You read that right, this is our final week in the UK; our final week in our cozy little house in our quiet neighborhood. It’s almost time to begin our new adventure.

So, what was done this week for the move? Well, all those niggling details finally came to the surface. Guildford Borough Council was awesome even with our last minute notice and sent paperwork for a refund right away. Thames Water was equally responsive and is working on a refund and then interestingly enough, they will send a bill. I find this odd. Why not just hold onto the credit and deduct the final amount owed? There is bound to be some logic to it, but we just accepted and gave them the temporary address we are using in Sweden. Virgin, our internet provider, turned out to have a 30-day notification requirement. So, no refund there and we will need to pay for the full month of service. Lesson learned—make a detailed to-do list more than one month prior to a move. Our power company…oops! Guess I know who needs to be called tomorrow.

The most important travel detail that we are handling is the transportation of our cat. She is almost 13 years old and this will be her second plane journey. In case you are moving within the EU and need some tips, let me help you out. You will need a pet passport. This is not expensive, but it does need to be accurate. The most important detail is that the transponder number (microchip) needs to be recorded by the veterinarian on or before the date of the rabies vaccination. This way the veterinarian can prove they confirmed the identity of the animal before vaccinating. Weird, I know, but this tripped us up. Our vet did this in July, but we didn’t get the passport until November. A different vet filled out the passport and put the date she filled out the document as the date of confirmation. Thankfully, Pet Air UK, the company we are using, caught the issue and let me know. If they hadn’t, we would be in a pickle later. You may wonder why we hired someone to help with this…

When we moved to the UK from the USA, we were lucky enough that the new job paid for a pet travel company. Still, there were several details that we had to handle ourselves. After nearly botching our small role in that, it seemed prudent to have someone help. When I contacted the companies for assistance, I found out that airline tickets were cheaper with their custom made crates instead of the travel kennels we used previously (several hundred GBP cheaper). Additionally, we don’t have a car and our packers come the day prior to the move. So, having someone to pick my girl up and keep her overnight as well as check her in at the airport is a blessing in itself. The peace of mind of having someone double check all the documents is nice too.

What else have we been focusing on this week? Well, the purge has continued. A huge load has amassed of giveaway items that we don’t feel the need to keep. Also, the recycling truck took a huge mass of recycling away. This may seem easy, but emptying the open cupboard items into the compost and then washing and recycling the packaging can be labor intensive. Lastly, thanks to Gumtree and Freecycle, bits of furniture and a rug that we didn’t want to bring have now found new homes. The only furniture left consists of two dressers, two beds, an ottoman, a dining room table, and four chairs. Whew. Needless to say, the house is a lot more spacious than before.

The human aspect of moving should not be forgotten. I bought an address book and asked all our friends to send addresses, phone numbers, and birthdays. Hopefully that will help for long term contact. Tomorrow, for the first time in two years, a small group of my girlfriends and I will be going out for drinks. Friend time with no toddlers; what is that and why didn’t we do it before???

Nice drinks at Three Pigeons – Guildford High Street

The last thing we’ve completed this week is shoe shopping. You are wondering why I feel the need to call that out, aren’t you? Well, we are moving to Sweden, and everyone says that when you move to Sweden in the winter, you need to have sturdy shoes with traction. Oft repeated advice is worth following; hopefully.

Tomorrow is another day and I’m sure more of those last minute tasks will pop up. When that happens, I just remind myself that the Visa was approved; the flights are booked; the temporary accommodation is set; and the rest will get sorted. Then I close my eyes, take a deep breath, square my shoulder, and brace myself for whatever adventures the day will hold. Breath on friends 😃