Bassett Towers Mk. II

As some of you may know, Bassett Towers recently relocated. Frankly, Newhaven had lost what little charm it had and Somerfield was in danger of becoming a reasonable store following its takeover by the Co-Op. It was also becoming quite obvious that Mrs B and stairs were not on the best of terms hence our removal to more favourable climes. There had been vague searches of properties for some time but the want list was quite specific; large rooms to house vast numbers of books, nice area, no or few stairs and, preferably, a sea view. In an ideal world, I would also have Sir Terry Pratchett, Neil Young and Felicity Kendall in her "Good Life" days as neighbours but I realise I have to compromise somewhere.

Anyway, this apartment came up. It was in Eastbourne which Mrs B wasn't too sure about but we went and had a look. It was in the Meads area which is rather nice and it was on the seafront so we turned up with the vague hope that it might be OK. As we entered the 24' x 25' lounge and saw the big picture windows overlooking the sea we knew that soon, we just might be moving!

It's a big old building of 4 floors and this was right at the top which was fabby. Views both back and front were wonderful and there was even a balcony out the back so one could soak up the evening rays whilst watching the seagulls wheeling around. The light everywhere was just amazing as that was one thing our Newhaven home was very short of and that, coupled with really high rooms made the whole thing a tempting proposition.

We decided to go for it and were told occupation could take place from 31 March, some 2 months hence. I have to say I wasn't looking forward to the actual move especially as it transpired that the whole lift system was being replaced starting ......can you guess? Yep, 31 March! It also meant that Mrs B would become a virtual prisoner for some 6 weeks until it was all completed. We checked out a few removal companies and a nice lady called Tracy from a firm called Better Moves assured us they would do the job swiftly, safely and with more care than a pilot flying through a cloud of volcanic ash. She offered boxes and we gladly accepted these. Now, let me say at this point, we had already purchased a cardboard box pack from Argos "suitable for a 2 bedroom house" and that was sufficient to pack a small amount of stuff from the playroom! Anyway, cutting a long story short, we eventually filled approximately 120 boxes with our belongings.

That last week before the move was a tad fraught but the day came at last. All clothing had been left in wardrobes, as per instructions, since the men would merely transfer to clothes rails. We had also been told to leave stuff in drawers as these would be transferred in situ. The men seemed jolly nice and I bribed them with the promise of posh bikkies so they got to work willingly. THAT was when the problems started!

We had been told they would bring 2 vans so were surprised when one of them said how fortunate it was they had 2 vans as they were told it was only a one van job and there was no way all of our stuff was going to fit in just a single vehicle. He then asked where the boxes of clothes were and, when told about the clothes rails, said words along the lines of "Bless you, good sir, we haven't used those for years." After he said we would have to pack all the drawer contents (despite what we had been told) I began to realise that communication between him and the office was maybe not that great. It was at this point that I reluctantly (but with a certain foreboding) asked if the lack of lift and that it was third floor had been mentioned to them? His face dropped and he muttered various words, too much for my delicate ears, which suggested that this had definitely not been the case.

We naturally felt really bad about this as they seemed really nice guys and explained to them that we had actually called the firm a couple of days before and suggested 4 rather than 3 men and that we would gladly pay extra but this had been met with an "Oh no, that won't be necessary". Finally, the blokey in charge arranged for another remover to come over and so we finally had 4 men on the job meaning that, by 1.30, our home was in transit.

It took 6 hours for them to get it up here. 120 odd boxes, beds, 2 desks, 2 couches, 6 floor to ceiling bookcases, various bureaux, tables, chairs and other bits of furniture. roughly 40 pictures, 3 TVs, 2 monitors, 2 laptops, Reg the ceramic dog, Kryten the stuffed seagull etc etc etc. When they eventually went, our spacious and beautiful new home was piled high with boxes. They covered the whole place, some 3 high and, being the decisive people we are, the whole lot was left and we just went to sleep for 12 hours - totally exhausted.

That was 17 days ago. The boxes are now all unpacked and collapsed (although taking up a very large chunks of bedroom as they have yet to be collected) and there is now an habitable abode.

There are still piles of bits around and loads to sort out but it's now liveable. There will be a new bathroom and kitchen installed eventually (although retro is very "in" so perhaps not - especially as there's a Neff oven and a Smeg hob). I've found such delights hidden in the many cupboards, nooks and crannies as dralon curtains, collapsible chairs for the balcony

and what appears to be a puncture repair outfit for a stagecoach. In other words, there is some modernisation needed but all in good time.

There are currently more pressing problems like can I actually tear myself and my camera away from the window, optimising the number of times I have to climb those bloody stairs (all 64 of them) and working out whether to use binoculars or buy a bigger TV? 32" used to be fine until now when the desks are some 20' away!

It's been quite a ride and it's not something I would like to repeat. I've a feeling though, it will most certainly have been worth it.

Incidentally, all these photos were taken from Bassett Towers.