Letter from the Editor: Moving house ... with a difference

I’ve just spent the last few weeks helping my mum settle into her new home – and believe me it’s a whole lot more stressful than packing up yourself!

There are some benefits it has to be said. While she’s been in between homes, she’s been staying with us which generally means we arrive home to a home-cooked tea and a visit from the ‘ironing fairy’ is always welcome.

However, we’ve also had to live through all the trials and tribulations that buying a new property entails.

First up was choosing a kitchen which seemed to be resolved after dozens of email exchanges only for the wrong units, cooker hood and fridge/freezer to be installed.

Then there was the episode when the men turned up to instal her broadband – only to discover there was no telephone line to the house.

But trumping them all was the day the new flooring was due to be laid.

I took the day off to help with the moving of furniture afterwards but chose the wrong time to turn up at the house, the fitters having just imparted the news that the concrete floor wasn’t even enough to allow them to do their job.

Cue lots of heated discussions about ‘acceptable tolerances’ while all my mum wanted to do was walk out, shut the door ... and never return.

A couple of weeks later, however, and everything is (almost) resolved.

She’s settled in, made plenty of friends and out lives have returned to normal!