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So, there we both were awaiting the arrival of the removal van, knowing that as well as moving the contents of our home we also had the 2m square hot tub to move. Having moved it once before we knew what we were dealing with and we had re-affirmed it at least 3 times to the removal company so we were hopeful that the guys were prepared for some hard work. With us being a groupage move we didn't know whether we would be first on the van or last on the van, and what would happen if we were last on and there wasn't enough room? We had a hotel booked 5 hours north for that evening - we couldn't hang around.

There was so much going through our heads while we sat outside enjoying the Spanish sunshine that it was a great relief when 2 guys walked round the corner and said, 'Hi, are you waiting for a removal van?'

'Oh, yes......... errr, where is it?'

'Well, we have the big van so we've left it at the top of the track to make sure a) we're in the right place and b) that it will actually get down the track.'

So, while we put the kettle on they walked back to get the van.

15 minutes later we were no longer worried that the van wouldn't be big enough or that there wouldn't be enough room. This was what we saw driving down our track.

It was huge and it was empty, we were their first pick up. Just one small problem, while it had come down the track OK, it wouldn't go round to the front of the house without one of the wheels going over the edge of the drop to the rambla bottom - so they reversed it as far as they could along the side of the house and it meant everything had to be carried or wheeled on their little trolley across the 20 meters from the house to the van.

Mmmmmh! Hot Tub!

They decided they would tackle the hot tub first. Neil had removed the flyscreens from the front of the house and the discussion ended with us upending the hot tub onto it's side, wheeling it across to the van and then dropping it onto the edge of the van and all 4 of us heaving it up onto the van.

1, 2, 3, and it was onto it's side and across onto the wheels.

Pushing a 2 meter high hot tub on a small trolley across an unmade stretch of land is not easy, but after several minutes we were at the van. It had already been decided that there was no way we could push it up the ramp as the floor of the van was about 4 feet of the road, but if we could lower it so one edge was on the edge of the van we should be able to lift and slide it into place. All we had to do was tilt it over without the wheels slipping from underneath and without the hot tub ending up flat on the floor. It had to be in the perfect position as there was less than an inch gap between the side of the hot tub and the van door.

1, 2, 3, and it was in position for the lift.

Now, I don't know how heavy a hot tub is but 4 of us did manage to get it up and onto the van - just.

Time to put the kettle on again.

It was by far the hardest part of the day and over the next few hours everything got moved from the house to the van so that by late afternoon we were ready to lock the door. The 2 guys worked really well and stacked everything to take as little space as possible as we had underestimated how much room we needed and they had 2 more pick-ups to make, one in southern France and one in northern France. If the south of France pick-up also had more stuff than they thought, northern France may not get on the van. Still, our stuff was on, that's all that mattered to us.

We had one final walk around the house, said goodbye to the Meerkats and Big Dog with a few biscuits and put the pups into the back of the car.