14 May 2006: The Move

 
 


W

e’re moving.  This has been sprung upon us all of a sudden.  Sure, on the one hand we’ve been looking for somewhere else to live for a while now, but not seriously enough to justify actually doing anything about it *cough*.

Then a broken bath tub, six weeks without it being repaired and a letter from the landlord saying that owing to rising maintenance costs the rent was going up again... that proved to be the straw breaking the back.

We found somewhere approximately a mile and a half away.  A new build top floor flat, slightly smaller than where we were but with the caveat of more effective living space.  Or some such buzzword that means, although it has little space, we can do more with it.  I’m getting a larger office / study so I’m happy.

Moving is moving, though.  I hired a long wheelbase van, a Vauxhall, for the move.  We did three loads, two were around the three quarters full.  In the process of moving we appear to have lost our brand new steam iron (the old one packed up the week before the move, the new one, well it’s gone missing heh).

And of course the Accord.  As a saloon, it’s difficult to put large stuff into the car because one cannot remove the parcel shelf.  Folding the rear seats down does give a useful increase in luggage space but the opening between the rear seat and the boot is nowhere near as large as an equivalent road space hatchback (such as a Mondeo or Vectra).  So the process of moving smaller boxes took its time.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the biggest problem with the move.  On the first night at the new place with the Accord in her designated parking space, somebody broke a rear quarterlight window.  On the second night the front passenger window was broken.  In both cases, nothing was taken nor could the vandal, pikey, scroat, scum, or whatever they should be called, get into the Accord.  Thank goodness for double locking then...  Not the best “welcome to your new home” gift then.  On subsequent nights we parked elsewhere and have not had a problem.

During the week we moved, the Accord spent most of her time trundling in and around York’s city boundaries and as a result, consumption wasn’t brilliant.  Nevertheless, just over thirty to the gallon isn’t too bad, I suppose.  Perhaps I’ve had a petrol car for too long?

One of the associated disadvantages with the move is that although I’m only a mile away from where we were, as the crow flies, I’m The best part of two miles closer to a main route on my commute.  It’s made a useful difference to my commute.  At the old place, I had seven junctions or roundabouts where it would be normal to have to wait between home and the York outer ring road.  At the new place I have just three.  It’s taken something like ten minutes off my drive home and perhaps closer to five in the morning.  It will also save fuel too, but it’s too soon to see what a difference this will make.

Writing of saving fuel, a recent drive in a turbodiesel Vectra has reminded me of what I’m missing out on.  In comparison, the Accord feels positively rapid, especially the ability to pile on the revs in the lower gears.  It’s been a long time since I’ve run my own turbodiesel and I’m missing it more than I would like to admit.