Friday, 4 July 2003

it's all so terribly exciting

It's hard to believe that we're moving house on Monday. Well, more Paul than me - we'll stay at my cottage until the end of this month while we redecorate. After 17 years of renting (I dread to think how much money I've wasted paying someone else's mortgage), I'm finding it a bit strange to think of myself as a homeowner. In a way, it feels like a huge relief. The past two places I've lived in have been furnished, so I've had to be very careful about not breaking or spilling anything. I'm incredibly clumsy, so this has been a difficult and stressful task. Although I don't plan on running through the new house smashing things for no good reason, at least I know that if I break something, property agents aren't going to yell at me and charge me extortionate fees.

It's been a while since I've had a place that felt like mine. Renting definitely gives you a sense of being in someone else's space but it's been much more apparent since I've moved to the UK. I came here a poor peasant immigrant girl, with nothing but a potato, my work permit, and a Canadian credit card. Okay, substitute "potato" for "a few boxes and a couple of suitcases of stuff" and you get the idea. I've amassed a few things since moving here, but I've had to live with other people's decor (need I remind you about the stuffed squirrel and parrot?) and use everyday items that don't belong to me. I'm so looking forward to living in a place of my own, filled with things we've bought ourselves and decorated in a style we've chosen. I will spend time in our garden, watching things grow and naming the 22 goldfish in our pond (you know that one day I will get bored enough to actually do this). I can't wait to wash my car in our own driveway. Most of all, I'm so glad that we no longer have to go back and forth between Northampton and Cambridge, packing bags for a couple of days here and there. Happy girl, me.

To top it all, tonight is curry night and baby ogling with Micky and Susan. As Jack always says, life is good. And then he usually puts his headphones back on and swears a lot.

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