I have a confession to make. I’ve been keeping a secret… which is a surprise in itself, as secrets are things I am not very keen on keeping. Honesty is one of my favourite things. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to tell you, I just didn’t dare. I have this theory, that if something really good is going to happen and I blab off about it to all and sundry, then it won’t come to pass, and I’ll be left feeling silly and sad. I have no evidence to back up my theory, it’s just a deep rooted belief of mine. Completely misplaced I am sure, but it’s mine all the same. It’s just the way I roll.
When all the i’s are dotted and all the t’s are crossed, I am more than happy to spill the beans and this is no exception. Do you remember a few weeks ago, I told you how we were on the hunt for a home? If like me, you can’t remember back that far, you can refresh your memory here. Well, guess what! The hunt is over! Yesterday,we signed the papers and sealed the deal on our new home. If you’re feeling a bit incredulous, don’t worry, we can hardly believe it ourselves!
I really believe that everything happens for a reason, even if I don’t always know what the reason is. After getting our marching orders from our rented place, I decided I would do everything and anything possible to stay in the same area, just in another apartment. It’s the only home we’ve known in Australia and it’s so close to the gym, the shops, the bars and… the hospital. I hope I don’t have to spend so much time enjoying the medical facilities in the future but if I do, it’s nice to know I won’t be far from home!
So desperate circumstances require desperate measures and as there weren’t any places advertised, I put up a poster on the complex noticeboard saying simply this “we want to buy a 2 bedroom apartment” with some of those tear off papers with my name and number. Six days passed and six papers were taken, but nobody called. The suspense was killing me! Finally on day seven, the seventh paper was taken and after a miserable morning house hunting elsewhere, we got a call!
We visited the apartment that very afternoon. It was love at first sight and the price was right. It’s not just a house, it’s a home. (Actually, it’s an apartment but I’m a sucker for alliteration.) It was all too easy, like a dream come true. The legal paper shuffling that ensued seemed nail bitingly long but we got there in the end and experienced the ecstacy of exchange! Yeeha! It’s a really big moment for us. It feels like it’s a shiny, new commitment. First off we’re making a commitiment to each other, together, as this is the first home we’ve bought as a pair. It’s also a commitment to our life in Oz , we’re really putting our roots down under. It feels so good.
It’s all about time place and moment. The irony is that our seller just got married and no longer lives at the flat full time. She only saw my sign because she had a large load of recycling that she had to take to the rubbish room. If I hadn’t put up my notice when I did and she hadn’t taken her trash when she had, our paths might never have crossed. My mum is always telling me that your life can change in 20 seconds flat, and so it has (in about 2o minutes actually – the time it took us to check out the flat!)
The best bit is that as it’s a private sale with a good person we don’t have to navigate the mini minefield that is house buying in Australia. No estate agents, no auctions and no bidding and offer making. Just honest to goodness getting along with people and being nice. What a treat.
We’ll be on the move in just over a month. Not that we have far to go, same complex, just a different block. However, there’s no time to waste, got to get busy with the boxes. And you know how I feel about packing! If you don’t hear from me for a while, don’t worry, it probably just means I am buried under a pile of boxes. It’s a shame my mum’s not here, she’s moved more times than most people have had hot dinners, and, among her many other talents, when it comes to packing, she’s a pro!
However, if I’m grown up enough to be married, and grown up enough to buy my own house, I guess it’s time I grew up enough to pack my own boxes! Bring it!
I really believe that everything happens for a reason. Do you?
photo credit: Alan Cleaver via photopin cc
