Moving House

I spent most of the last week, and almost all of my four day weekend moving from the highrise into my new home. Happy days are here again.

I was thrilled on Thursday afternoon to get a big delivery of most of my home furnishings. The big surprise was the bedroom set and mattress. I wasn't actually expecting those until this week. But, they were just about the first thing I set up. Nothing like sleeping on a bed. Oh, I slept on a 6" thick futon on a hardwood floor for twenty years, and I would be OK with doing that for the forseeable future. I just don't mind sleeping on the floor all that much. But, I will say that there is a near-erotic quality about sleeping up off the ground and on a soft cushion. It's nice, and it's nice to be able to afford the luxury of sleeping on a nice mattress in a nice bed.

Second on my list was the refrigerator. I did expect that, and it does make a big difference in the livability of a place. Once I got it settled and levelled and chilled, I immediately stopped eating take-away. I went grocery shopping as soon as I could and began filling it up.

Third on my list was getting my grill set up. Some assembly was required. I had to go out and buy a ratcheting screwdriver, and then, go out and find a place to buy an LPG cylinder. Once that was all set, I spent some time baking all the cruft and manufacturing oils and paints off the things, and seasoning the grills. It took a bit of work. But last night, I finally fired it up and made dinner. Fantastic! This one is about twice as big as needed, but I suppose if I ever have a couple dozen people over for a party, it'll do. Meantime, I can work with half of it and be content in all my grilling needs.

Moving all my clothes, papers, and kitchen supplies from the high rise flat was a bit of a chore. It took me about three trips in the Landie, but each of those trips entailed quite a few visits to the lift. Ah, it turned out all right.

There's a fair bit of traffic noise at the new place, since I'm just a whisper away from the major intersection. But, you know, I don't mind. It's not the constant fan noise 24 by 7 from the building next door. I can retreat to the back rooms or deck and most of it is blotted out by distance, plants, and whatever is going on in the house.

I've woken up each morning and heard a new species of bird in the backyard or the park. I've also learned there are way more bats than I thought...they blanket the entire neighborhood at dusk. They must be the equivalent of a hunting party, sweeping through the lush lowlands to search for food.

Anyway, there's still a lot to do in the house, lots of unpacking and organizing. But, I'm outta the high rise de facto if not de jure, and I'm very happy about that.