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S..'s law

 It had to happen didn't it?  Moving day, and it was pouring with rain.  I wanted to leave the house clean for the new owners but as I watched the mop and bucket disappearing into the truck, I realised that all I could impart was mud.  There is lots of it, undisguisable on a light coloured tile floor and it continues up the stairs.  I swept as much dirt as I could with an ashpan and brush but it was like sweeping the sand out of the house in Khartoum.  Upstairs the dark brown wood hides what must be a ton of mud, lurking, just waiting for bare feet to turn black at a moment's notice.

I wandered up to the first floor checking that each room was indeed empty and then up to the second floor.  There, sitting all on its own in the middle of an empty room, was a box that the removers had forgotten - and it was heavy.  I phoned the removal company.  'Can you drop it off at our depot' she asked.  You have to be kidding.  I can't even lift it, let alone carry it down 2 flights of stairs.  'No, it is your responsibility so you must come and get it.'  'Alright,' she answered reluctantly, '9am tomorrow morning.'  'No, I shall be in the hospital tomorrow morning.  You have to come today, before 4pm.'  She disappeared and returned to say someone would come 'toute suite'.  I should think so too.

Last week the removal company sent me a form to sign which stated that there was no covid 19 in the house and that all safety precautions would be in place.  I signed it and added to the bottom that the form applied to the company too.  This morning the three men arrived with no masks, no social distancing from me, and didn't even ask if I wanted them to wear masks.  I asked them if they were vaccinated.  One was.  This is the third move I have made in France, once with a British firm and twice with French companies.  I wouldn't use the British company again as they said, 'we can't get your furniture upstairs so we will have to leave it here.'  And they did, in the garden.  The first French company was superb, apart from making me drive to their depot to collect the empty boxes.  Today's was ok but totally unprepared for removing furniture through the windows on the first  floor, despite me telling their office several times that it would not go down the stairs.  

So here I am standing up to write this in an empty house and just waiting the hour I can spread out my sleeping bag and drift off.  I am exhausted.

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