get a new flat

I’d stored a sofa, a bed and some other bits in the old flat for a few weeks while I got myself softed in the new place. I decided this was the weekend to shift these final few bits across, and rang round several Men with Ven to find someone who could help me.

Was in terror of the sofa getting stuck – it took several hours to ease and squeeze it into the flat in the first place, including quite a long time when it was jammed in the door making the place completely impassable. Thanks to Bill with the van, or perhaps some kind of Dirk Gently-style good luck, the sofa came out far easier than it went in. So I now have all of my belongings in one place, and am in more need than ever to find more time to sort them out!

Spent twenty minutes looking for my shoes this morning! Worked late tonight but hope to get some time to unpack tomorrow.

Am now in the new flat – hurrah! This is thanks entirely to the heroic efforts of my mum and dad, and Yuki, Matthew, Jim and Kelly. I massively underestimated the amount of work involved, and the amount of stuff I’ve accumulated. I had about 20 large boxes of books alone, and several more boxes full of random stuff I’d hung on to but never used. It’s currenly all in boxes around me. Feel like setting a new goal of getting rid of unused stuff…

Will be strange sleeping in a new place tonight. Will be even stranger trying to find which box my work clothes are in, in the morning!

Now up to 34 boxes, and still don’t seem to have made a dent in the packing – must add a Thing to throw more stuff out. Moving later today – very exciting!

Apparently I own an infinite amount of stuff. Packed for hours today and so much more still to go. Amazing how so much stuff fits in such a small flat.

• New flat: check
• Keys: check
• Large number of dodgy Argos boxes: check
• Gaffer tape to fix dodgy Argos boxes: check
• Dad-o-taxi coming tomorrow: check

It’s all going to be ok.

After an intensive few week’s flathunting and a couple of last-minute panics as places I’d found fell through, I’ve got a new flat. Not too far from where I am now, but a bit more convenient for work, and much bigger. Picking up keys on Monday, and planning on moving in on Saturday. Anyone know where I can find some kind of good ‘man with a van’ type removal outfit?

Saw another one this morning. Top-floor flat in Belsize Park, in the right place. Quite like it. Nice and high, with good views. Reasonable sized bedroom. Reasonably decorated. Perhaps a bit small, but probably the one I like the most out of those I’ve seen…

So, do I take it? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

• The first was a billed as a ‘bachelor pad’, and indeed had colour-changing lights under the bath and a big granite breakfast bar
• The second was the same as one I saw on Friday – my favourite at the time. Bit boxy and not a great building, but still ok (though bizarrely had moved in location from where I remember)
• The third was a smallish but nicely decorated flat in the middle of a nice villagey area.

All three were fine and would do, though not sure how to decide betweeen them.

A fresh push to find a flat for the new year. Saw eight flats today. A couple of them are quite promising, too. More to see over the next couple of days…