Chapter seventy :
Hello everybody,
Captain Perky speaking.
I hope last shore excursion in ' The Biter bit ' was up to your expectations and that you had fun.
What have you been doing since then ?
Sailing in calm waters and making the most of each day ? Lucky you !!
Let the party continue, then !
You've fallen overboard with no lifejacket on, and now you're just swimming desesperately to head out of those murky waters ? Don't panick, catch this week lifebuoy and cling to it ! Just let the wave of carefreeness lull you for a while ! Every cloud has a silver lining ...
We'll soon drop the anchor in ' Whatsthatboard '.
Dearhubby and myself will show you round that secluded spot nestled in the Decluttering Bay.
We discovered it some years ago thanks to ' The Cheerful Removal
Men ' Company who hired us as first rate packing assistants ( we had already had five job trainings and we had gone through them quite well). Even though the job was a bit of a drag, the experience was worth living and remembering ( you'll see by yourselves...).
A fortnight ago, as I was maping out our voyage for the weeks to come, the name ' Whatsthatboard ' suddenly flashed across my mind !
Jeez ! That stopover was not scheduled ! Never mind !
Even if it meant skipping ' Funny Fishing Nets ' or ' Snail Farming ',
' Whatsthatboard ' was really worth sightseeing !
For cruising newcomers ( and for cruise veterans,as well) the brochure dictionary.reverso.net is at your disposal in the computer lounge. Feel free to help yourselves !
Ready now ? Let's get off, then !!
Some years ago, we had to empty my parents' flat.
They had been living there for nearly 50 years, and I think I can say they were kind of hoarders.
Imagine the mammoth task we had to tackle !!
Anyway, we explored every nook and cranny with the Cheerful Removal Men, and after agreeing on the D-day, the guys left us in the middle of an ocean of empty carboard boxes.
Before filling them, first thing was to sort out things to keep, give or throw away.
As I have told you, we had already moved five times, so nothing much to be afraid of.
We rolled up our sleeves and started packing, sellotaping and labelling in a perky busy bee way.
The higher the carboard boxes were piling up, the more hoarder line
(sorry, I could resist to that pun) I was feeling !
Six strenuous and nerve-racking weeks later, the day before the crucial date came.
We were done with the job and the only thing left on our list was to take out all the stuff for the bulky waste collection :
two stools so rickety that they couldn't stand up straight up on their legs, a suitcase that too many sommersaults on conveyor belts had left battered, and a scatterbrained shopping trolley which had lost one of its wheels on its weekly shopping journeys.
Phew ! It was over ! We were worn out, but before slumping into bed, we shuffled our feet around for a last inspection tour.
Dearhubby opened a hanging wardrobe and asked :
" Hey, Perky, what's that board ? ".
" Quite huge, isn't it ? ", I answered, " must be the board Mum used to put on the box spring when she had a backache. Let's add it to the items for tomorrow morning collection.
No sooner said than done !
The day after,at 9 sharp, the removal men were there to wrap the furniture.
To let the professionals do their job, we moved from one room to another, saying a bittersweet good-bye to a place where we had had so many cheereful family gatherings.
Our ' sentimental ' journey was interrupted by one of the guys :
" It'd be better to pack the dining room table with its extension. Could you show me where it is, please ? ".
OMG !! The huge board we had put on the pavement to be taken away !!
My husband hurtled down the stairs, but the only thing he could do was to wave good-bye to the collection van !!
So, now you understand why ' Whatsthatboard ' is a place dear to our hearts.
Anyway, no regret, cause even with a tremendously huge extension, the Captain's table could not have seated all the passengers of
' The Perky Busy Bee ' ocean liner !!
Enjoy your stopover and don't forget : be perky !
