MY NEW HOME!!!

     I am caught up on my postings at this time.  I did not write anything yesterday because I was very sick.  I beleive that I'm just exhausted from this whole experience and my body just became too vulnerable for germs.  I also have stuffy sinuses.  It was not a good night last night, so I will spare you the details -- thank you very much.

     I forgot to mention in my eariler blog posting that I have been looking in the evenings at flats (apartments) and houses to let (rent) so I can get out of this place.  Well, I finally have a new HOME!!!  It is so beautiful and I am very excited to move in; however, as many of you know by now (since I emailed most of you with my new address of which I am not going to pos), I cannot move in to my new place until next Saturday, March 13th.  You see, the landlord is just finishing up refurbushing (sp?) this lovely, little "attached" house (which would be the same as a "row" house in the states).   Not like "row, row, row your boat."  More like, I saw a "row" of people standing outside the theater.  BTW, that kind of "row" over here would be called a "queue."  And you wonder why people say the the US and the UK are "two countries divided by a common language."

     Sorry, I went off on a tangent there.  Back to the house.  First of all, as most of you know, the neighborhood is very safe and my neighbors are doing well in their professions -- a fireman (Sweet!!!), a university professor, a buisnessman with the BBC.  I know that one has a "Beemer" and one has an Audi which they park on the street.  My new street is a dead end -- they really do not have cul-de-sacs here.  The roads just end.  Anyway, I am near the end of the road (I believe three houses down from the end).  These houses were built back in the early 1930's when Reading was the thriving business place known for it's exports of the "3B's" -- biscuits, bread, and beer!!!  BTW, that's the answer to the trivia question to your right.

     Okay, back to the house again.  Here's the tour.  When you walk in the front door, you enter a small hallway and about five paces up and to the right is a small room with a working fireplace.  This will serve as a reading room for me.  The entire house has hardwood floors which have been stripped and restored to the original wood.  The walls and ceilings have been painted an off-white color. The whole kitchen was gutted so the landlord could place a new tile floor, a tile backsplash, and new appliances. 

     Once again, back through the tour of the house.  If you walk straight without turning into the small front room, you will come to the staircase which leads to the upstairs bedrooms and bathroom.  However, just past the staircase, the room opens up into a small living area -- also with a working fireplace (not wood, but gas).  Off to the right a bit and looking forward, there is a door which leads to the backyard.  Under the staircase is a small walk-in storage closet (which is a bit smaller than the one I'm living in now :-)  This is where the electric panel and hot-water tank are located.  Walking straight through the living area when entering this space from the front hallway (to your left is just the adjoining wall to my BBC neighbor and his wife) lies the kitchen, and, as I stated earlier, is all new; however, it "looks" like an older kitchen -- I've seen some pictures.

    I have an oven, microwave, washer, dryer, new cupboard doors, new floors, and a new granite countertop.  I'm telling you folks, this is a real gem!!!  What a find!!!  When you walk into the kitchen (which is also small but not too small), off to your right is another door leading to the backyard.  So I have two doors that lead there.  As for the backyard, it is a straight lot of grass that is about 25 - 30 yards long and about 10 -15 yards wide, with a little wooden storage shed in the back.  I intend to have a small garden in the back to grow some vegetables of my own.  As many of you know, I LOVE to do work outside!!!  Can you tell I love this place?

     Okay, back inside.  Remember the staircase?  Well, the stairs are steep going up and small when you step.  When you get to the top, there is a wall.  You either need to turn right or left.  Off to the right is the larger bedroom.  This looks out onto the front street.  Got the picture in your head?  This, too, has a working fireplace.  It also has a walk-in closet (still a bit smaller than the one I'm living in now).  This will be my room, of course.  If you turn left, you step into a small landing area and walk straight into the bathroom -- which also has a fireplace.  I'm not if this one works or not???  Anyway, the bathroom is painted a powder blue and the fixtures are all white.  This has a small window which looks out into the backyard.  The bathroom is big, I must say.  Oh yeah, he put new tile on the floor and around the shower/bathtub.  Don't worry folks, I did check the water pressure and it's fine.

     Back to the top of the stairs.  When you turn left onto the landing and turn left again, you walk down a hallway which then turns right down another hallway that leads to the other bedroom.  You must step down into this room and the ceiling is slanted on the one side because it's the roof.  This looks into the backyard as well.  From this window, you can see much of the Reading area since there is a hillside leading down towards more attached house below.  It's a very nice view.

     So that's the tour folks.  I hope you liked it because I sure do!!!  Don't worry, you will see planty of pictues of this house.  Like I said, it's not big or modern; but it's small and quaint and PERFECT FOR ME!!!  I think God have given this to me since I feel like I'm doing penance (sp?) in this closet.  It's not furnished, so I can decoate it to my taste, which will be old funiture to match the originality of the house.  This house truly has character.  I hope some of you will come over to sit with me by my fireplace, drink some tea, and talk until we cannot talk any longer.  Right now, I think I found my heaven.  Cheers!