The most
exciting, touching and uplifting moment of my summer was my eldest son’s
graduation ceremony at Whitworth Hall in Manchester. The ceremony was simple and
beautiful, my son was happy and pleased of his achievements. We were all
incredibly proud of him. I must say, it was a big moment for the whole family.
My parents and parents in law were there as well, we took a lot of photos, kept
smiling and congratulating him. We were overjoyed, maybe looking a little silly
but it didn’t bother us.
After the ceremony we went to celebrate in an
Italian restaurant, Al Bacio, in the centre of Manchester along with the family
of my son’s girlfriend. We had great fun and ate so much food. We started with
almost all the antipasti available (except soup), that is fritto misto,
caprese, bruschetta, aubergines, squids, salami and cheese. Then we chose a
main dish each, lasagne, cannelloni, gnocchi, linguine and/or steak, veal,
fillet. We had plenty of side dishes and desserts of course, and a surprise
from the chef: a pineapple cut in the shape of a swan soaked in sambuca.
Everything was delicious. Old Italian songs were wafting around, all pre-WW II
songs, or just after it, my parents’ time songs. It created an atmosphere of
old times that I was not sure my children were aware of, except from what they’d
seen in films like The Godfather. It was a great day and my son clearly
appreciated it.
After the graduation, my parents and parents in law
were with us for about a week. We couldn’t go sightseeing as we were already
busy packing and preparing for the imminent move. They helped us of course and
we took them around Lancaster for some shopping. Even if it was only for a week
they were very happy to see us and to attend their first grandson’s graduation.
We had started packing our stuff more than a year
before the move but very slowly. During the last week we rushed things up and boxes
suddenly started piling up in the lounge and in the garage, the only places we
didn’t need for our daily life. The night before the first official moving day
we worked till exhaustion. At the end my husband and I felt so tired that we
left my son and daughter to do the last bit and went to bed.
The day the movers arrived (a team of eight sturdy
guys who emptied our house in about four hours) we grouped in the kitchen to
sort the last things out. More and more things came out from cupboards and
drawers. All coats, dresses, trousers and suits were moved from wardrobes to
wardrobe boxes (we filled ten of them!). On the whole it was quick and
efficient, which left no time to think or regret. Finally we cleaned the house
(it was easy to vacuum empty rooms and wipe clear cupboards). In the afternoon
I drove south with my daughter. My husband came the following day with the rest
of the family.
On the third day all the stuff arrived in the new
house in Surrey (a huge truck completely packed with our belongings). It was a
cold and rainy day, I mainly looked after my autistic daughter Valentina who
was quite unsettled, which was understandable as she hates changing places and
routines. The kitchen was again the only safe place we could find. The rest of
the house was in the hands of the moving company’s staff (only two of them this
time) and the rest of the family, who helped them for the whole day in and out
in the rain. At the end they were wet, cold and drained.
We found ourselves surrounded by a huge amount of
boxes and half assembled furniture. And the best part would still be to come.
The following two-three weeks was an unpacking ordeal, at a certain point I
thought it would never end. I remember sometimes I would take a quick break and
rest on a half unpacked box before starting on again after a while. Too much
stuff was my conclusion, we accumulated things without being aware of it and
this was the price.
While I am writing, there are still a few boxes in
the lounge. Some of them will be soon placed in the shed that will be ready in
a few days, the remaining ones are full of my collection of dolls and puppets
that I need to set in cupboards and glass cabinets, and last but not least photos
and paintings. There’s no hurry, we’ll finish well before Christmas.
It’s great to be in the new house. It’s a town house
in a beautiful gated compound with a small park for children and a pond. It’s
peaceful and green. The nearby village is lovely with nice shops and all the
necessities we need but I’m relieved the move is finally over.
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