The Year Of The Rooster

... or the Year Of The Cock-up?

Maybe it wasn’t an auspicious date to be planning to move house during Chinese New Year? Those born during the year of the Rooster* would be amazing to have as friends. The Rooster is they say almost the epitome of fidelity and punctuality and come to think of it, should have been part of my selection criteria for the whole team involved in getting us to Bangkok. 

So things did not quite go according to plan but hey we made it!

MOVING TO BANGKOK

1. Firstly our removal company rescheduled our move without our agreement or knowledge. So Mr Wren and I, having run around like headless chooks on Australia Day, with not even enough time to fly our Aussie flag as in previous years, we’re sitting there in splendid isolation on what we had thought was our big packing day… 

Waiting, waiting…

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON – MAYBE

2. Now, this would have been an ideal time to practise all those new skills we need in our new country. Like being relaxed, happy, keeping our cool, avoiding conflict and not losing my temper. But hey we’re still in Oz and I was definitely not best pleased! 

It was also a perfect opportunity as Mr Wren & I are moving to a country where we know no one, to practise the gentle art of conversation. But it kinda went like this:

LEAVING AUSTRALIA
3. After a false moving start, I returned the following day to the Mornington Peninsula to find the team of three packers hard at work. They had started in the kitchen and were pleased with their progress. 

My ‘where’s the kettle?‘ wailing fell on deaf ears… I mean what school of packing forgets to teach that you never, ever, ever put the kettle in the first box??

4. As I sat in the driveway looking at boxes and boxes through our empty wine rack, I realised that is why they don’t allow you to pack any alcohol or wine. It’s not the horrendous import tariff that makes it prohibitive, it’s the fact that they know that take a woman’s chance for a cuppa away from her and she’ll hit the booze!

I did chuckle at all the things we were not able to take to Bangkok for a variety of import reasons… All my wonderful Buddhas, not allowed. Big no no, even when they never came from Thailand, nothing antique (too much paperwork) sporting goods (taxed as a luxury item, alcohol (massive tax) and for some reason only one of every sort of electrical item… 

Mr Wren has been travelling back and forth for a number of months. Each time if he had been ever stopped by customs I’m sure they would have raised an eyebrow – he looks like an alcoholic, elite athlete. He goes in with the full duty-free allowance and every sporting item we can muster; tennis, golf, you name it.  I mean we haven’t played badminton for thirty years but a couple of apartments have badminton courts, so our badminton racquets are now in Bangkok. 

BANGKOK BOUND 

5. Finally just as I thought I’d waved goodbye to our two containers worth of household goods, one-off to storage, the other on its way to the Kingdom of Thailand, the driver returned without the second trailer. 

The Years of the Rooster include 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017