The last mile

The closer we are to the reality of having our own house the farther away it feels we are. Living in a rented accommodation limits our possibilities, therefore it forcefully narrows your vision. Because it’s not our house we cannot make any structural, long-lasting changes that we believe would be life-changing changes. Most landlords themselves don’t make changes for the same reasons: “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it”. The money goes in their pot regardless.

All changes you make are superficial, to make the house still feel like a home. It’s all pretty much down to the furniture. When I last moved to this house, the intention was to get closer to the kids' schools and work, following our separation. It was just perfect for us three. A two (and a half) bedroom house, a bathroom, a kitchen, a living/dining room and of course, a little garden.

But then I met Gary. Over time he started staying over the odd night, started bringing some personal belongings until, as it happens, we thought it made sense for him to move in. Although he already had a house of his own, he was sharing it with another two mates at the time. Plus the house is like 20 miles away, so it wasn’t even an option. If we were snails…

So now we’re not only three plus one, but the kids are growing, they need more space. As they need more space, so do we, because they start literally invading ours. Some days I can’t even hear myself thinking. They play video games, they bring friends over, they rant and moan, they change in the living room and leave their pj’s on the settee. Their bedrooms are always an absolute mess but now all I do is close their bedroom doors.

And what about the ever clingy mould? There must be some part about the British house building that is very badly done. I have had mould issues in every single house I lived in since I arrived in the UK. Everywhere you have a window, in the Winter, we have to do 6 to 8 deep, bleach, cleans. It just keeps coming back.

It will be the end of carpets as I know them. No more hidden mites, no more sticky spillage scrubbing. No more dark sock bits spread across the floor, especially with clear colour carpets, althoug it would still make my head in with my cleaning OCD. Nothing like a smooth sweepable, mopable floor. No other is cleaner.

Having non creaky floor boards to walk on, when you are going to the toilet in the middle of the night or trying to catch a child red-handed would be nice. (It does helps detecting teenagers when they get the muncies and try and sneak out downstairs screening for snacks (not food).

Still on this note, getting rid of the Pay As You Go utilities is going to be another winner. I don’t even think a person living on her own would benefit from this system. The display they gave away is an absolute rubbish. It keeps crashing, it’s just not reliable. And the replacement one we’ve asked for three months, and then again over a month ago that will never arrive before we move, will do us no good, right? Heil to the going back to the civil Direct Debit! When you get your own house, all that perspective changes. We just cannot wait…