baby, what's in that satchel?

so as it is with everything we do, carting our new sofa home was the biggest drama in the world. firstly, because the lady we bought it from, J, said it would fit in the back of a station wagon (apparently the people who bought her other couch managed to do just that), we weren't too fussed that all the lamppost ads for moving vans had vanished off the face off the plan.

secondly, because J as so sure it would fit in a station wagon and mini movers was going to charge us $140 for the 10 minute trip down the road, we called up the taxi company to ask if a station wagon taxi would be willing to take us and the sofa. the first guy zoot spoke to said it wouldn't be a problem, and when i called up today the lady on the phone said it would be find as well.

anyway the taxi driver rocks up and takes one look at the couch and says "i dont think it's going to work", but then the seller's mother, P says to him "no it definitely can be, the people who bought our other brought it home in a taxi too" and he seems skeptical but finally hoists himself out of the taxi and opens the boot. obviously he doesn't lift a finger to help so craig and i are wrassling with this 1.5m sofa frame and manage to shove it into the boot only to be told that he can't put the seats down because of this thing that's been bolted to the backseat. GREAT! so we have half a metre of timber sticking out the back secured by some rope and then it turns out the frakking mattress won't fit.

so P looks at him in the most exasperated manner and gets her car keys out and in the biggest act of human decency ever orders craig and i to put the mattress in her car boot and she drives me home while craig goes in the taxi clinging on to the frame for dear life.

and of course it has to be absolutely pissing down the whole time. and of course the taxi driver has to take the route of most resistance leaving me and P in the car waiting outside the house for about 10 minutes before he arrives. and then craig and i have to carry everything up to castle anthrax. and of course we have to brush past every single bit of fauna along the way. and then of course we have to rid ourselves of every bit of greenery that nature has kindly given us once we're in the house, including the praying mantis who seemed to have the biggest crush on craig, refusing to leave even after he'd tried to evict her once. oh and of course the sofa frame is dripping wet too.

and now our house is filled to the brim with sofas.

our next challenge is to air the mattress and launder its covers so it's lovely and clean and THEN! we shall be ready for guests.