Sunday, July 17, 2011

Skeleton Crew

We're camping out in the house now. There's four mugs, a couple of dinner plates. A towel or two apiece. A pot, frying pan and baking dish. Two laptops, a couple paperbacks, a television that will soon be made redundant, the 4th season of Peep Show, some garden chairs and a wobbly old table. Suitcases as nightstands. And all our musical equipment - we have a gig in Le Dorat on Saturday.

pizza & wings

The rest has made it up to England. Like a modern divorce where everyone co-operates, this is a modern house sale - the new owner came down with a load of stuff before the final completion date, and offered to take a load for us. Shipping from France is complicated - of all the ports in this country, right now only one will do container shipping of personal goods so getting space is difficult and expensive. So we go through England - that's where we'll put everything in a container for the US.

nightstand

Packing has been all-consuming, that and healing. I'm going back to the fine doctor in Bordeaux tomorrow, hoping that he'll give me the okay to put makeup on.

It's been pretty bizarre, having a nurse come to the house every other day. I feel like I should be wearing a turban and being taken out for a spin in a wheelchair. Feeling guilty about using what feels like a luxury, I'd asked at the hospital if they couldn't just show me how to take care of things myself. They insisted that it was more consistent with an infirmiere. I can see now that it also helps keep someone in employment in rural France. In a few days I'll say goodbye to her. Then we'll have a little get-together with our friends and neighbors, and the new owners. Strange, melancholy, exciting, terrifying. Did I say exciting?

last rose

Two months ago it was "will we outlast the bottle of balsamic?" - now it's the expiration date on the milk bottle. We'll be going off before it does.

12 comments:

Lianne said...

Having just gone through a move, I shudder when I see cardboard boxes.

That said, I'll take the medium pizza and wings combo, please.

alexh said...

I love the "Last Rose" photograph Amy. Bon voyage Amy & Eric. But can we be sure you're not just setting off on a Never Ending Tour?

KudzuCarl said...

Hey Amy! I do international container shipments on a regular basis and have a great forwarder that we work with and an import license. Let me know if you want me to get you a quote on your shipment. Send me a note at carl@teknowebna.com and I can give you details.

Non Je Ne Regrette Rien said...

you are going to have to adjust your english back to american style, amy ... you are speaking ( or at least writing ) the british english these days ... how funny!

Amy said...

And now you've got flowers in planters and everything Lianne! Isn't that a great sign? Funny to think how at great expense we shipped it over from Rochester and now it's going back to the wing state...

Oh the touring will never end, Alex. Back in the UK in Nov.

I didn't know that Carl - I've been getting some quotes but will send you the info!

It's going to be a double culture shock Kim. I used to be fluent in American, now I'm not sure what language I speak. You probably get that too - I'll be planning to speak to someone "official", at an American bank or business and in my head I'm preparing my spiel in French, then think "why?! I don't have to! They speak English!" I'm afraid I'll be in a shop in the US someday (there, you're right - English English) and say something in French, sort of like calling the kindergarten teacher Mommy by mistake. Ah well, no matter what I do, they'll probably just think "she's Canadian"...

Malteser said...

You hava a very chic bedside table :)
good luck with the move, i hope it all goes smoothly.

the fly in the web said...

Great to be moving on...you can put your health problems behind you too by the sound of things...so...'onward and upward'.
Enjoy yourselves.

Anonymous said...

For some bizarre reason I'm thinking of Fiddler on the Roof reading about your packing up.

Amy said...

I'd keep that idea, Malteser, but the handle makes me keeps knocking over a water glass in the middle of the night. PS The date blog on your site was spectacular, really enjoyed that!

Thank you Fly - I'm trying to remember that! Between homes and looking pretty unfortunate,with just a few clothes and a laptop and guitar, could be the basis for a rewrite of Me & Bobby McGee.

"Sunrise, Sunset (swiftly flow the years)" or "Wish I Was A Rich Man"?!

Cassy said...

I love those guitars.

Cassy from Acoustic Guitar Online

laurie said...

Amy.
Just went on you site only to see you are moving back to the US. I thought we might finally get a chance to get together---we are moving to Zurich and I figured we would be at least be on the same side of the Atlantic! Drop me a note when you get settled. I will be back and forth a lot so maybe there is still a chance we can meet up again before we are officially senior citizens.
Laurie

Amy said...

They are beauties, aren't they Cassy?

Laurie, that's exciting you're going to Zurich. I've always hoped I'd get to visit you at the beach sometime...I will email you - there's no doubt we'll play there again at least, the club El Lokal is one of the best in the world!