Last week was a week of upheaval. We have a major change happening, and it's good, but there's such a lot of work involved. We have a shop in the main street of town, where we sell quilts and other things that we collect. The aim was always to move the Statler down there, but this year has been so busy with family etc that it just wasn't happening. Somehow, all the planets aligned to make moving the Statler possible, which is a minor miracle. 

There's plenty of room, but we will need a major reshuffle to turn this into our workspace.

Moving a machine this size is no easy task, and we are 12 years older than the last time we moved it, with the help of family. Two strong men are needed, and my brother and nephew have both moved away.We needed outside help to make this happen.

We were in the process of contracting a furniture removalist to help, which is a nerve-wracking thing because they just do not understand how big the Statler is. And I would have fits wondering if they were going to treat it carefully. Right about then, the Gammill service rep, Moreno, announced he was on a trip through South Australia. Alas, the only day he could visit was the only day we could get the removalists. Don't worry, he said, I could move the machine for you. Offer accepted.

So we quilted madly to get the bulk of the customer quilts done before Friday, and the workroom cleared out so there was access to the machine. I'm very glad we had that big clear out weeks ago, so much of the work is already done. A young friend who is extraordinarily strong was recruited to help with the heavy lifting. He was great, so cheerful and quick, we couldn't have done it without him.  Most all of our friends are as old and decrepit as we are. The machine was in pieces by 9am, and transported down to the shop without a hitch.

Moreno had the machine completely assembled by 11, serviced it and replaced several bits and pieces, and had Millhouse purring like a big cat by 1 o'clock. It all went so smoothly, I can hardly believe it.

Now we have to tidy up the shed/workroom, and move all the necessary bits down to the shop, but we can take our time with that. We have been stressing about this move for a month, and it will be lovely to just work at our own pace completing the job. I honestly have no idea what the shed will become now; sewing room, living room, office? It will have to wait though, we have so many family commitments coming up, not least of which is a visit from  DS Rhys and family.  I can't wait to see Theo again, he's growing up so quickly.

What a little sweetie!