My turn!

My front door

Well, after Miss Oswin vented her frustrations yesterday, let me give you the pros and cons as I see them. 

First the pros: my landlord. With four days notice, he got the place ready for me, including fire alarms, a new kitchen counter, a new(ish) fridge. He helped with the move itself, unloading box after box and carrying it in. After a few weeks he got hold of a trailer, so we could get MY book cases and bed. 

A quarter of the kitchen

He told me to use the basement to park my bike, instead of leaving it outside: it could get stolen you know! He told me to use the loft for any empty boxes and/or full boxes I don't need. Oh, and he allowed Miss Oswin to come and live here.

I don't have to pay for my electricity, it's included in the rent. Which is the same as I paid at the little cottage by the way and there I had to pay for the electricity. Come winter, that will be quite a bit of money. I don't have to pay for the tv and/or internet: they are also included in the rent, they weren't before. 

Dual aspect does create some problems, mainly: where do I put stuff!

I can cycle to work. Hop, I can even walk to work if I want and it wouldn't take more than 30 minutes. I save money on petrol, toll and general car use. Which again means more money in pocket to save up. The shops are also close by: about 400 meters or so. Several of them. There are several bus lines close by, so if I don't want to cycle or walk or take the car: I take the bus. 

The place itself is quite big. A big kitchen (room for a small table) with lots of storage space. A large bedroom, a good bathroom (from the bedroom, soon hallway instead of the kitchen), a large living room with a little annex. There is a dual aspect (I have watched too many housing programs) in every single room, large windows everywhere and that means a lot of light. 

The best things about this place? The presence of a dishwasher and proper drinking water straight from the tap.

The little annex to the living room

Now for the cons (yes, there are those as well): it's situated in town, which means the views are not the best. I don't feel tempted to take photos of the view every day, like I did before. However, we are not completely closed in and I do see a fair distance.

As Miss Oswin mentioned: there are people living upstairs and you can hear them. Then again, it's not as if they are massive party people who feel the need to celebrate every single night. The one night there were some friends over, they came over to tell me. I slept in the living room that night. 

The leaning tower of boxes

Other noise is worse I think: the road not too far from the house. It is the main through road through town and that means cars and lorries at all times of the day. I love my quiet and that is hard if you also love to sleep with your windows open!

Even though the place is quite big, it is too small for all my stuff. In fact, I don't have all my stuff here, a lot of it is still in storage. Mind you, all my books and dvd's are here, so the important stuff is around me. 

I have no toilet. Yes, I have a bathroom and Miss Oswin has her toilet there, but for me? Out of the apartment. As my landlord puts it: the outhouse. It's not as bad as it sounds though. It is still an indoor toilet and I am the only one using it. I just need to remember to take the key to my place to the toilet, because otherwise Miss O goes on the prowl. Oh, and during my upcoming holiday, there will be a toilet installed in the bathroom. So, it's like half a con. 

Talking of Miss Oswin: I don't feel it's safe for her to go outside here. Yes, there are cats roaming outside, but there is also the busiest road in town. Plus I don't have direct access to the outside, apart from through the windows.

Do I need to say more?

And then for the reason I am not looking for another place. Well, first of all, I wouldn't know when to fit it in! What with swimming, cycling, walking, hiking and oh yes, working, I am glad whenever I can sit and watch telly at night. Another reason is financial. Yes, I know that I might be able to get a loan from one or two communities, if I were to move there. And I don't think it would be hard to find a place there either.

But, I would like a bit more financial security from myself. So, all the money I am saving up (electricity, tv, internet, car) has a purpose. Even if it is only to buy a dishwasher for myself! Then again, if the perfect place would come up, either buy or rent, I am not that much of a fool to deny that! So, there you have it. My pros and cons.