Miss A has lived in her current home for over 30 years, but the time had come for her to move in with her sister, Ms M.

Growing up just around the corner, on the same estate, Miss A and her sisters know the area and their neighbours extremely well. For a time, their mum lived next door, and Miss A would spend most days visiting at her mother's house.

Following the deaths of their parents, the three sisters inherited various items of furniture and other belongings. Miss A took in most of their dad's collections and described him as being a bit of a hoarder. He had many interests and left behind a vast collection of books and interesting items, including a rather intriguing artefact that looked like a small telescope but was in fact, an 'Otis King' slide rule, possibly dating back to the 1920s!

Miss A and her sisters had packed up most of the items in the house over many weeks, and every room was full of cardboard boxes, bags, and plastic tubs, stacked and ready to go.

My first task was to empty kitchen drawers and cupboards, packing the contents into more boxes and bags. Then Ms M and I went upstairs to sort, pack, and move many more boxes.

Some boxes were marked for charity shops, others were to go into storage, most important were the boxes to go to Miss A's new home, and anything else was to be left for the housing association to dispose of.

I managed to have quite a good chat with both sisters, who have led full, interesting, and at times challenging lives.

Miss A's autism has prevented her from working, but her creativity has kept her busy and active. I was fascinated to see her array of arts and craft materials. She has made her own soaps, has drawings & paintings, made a doll's house, and has a weaving loom, to name but a few.

Ms M has worked in catering, been an English teacher in Croatia and has dedicated much of her life to raising her three children, two of whom have autism and a joint disorder, along with caring for her sister.

I felt that my two hours were well spent, but were only a small fraction of the time put in by Miss A and her clearly dedicated sisters.

Packing up a lifetime of memories and possessions is extremely difficult, requiring strength, patience, and time.

Miss A has some huge changes ahead, and I wish her and her sisters the best of luck as they begin a new chapter together.