This Old House

My brain has been on a single track lately, and I’m not altogether certain whether I am, at last, hurtling toward the station, or destined to wind up stranded on a siding somewhere with a piggery on one side of me and a convention of accordionists on the other. You surely can appreciate that I am a little bit…superstitious by now. Cautious, anyway. Because I am so single-minded at the moment I can think of little else to share with you, so here goes…

Here are A few things that haven’t yet happened in my quest for a new home…

If all goes well, I mayfinally have a house in a couple weeks. My offer has been accepted, transfer documents provided, the deposit paid, and I only have to wait for the necessary searches to be completed. Of course, I’ve been down this track before… Been stuck on a few sidings.

As with the others, this house is very old (that’s by Australian standards — it wouldn’t seem so old in other parts of the world). Anyway, the original house was built in the 1880s, and an extension added in the 1950s. So there is work to be done. It’s in good shape, overall… better than others I’ve seen that haven’t been recently renovated. I had a building inspection done, and there were no big surprises.

I’ll tell you now, though, I expect to become a minor expert in waste disposal, of the septic kind, in the very near future. Would it surprise you to know that the only loo is outside? That’s not actually unusual for a house of its age here. There is a bathroom inside which has a tub, shower, and vanity, but the toilet is outside the back door and up about three or four steps. I do so look forward to making the trek in the cold, and rain, in the wee (sic) hours. Hmmm… A porta-potty might just come in handy until the new loo is sorted out…

The reason it hasn’t been dealt with before — as in moved inside — is that the septic tank is uphill from the house.  Think about it. Because the house was formerly a shop (more about that next time) it sits right up to the footpath. Theres no room for a septic tank at house level, so I shall be learning all about enviro-loos, macerating pumps, and all sorts of lovely things. Oh joy.

Ah, but at last I can get my stuff out of storage…after nine months! WooHoo! I just hope I hadn’t left a half-eaten tuna sandwich on the counter back in Fossil Cove. I know I’ll find some surprises — things I’d forgotten about. I also know that one thing that won’t be a surprise is how quickly I get sick of emptying boxes. You’ll be hearing me whine for a while. What’s new? I hear you mutter…                MM