HAPPY 2016
Happy New Year’s to everyone! To be
honest, I can’t remember the last time I posted a blog. I could of course
check, but I want to give you my undivided attention after such a long
absence. My only excuse is that after many MANY years of renting, my husband
and I finally moved into our first (purchased) home. Saying that still sounds weird and makes me want to hide my wallet under the sofa.
As many of you can
attest, moving, renovating and purchasing a home is a total minefield that is all
encompassing and tests one’s sanity (and marriage) in a multitude of ways. On the plus side, we’re in and its home! Woo hoo!!! And most
importantly, aside from the King pointing out that he has to go down one more flight of stairs than we do to use the bathroom (his room is on the top floor in the
eaves), he has given the house his stamp of approval. What’s more, he is the
envy of his friends who think that living in an attic style room is the
greatest thing ever. So he of course milks that for all that it is worth.
For my husband and I, it has
been a whirlwind of intense learning, mistakes, and expenditure of the likes I
have never experienced; I am by nature very, ahem…frugal, so to have to spend
money like this to fix unanticipated problems, charges, taxes and the like, well it’s
sobering at best. Probably why I spent all of December popping homeopathic
calming remedies wishing my body could tolerate profuse amounts of alcohol (it can't). The
renovation alone highlighted our absolute naiveté as we of course like most,
under budgeted and did not anticipate the many things that can (and will go
wrong). Not to mention, as I've stated before, English property laws are an utter mystery to an American. The whole freehold, leasehold, who owns what and who needs to approve what for whom can lead one wanting…well, more alcohol.
To my husband’s credit, the man is a skill sponge. By the end of the
demo work, I felt confident he could not only become a builder, but project
manage just about anything. [Note to those of you out there still in the market
for a partner – find one with a variety of skills, with the potential to pick up even more skills. It makes life a lot
smoother]. And luckily, we had found two builders (Romanian guys who oddly
enough spoke fluent Spanish; which of course I don’t speak a word of. So I just
walked around with Google translate open, uttering "Mui Bien" like someone with Spanish Turrets) who were unbelievably efficient and by the end of it, I was hugging
them goodbye, not wanting them to leave.
Then of course came the
moving in and creating 'a home.' This is where I of course kick it up three
notches and turn into some hyped up organizational animal. The place was pretty
well sorted by day four to my friends' utter amazement - but not surprise (someone with OCD cannot
live surrounded by mess and boxes. There are not enough calming aids in the
world). This whole process also awakened the ‘spending’ beast in my husband (he
is NOT frugal and could win awards for his zest for purchasing things) as he
excitedly decided we had to hit every single post Christmas day sale - with King in tow - along with
the thousands that had swarmed to the West End. By the fourth day of schlepping
around shops looking for the world’s perfect toaster, he could tell he was
losing me. The man’s energy rivals the King’s, especially when it comes to
finishing a project and doing it to a meticulous degree (You see, skills. Got
to have skills). At this point my friends want to borrow him to go shopping with,
as they’ve never met a man who is so passionate or knowledgeable on the subject.
So, now, life is slowly
moving back to normal. The world’s perfect toaster (that just burnt the toast) sits on the counter, the
house is pretty much done (although I can see my husband’s hawk eye looking around
aching to tweak something) and the King has told me that despite his long
journey to the bathroom, he now likes this house the best.
Thank god, as
another move may just kill me.
Happy 2016 everyone.