Sunday is fast approaching, and with it an opportunity to throw open the doors to our house, lay out our possessions and offer them for sale to the viewing public. We’ve advertised, sorted, dusted and cleaned, and now we’re hoping to raise enough money to buy a few of the essential bits and pieces we’ll need to start life in a new country.

Sounds simple.

Or so we thought.

The reality is that every single item is a decision, every thingamybob a memory called to mind, every doodad something that needs sorting into one of five piles.

Ship

Not everything we need will fit into our suitcases, and so MAF provides us with an initial shipping allowance to get some of the bigger bits and pieces to Uganda. Dave’s toolbox will fill a good portion of the space, and we’re thinking a good quality mattress will help us to avoid the recurrence of historical back issues. But otherwise the majority of our box is likely to be packed full of electrical devices, specifically kitchen appliances, which are harder to get hold of out there, but essential knowing we’ll be busy and doing a lot of cooking from scratch. I’m sure a box or two of goodies will sneak into the shipment too; some well wrapped Galaxy chocolate and spices to flavour our food!

Sell

After seven years of marriage we’ve accumulated a good amount of stuff. Some of it is coming with us of course, but there are a lot of things we simply won’t need. Though we have a tendency to wear our possessions out, there is still a lot that others will get a good bit of life out of. DVDs, books, bikes, furniture, even a two-person kayak; it’s all got to go!

Suitcase

The arrival of our shipment will depend on a few things: when Dave’s work permit arrives, how hard it is to get everything through customs and so on and so forth. That’s why we need to bring enough with us in our suitcases to keep us going until the larger delivery arrives. Other than the essentials like clothes, toiletries and some very basic cooking supplies, we’ll be packing some technology so we can keep in touch with all of you, and a few little touches to make our new house in Uganda feel like home.

Scrap

I have a feeling my definition of what is good for nothing but the scrapheap may start to change after a few years living in Africa, but it’s true, some of our possessions are simply too battered to be of much use to anyone. We’re talking clothes with big holes in, old broken electrical items and the like. Even within this category there are decisions… Is this good enough for a charity shop? Is it only good for the tip?

Store

Finally, a few dear friends and family members have offered us loft space for a box or two of things that we don’t want to get rid of, but also don’t want to take with us. Aside from the rather mundane collection of the financial records from running my own business for a few years, there will also be some mementos left here; some of those treasured old memories that bring a smile to your face when you see them again after years in the loft. I expect a box of winter clothes will also be deposited somewhere ready for our home assignments. The UK might seem a bit colder after adjusting to the warmer climes of Uganda!

So, there we have it, an insight into our sorting. Who knew organising stuff could be so exhausting!