The time is near ....

After the longest waiting time in recent memory, the time has finally arrived.

The packers came on Easter Thursday to begin the packing and boxing of our worldly possessions. Since Easter occurs between Day 1 and Day 2 of packing, we feel like squatters in a empty apartment for 4 days. There is little furniture, only 1 frypan and saucepan, and 2 each of cups, plates, knives and forks. Oh, and a coffee machine, a TV and a laptop.

Meanwhile, our boxed possessions are in the parking space, so that we can clean and clean ... thereby returning the apartment to its owner in a pristine condition, including echoes.

Most, but not all, of the boxes

De Goin' home after 14 years

Meanwhile, the Elise has its hard hat on, for the 3rd time ever, and is holed up in a nearby parking space that has never seen a car in the time that we've lived here.

Lotus with hard-hat sitting nearby, waiting patiently

De Goin' home after 14 years

Just for the record, the only other times the Lotus has worn its hard hat was when it was brought home from Bell & Colvill as a newborn (there was no other way to carry the hardtop), and when it was driven from London to Geneva for that move (again because it was the easiest way to transport it).

Today is Easter Sunday and we went for a final stroll into downtown Lugano.  It was full of tourists, but still very pleasant, as was the weather.  

Lake Lugano on Easter Sunday

De Goin' home after 14 years

There were some usual stalls offering knickknacks, but then we came across a sole bric-a-brac stall, that had 2 Alpine cowbells.   Now, you have to know that Karen has wanted a genuine cowbell for a long time and had given up any expectation, since we have just 2 days before the packers arrived for final boxing.   So without much consideration, we bought one of them, and carted it home, as you can see below:

Karen, with the bell already around her neck ...

De Goin' home after 14 years