Usually when you move house, you know where you are moving to. You can imagine your things in the new space, mentally start arranging you furniture and ornaments in the new environment.

We are going overseas on an adult gap year. So we are packing up our house, without knowing where our next permanent home will be. We plan to rent a small place whilst in Tasmania, as we discover where our next life stage should take place. The only image we have of our next home is that it is near the sea, with a sea view.

It is interesting, sorting out the possessions that have accumulated over twenty six years of marriage and family life. Aussie Mate and I moved into a two bedroom apartment when we married. We moved in with a few suitcases, some bedding, a stereo system and some LP’s and 45’s.

The first furniture we bought was a coffee table that we sat around on borrowed garden chairs. We soon furnished the place, thanks to the newly arrived IKEA store and some unique items such as shelves constructed from pine planks and wine racks. We took a while to agree on art for the walls but we soon made the apartment feel like a home. Along with our daughters, came all sorts of paraphernalia from the obvious cot, buggy, toys, to a high chair, tricycle, roller skates to school books, musical instruments, bikes etc etc etc.

We are not hoarders. Our home is not particularly cluttered. We periodically reviewed clothes, kids toys and games. I also used my Nan’s technique of hiding things, if nobody missed them in six months then they were thrown out / given away.

Even so, when we moved into our current house after fifteen years in the apartment, we managed to fill a large removal lorry. How did we manage to acquire so much “stuff”?

Now we have lived here for eleven years and our girls have both flown the nest. Some things naturally left with them, but we still have a lot of stuff. We are trying to decide what to keep and put into storage, to guess what we will need or want as a couple, in a new smaller home. It is a cathartic process and I am glad that we are able to take our time as we sort out, to reminisce over the strangest items as we go.