Home New Sweet Home

It's now 8:44 PM on a Friday. Just got the internet working and it's good to be back online :)
I've been writing since getting here in our new flat on Monday morning but obviously unable to publish them having no internet so I am going to publish a long one. Updates incoming!

My laptop reads 8:57PM so that makes it 1:57 in the afternoon here. I never really wear a watch, my mobile phone is dead and I’m not about to rummage through all the hundreds of bags and suitcases to find my charger. Needless to say a wall clock is not on the top of our list so we have no time in our new home right now – literally.

We got here this morning at 10:30 after we’ve been to the Agents Office to settle the bills. We met with a woman called Stacy who run us through things we need to know about the flat and left us a copy of the contract and of course the keys.

I feel really at home here. This is such an exciting day for me. It’s new. Now I can say I am the lady of this home. It’s not a house, it’s only a humble size flat, but it will be a home in every way. Maybe not quite at the moment because there are bags and luggage everywhere! Except in the kitchen area where I have put most everything away in their new cupboards. I love our new plates. I will take a picture of them when I get the time.

At this point, James is back to Lockoford Lane where he and his dad are disassembling the computers and bringing them here along with the last of our stuff. Both his mum and dad drove back and forth in separate cars to transport our stuff which is really helpful of them. James’s dad even brought us a bag of new potatoes fresh from his own garden!

You are probably wondering why I am here and not helping them our transport stuff. I am here because I am waiting for our bed to be delivered. The bed that James’s parents paid for – except for the headboard, James paid for that. I said I don’t mind what kind of bed we have as long as I can have a headboard.

After the bed has been delivered, the three men are going to collect the furniture we bought from Past & Present a couple of weeks ago. Good job James’s uncle Rich has a white van and they reckon they can transport the wardrobe, chest of drawers, bar stools and a vanity chair. That saves us fifteen quid of delivery fee.

It’s almost overwhelming, the help we’ve been getting from people. A week ago, James’s auntie sent us 100 to help us buy stuff for our new home, the cheque was enclosed in a lovely thoughtful card. And this morning we got another one from his other auntie that had a 150-chequeu in it. Yesterday our next-door neighbour in Lockoford Lane also gave us a card wishing us best wishes in our new place and some kitchen stuff wrapped nicely in a pretty gift wrapping paper. Good job I have bought ten little Thank You cards about some 8 days ago. I’d like to take a picture of our new flat when everything is in place and send it off to both of James’s aunties for them to see where their generosity has gone to. His auntie Linda wants us to buy a vacuum cleaner with the money but I don’t think that it’s practical. The place is not carpeted, it’s all wooden so I don’t think it’ll really need hoovering. I think a dry mop and brush+dustpan will be all we need to keep the place clean. The money will be better spent on electronics that we have not got yet like microwave etc. Wherever the money goes toward I will make sure that the cards are sent off and photos to follow.

It’s the first day of July already. Where did the time go?

Hmm, speaking of time I got the English time now: 3:30PM. I have just had lunch after sorting out 3 big suitcases of clothes and 1 of random bits and bobs. And while waiting for my second load of washing to finish I get to write and watch A Place in the Sun: Home or Away, one of the very few TV programmes I watch here. I just love looking at houses, particularly kitchen layout. I dream of a large fully customised kitchen someday with a Foxy Corner where a laptop/comp would be and a lot of pens and paper so I can write whilst waiting for the cake to bake. ^_^

So far I still feel like I am in a hotel instead of my home J A tip of a hotel though lol

While the living area has come together and the kitchen has taken shape I still have a lot of work to do to make this little abode a cozy home. And I intend to do just that.

Yesterday we bought the rest of the furniture and house stuff that we needed and I am so glad because everything is so dear. We got everything we need now except the internet. I am already suffering from withdrawal syndrome lol Nah to be honest I don’t miss it as much as I thought I would. I got tons to do so I don’t even think about it.

It’s now the second day of the seventh month. I did not get to write much yesterday because James rang me to say he’ll be home an hour earlier than he thought because the place was dead. I guess when the weather is baking like this carvery is not such an attractive meal. This week has been fantastic. We’ve had a gorgeous spell of clear skies and sunshine. For most people it’s too hot, to me it’s just like our annoying summer back home. Strangely enough the temperature today is 30 degrees-C which is pretty normal in the Philippines especially in the summer and normally I’d be annoyed but right now I am quite psyched to see and feel the sunshine on my skin. I actually burned myself one Sunday BBQ and I still have tan lines! Heh if you think I couldn’t get any tanner haha

This year’s summer has been a lot better than last year’s and I’ve been more cheerful with the sunshine around. Some thing I have always taken for granted in the Philippines, except when I was in Boracay. God what I wouldn’t give to be there right now!

I have just stopped shaking after a really loud noise startled me to death. It was the smoke alarm. I panicked because I have not been doing any cooking or anything at all so I got my mobile phone and rang James. Luckily he answered. I was in tears – literally! I checked everywhere in the flat and everything was intact and no trace of smoke anywhere. There wasn’t a switch to turn the bloody thing off. I got my torch and a bar stool and even checked the fuse box and I was shaking in panic. I can hear people outside the door and thought ‘shit I’ve disturbed my neighbours’. I was so embarrassed by that thought that I panicked even more. And then after twenty more seconds of that agonising bleeping noise it just stopped. On one hand I was relieved; on the other I was even more confused. What if James was right? That maybe it was the general building fire alarm? I would have been totally screwed if it was that. The building is burning and I am panicking to turn the alarm off… whatever it was we need to find out because it’s traumatising for me not knowing what the bloody hell was going on and what the bloody hell to do. It’s funny the first thing James asked was “have you been cooking?”

It’s now 10:40 in the evening, in bed munching on a lemon cake whilst watching Notting Hill. I have seen it countless times and know almost every line from it. It’s one of the most romantic films ever – until, of course, The Notebook came out.

I have started reading John Grisham’s novel The Summon this afternoon when the smoke alarm went off – AGAIN! This time I went out and I met someone! Unfortunately I didn't quite catch her name - it sounded like Stacey and Tracy. Can't be sure since we were both struggling to hear each other in the hall where the fire alarm was going off! She was quite nice and she told me something is wrong with the alarm system and this time it was Flat 15 what set it off. That flat is empty.

3.07.09

Damn I hope they fix it because the smoke alarm went off AGAIN at 4:00AM!!! Bloody joke! The good thing is James went out and someone who's lived in the building for a while showed him how to shut it off if it does it again. Five minutes later James walked back in and went back to bed. two minutes later - guess what - it went off again! And again at 11. At least it brings the neighbours together :)