ella…

ella…, originally uploaded by winterjourney.

wednesday may 20th

i’d forgotten i had these old photos,
they show all my wordly possessions arriving here in sligo
after being packed up & shipped off in a steel container,
sailing all the way across the world
& finally getting here in “the middle of nowhere”
i know it’s a pretty common experience but it’s weird all the same…
we lived like campers for weeks that dragged on to months
with just barely enough to get by on- only essentials,
although it isn’t something i’d like to do again
it’s amazing how little you actually need to get by
when we left the deal was our packers were supposed to do all the work, they sent in a team of 8 men who packed up efficiently & with great confidence cleared out our entire house in only two days…

when our container arrived on this side
i knew we were in trouble when one of only two men
asked if i had any tools (they didn’t have any equipment & so couldn’t open the container!!)
everything landed in a heap, bashed about, with huge muddy footprints sometimes on the top & sides of boxes labelled
fragile, kitchenware, this way up… it was a nightmare,
pieces of furniture were lost or misplaced making them useless,
vacuum cleamers without the hose, couches without seating,
beds without legs or frames, crockery chipped, framed photos smashed, bikes without handlebars or seats… clothing wet, torn & trampled- the list goes on…
i cried for hours, days, weeks
up to our neck in what amounted to a huge pile of rubbish,
we had to try & get rid of so much, so quickly

it’s no wonder i had forgotten about these photos
anyway years later it’s all behind us
and there’s still so much to be grateful for

song “20 good reasons” thirsty merc

285/365