I suppose at this point it's worth sticking a photo up;

I've decided on a full internal paint job with help from good 'ol Dad & I've found a few minor fix-it jobs, such as a broken bathroom tap, dodgy security door locks & curtains which are so heavy they've pulled plaster from the wall! The garden is nearly maintenance free & I scored a bunch of wine barrel ferns which the previous owner couldn't be bothered moving!

The main pond had a couple of small fish the first time I visited, now I can't find the bloody things! I have seen movement, but then they hide. I added a couple of algae eaters from a local pet store & even after explaining it was an outdoor, cold water pond, they sold me fish which I later found out were much more partial to warmer conditions. Yep, by morning they were lifeless & I felt like the pet store had made me an inadvertant executioner!!

Everything is coming together before Friday's settlement & it's scary, exciting & everything in between. The excitement comes from having a blank canvas which I can call my own & do with what I will & scary in the fact that everyone else (lawyers, agents, mortgage people etc.) are doing all the work & I'm out of the loop to the background activities. Pending a disaster at the last moment, there have been no hassles, but it doesn't help my nerves.

Other than looking at furniture of all colours, shapes & sizes, I am yet to purchase anything for my new home. I've found the perfect dining setting in record time, but the sofas are causing some suffering.

Finding a sofa which is actually comfortable is much harder than expected. I keep sitting down only to find I'm completely uncomfortable & it happened time & time again. Eventually, I worked out the problem & it is the seat cushions are normally much harder than the back cushions & I hate semi-laying down. Thankfully, there are a few which had the same level of padding in both the seat & back cushions. I'm narrowing it down!

The present owners invited me around to have another look at the place & give me a hands on lesson for the alarm, hot water system, etc. They thought it was easier than sitting down & reading the manuals, so it was a really appreciated gesture.

Most of their furniture had been moved out, but they had a new TV ready for the next house & what a TV!! I can honestly say, I have never seen a flat screen like it anywhere before or since & when I pulled up to visit, the silhouette consumed most of the lounge room window. If their TV is anything to go by, they bought a much bigger house!

The settlement for their next property was dependant on the sale of this one, which they didn't expect to sell so quick. They put it up for sale on a Monday & by the following Monday, I was arranging the signing of the contract! It was the agent who decided on a 30 day settlement & by not having any other obligations, that was fine by me. However, the sellers have apparently had terrible trouble trying to sort everything in such a short time & had to negotiate rather desperately with the owners of their next house to make it all happen. So, while they ran around in a state of panic for a month, I was out shopping for perfect furniture items, blissfully unaware of the trouble the agent had caused!