I'm back. 

No. 75 is chaotic but the floor is down and the majority of the furniture has arrived (we will be dealing with the sofa delivery of doom when I have recovered from the trauma and actually got the sofa into the house).

We have boxes everywhere, which the Cat thinks are a giant obstacle course and spends much of his awake time adventuring over.

I am slowly pulling together photos but need to find the box with the cords in before I can share them.

The last time we moved we had been in Mexico the week before.  I was so derranged with the stress of moving internationally and hideous jetlag that the move still gives me the horrors to this day.  So despite my ever present excitement at finally getting my paws on no. 75 I have approached the moving with more than a little trepidation.

We are in the very fortunate position of  being able to spin the move out over a few weeks due to the contract on our rental not expiring until August.  Which has meant that I have been able to ease myself into the move by trundling small items down to the new place by bike/handcart/wheeled suitcase.  It also means that we are already personalising No. 75.

The painting continues - it would appear that it takes a ridiculous number of coats of paint to cover up a bright green wall.  The lovely husband swears he can see progress but it would appear there is still some way to go until it meets my standards of non-patchy-ness.

Everything is hold however, for the next 48 hours while the new floor is laid.  We have chosen beautiful wide white oiled oak planks for the entry level floor, the upstairs will remain a seamless painted white.  I am away for work which means that by the time I get back it will be time to move the furniture in. 

As we are only moving five minutes down the road it didn't make much sense to organise a removal company but as we don't drive we were slightly stuck until a very lovely and generous friend offered to fly over for the weekend and rent a van for us.  With the floor down there is no stopping us.  More furniture arrives on Thursday and I will be putting up the IKEA furniture like a demon while it is arriving.

While packing up the study yesterday morning I came across some drawings I had done right back at the beginning while we were still deciding whether to buy No. 75 or not.  I needed to work out what furniture we would need and whether we could manage it.  I was pleasantly surprised that in the intervening seven months the overall furniture layout has changed very little.  It really is coming together exactly as I pictured it, which is so exciting.

We have the keys.  Number 75 is ours!

We spent Friday signing our lives away and then in IKEA.  Saturday receiving deliveries and more shopping for essentials.  Today we worked our tails off for 13 hours, painting, assembling, cleaning and working.

I'm so tired.

But I have taken photos and eventually I will find the time and energy to post them.

I am exhausted and exhilerated all at once.

Time for bed. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

We get the keys on Friday.

Really.

After all these months of waiting, we finally get the keys.  We first viewed Number Seventy Five on December 27th 2008.  We took our time and made an offer a couple of weeks later (ok, the lovely husband took his time, I was an absolute wreck of impatience).  After a week or so of to-ing and fro-ing over details we signed a commitment to buy.

And then we waited, and waited...

Part of our agreement was that we would not take posession of the house until mid-July.  It seemed so far away, but now we are here.  On Friday morning, at 9am we make the handover and our whole world will change.  We have never owned property before, jointly or separately.  We have never lived anywhere with a view to making it anything more than our "home for the moment".  I am scared, delighted and thrilled all at once.

There are some minor issues to resolve - expect many ranting posts on the intracacies of Dutch planning permission (*deep, deep breath*). 

Some of the furniture is still not arriving on time.  Yes, Chair Company I mean you.  You are right at the top of my list.  You are so far up my list you should be suffering from oxygen deprivation around about now.  Which is really the only remaining excuse for your continued show of staggering incompetence.  While I am starting to look forward to our weekly calls, if you call me on a Monday one more time to apologise for the delay (which I have yet to be given a reason for) and promise me that the chair will be here next week and still fail to deliver I will not be held responsible for my actions.  It is not acceptable that it takes 9 weeks to deliver a chair you claimed you had in stock, when I paid in full.  You have been warned...

Still, irritations aside.  I'm excited.  We are surrounded by boxes and stunned by how much clutter we need to get rid of but its all moving in the right direction.  The big furniture move is on the 18th, between now and then we will be ferrying small items, painting walls and getting a floor laid.  Posting will be sporadic but I will be back with a vengance and a helluva lot of photos as soon as I can.

Another trip to IKEA, successfully completed with only minimal wallet damage - damn, the as is section and their irresistable white enamel jugs. I am fine tuning the items for delivery and also the logistics of getting the stuff from the store to No. 75. Progress.