Moving t0 Drouin

It is crazy to think that in less than a week, we will be boarding a plane to Singapore, and then Frankfurt, and then finally Montenegro. It is coming up so fast.

Selling our Coldstream house was sad, but it was time to move on. Packing up the house was a huge job. We had to declutter the house which meant going through all the cupboards and wardrobes and boxes in the garage and sorting stuff out. Believe me, we had A LOT of stuff. Much of it got donated to opp-shops. Still more got thrown out. And the stuff we wanted to take got packed into boxes and labeled and put into the container. Then we had a suitcase and carry-on each to take with us to Drouin to last us till the container arrives in Monte. Cleaning the garages in particular was a huge and unpleasant job. Dad said we got rid of 50 cubic meters of rubbish! We got rid of most of our furniture as well. Then cleaners came through and thoroughly cleaned the empty house. And the container was taken away on a truck. It was a crazy stressful time and we’re so glad it’s done.

Since moving out of our home in Coldstream, we have been staying in a friend’s home in Drouin, a regional town here in Victoria about an hour and a half out of Melbourne. We are so blessed to be here and to have the house to ourselves while our friend is away. It is in town and close to the town center with shops and a library and park that we can walk to in a matter of minutes. I have enjoyed going for walks most days and exploring town and often take my laptop down to the library to study or write. I am there right now. 😛 There are also a few nice coffee shops in town and it has been lovely getting to try some of them. I have enjoyed the experience of living in a regional town. I definitely prefer it to rural and urban! Our time here is a small taste of what we hope to experience when we are in Monte.

There has still been much to do to get ready to go. Dad has had to find someone who will ship the shipping container over to Monte and even then it will cost an arm and a leg. I have had a long ‘to do’ list to work through, and am so thankful to my friend Iona who is helping me with that! There have, believe it or not, been more trips to opp-shops (to donate stuff, yes, more stuff), and trips to the container to add more boxes. There have been regular trips to Melbourne for errands and doctors appointments and catching up with friends. It is an interesting adjustment having to travel so far to get there!

There have also been goodbyes… yes, they have begun. I have been catching up with my friends, making sure I see them before I go. And the kids have been spending a lot of time with the Gillams who now live just down the road, much to their delight. Last night we had a farewell potluck dinner… we were blessed to have so many of our friends come. And Dad ran a fun quiz with questions about Montenegro. There was also some unplanned dancing amongst us young people. It was a sweet time, bitter-sweet. Goodbyes are hard. I can get philosophical about how they’re a fact of life and everyone has them… but it is not the time for that. Right now, it’s just hard, and sad. And that’s okay.

We look ahead to the future and what’s in store, and hold in our hearts the hope for better things than what we’re leaving behind. New things. It’s a new season. A new chapter. It’s a crazy adventure. And very cool.

We’re going to miss everyone here so much. If any of you who were there last night reads this, I just want you to know that we’re appreciate you so much. We’re so grateful for your friendship. Thanks for coming.

And now, that’s that. Next time I write, we’ll probably be on our way!