spent summers before…

But Paros is in my heart. I feel more for that island than anywhere in the world. Its hard to explain.

I love Australia. I chose Australia as my forever home more than once in my life. I really dislike Athens. I don’t want to live in Athens. I hated Greece and Athens for half my life – because I was taken away from the only life I knew in Griffith, a small country town in NSW, and taken to live in Athens when I was 10.

At that age I was convinced I’d never see my friends or cousins again. Ever. After all, we never saw anyone from Greece.

I went from country town living to city living and I hated everything about it. Except Paros.

Paros was where we spent our summers and it was all sun and sea and places to explore. Sure, they were holidays and everyone loves holidays, but Paros is under my skin. I feel such a strong pull to it. And its been getting stronger every time I visit. Not to mention that I have longed to be there in winter for a very long time!

Greece IS Paros to me.

So despite my fears and the odd panic, I know I’ll love it and be happy there. I know I’ll manage and find work cause I’m resourceful and have the energy to do anything.

I just need to keep reminding myself of that and concentrate on the positives.

z

Yep. That’s me. Passed out on the floor next to the bed.

Or more like curled up in a fetal position in the middle of the kitchen (where most of the chaos remains).

I’ve found a way to keep track of things and its kinda working, even if the main thing it achieves is to make me feel like I have some kind of plan.

I got out 3 sheets of packing paper, taped them to the living room wall and wrote the days of the week remaining on them and what is meant to happen on those days. That way I can look at one glance and see when something is being picked up. Or what I have to do that day.

Genius.

In theory.

The problem is there is still a mess around here and its doing my head in. I look at all the small things piled on the table, on the floor, in boxes that ‘need sorting’ and my brain freezes.

Thank goodness for my friends who turned up here this morning and walked over the place and got everthing that needed to go into the skip for me. Now the skip is almost full but that still has enough space to put in the last minute rubbish I’ll be adding to it as I go through those boxes that ‘need sorting’.

I think the worst of it is the piles of stuff. Or the need for piles. Or designated areas:

This needs to be picked up by xxx.
This needs to be taken to Melbourne
This needs to be packed for Greece by me
This needs to be packed by the removalists
This belongs to Wayne, he needs to pick it up
This needs to be picked up by xxx

…and it goes on and on.

Sometimes I feel like all I ever do is move a box from this room to that room, then to the porch, then back.

It will end soon. I have to keep reminding myself. Less than a week to go… it will be over soon.

z