home away from home

The bistro/hotel is on the corner and Keith, in his spiffy Gorton’s fisherman yellow raincoat, is in front of our new home.

Neil and one son, T, (I really respect people’s privacy and think initials are enough for the boys. T was sent home from school with a headache, covid tested, and joined our move-in with gusto) brought the bulk of our luggage and we all checked out the new place. Having an 8-year-old helping was the best possible addition to the event. He opened every cupboard and cabinet and explored all the nooks and crannies with me. As pictured, the couch has a pop-up trundle popped up, which makes it into a bed. T organized its popping straight away. I’ve been using it as an ottoman, although I suppose we could just use the coffee table like regular people.

The kitchen is not exactly set up for long term use, but we will make it work. There are two burners, a small microwave, and a small refrigerator. Missing are an oven and a freezer. Neil has ordered a countertop oven, with additional burners. It is something I had no idea existed. I considered bringing kitchen towels and my OveGlove, then realized I was being silly. Ah, not so! All of those type items need to be purchased. We have one frying pan and one small sauce pan (lies! We also have an adorable teeny tiny sauce pan. I’m not sure what you could cook in it or if it is big enough to signal the induction burner to turn on. Maybe you could boil a cup of water to make tea. I don’t know how to make tea), 4 plates, 3 dessert plates, and 1000 cups and glasses. We will definitely need to get a little more cookware.

Our bedroom has a full size bed, which I wondered if we would fit in. I volunteered to sleep in a bunk bed, but Keith thought it would be fine – and it was. There is no top sheet, which is the way here. I survived two nights now – maybe I can adapt. Keith says Amazon has everything. There is a hanging rail behind the curtain behind the bed. Quite a good solution to not having closets in older buildings. The dresser is small, but the storage seems like it will be fine for what we have.

The bathroom seems really nice. We are happy to have a walk-in shower. We are used to that. In Europe, bath/tub combos have a short “shower door” attached to the wall and tub. It’s short enough that water splashes into the floor unless you angle the shower toward the wall, which makes it a very unsatisfying shower. The shower door here is bigger and I think we can keep the water in.

The Airbnb listing said there was a table/chair for computer use, so we were hoping there was and we could put it back n the second bedroom. Unfortunately, not what we hoped for, but again, something we can work around. The breakfast counter on the back of the kitchen is the only table. There are stools for it. Keith has his computer set up there. The upside, it is a pretty good height for use as a standing desk, and he can sit on a stool otherwise. Downside, it’s a small, not comfy stool. Upside, internet is adequately fast. Neil has said that the band room is available and could be used to work during the day, so perhaps that will be a thing. Keith having his office in the living area leaves me upstairs or outside all day. I’m creative. I can figure that out.

Neil said our type of building is called a terrace house, developed to accommodate a lot of homes in a small space near the coal mines. He thought it would be okay for Keith to practice here as the walls between are thick. Keith started playing in the afternoon and I just marched right next door to introduce myself and make sure he wasn’t causing a racket. (Holy cow BRAVE!) No one answered, but the lady in the next house was just coming home and said our neighbor works 11-8:30 and wasn’t home. We will keep practicing between 11 and 8, and check in on the weekend.

We have a couple electrical adapters (more ordered) and I make buzzing/ exploding sounds when I plug things in. I don’t think I will stop any time soon. Until Amazon delivers, it is a game to figure out what needs to be plugged in now.

This morning, we tried to make eggs for breakfast. Or rather, lunch, since we stayed up stupid late – completely forgetting that we were not tired because of time change (time change makes you stupid)(I’m hoping it is temporary) and slept until 11am. (I was up a couple times. I discovered quordle.com Yay. More games) Anyway, after trying for 10 minutes, we managed to turn on the stovetop, but did not figure out how to get a burner to heat. We had toast.