A smallNyA period of time can make a big difference.

OK, so the house purchase is all complete and I am now the lord in my own manner (so to speak).  In the process of leaving my old bank (HSBC) they managed to damage my credit record and use my details without my consent - breaching the Data Protection Act.  They have offered to settle out of court for an amount that pleases me so that is now all tied up and I have finally cancelled my accounts with them and closed that chapter.

So despite the stress of the past few weeks everything has pretty much come back on track so far.  Now the biggest worry that I have is that my decision to paint the bathroom olive green looks like a big mistake.  It was originally sage green and I think that I'll have to stick with that - I just don't like it very much!

On the work front, I had a 7 dayer last week and I've got another next week - that means cash money pounds of overtime.  Probably just as well as it looks like I might not be getting much of a bonus next month.  If you cant get a bonus, get some overtime!  They can't take the overtime away even if the work fucks up on the other aspects.  Overtime is always a safe bet!

Anyway, the project to renovate the bathroom and kitchen in my new place carries on.  Ive re-grouted the bathroom, replaced the shower, replaced the silicone sealant around the bath and sink and repainted all the whitework.  There's still the walls to do - when I can decide a colour - and then its on to the kitchen.

I've already made a start in there too - but mostly with the little bits.  Seeing as I had a tube of silicone open it seemed sensible to do the silicone round the kitchen sink before the tube went off, so that's been done.  The grout on the tiles was fine but a little discoloured so I have freshened that up with some grout reviver and it looks like new.  I've also replaced the shitty carpet remnant that passed for a floor mat in front of the cooker with something a little nicer looking.

I did have a clock lined up to replace the nasty piece of crap that's on the wall right now but the courier has smashed it up - thanks My Hermes...  nicely done!  What did you do to it?  From the looks of the box (and the footprint on it) someone stood on it!  Nice, thanks for that.  Never mind the 'fragile' labels all over it, just tread on it - it'll be alright, some sucker will sign for it anyway...  Doesn't matter really, I'm getting refunded from the seller - the only irritation is that it was an ebay purchase, used.  There's nothing else like it on ebay right now and no way of getting another one.  So the search continues.

Right now the UK is being hit by a massive heatwave - 30+ degrees a day.  For anyone overseas, you may be used to hotter, but here in the UK that's pretty unusual.  The heat is nice, I like it but it is having a detrimental effect on my plants on my balcony, they're looking pretty sick - and in some cases they've been toasted to a frazzle!  Going down the gym is a nightmare as they don't seem to have heard about air-con.  If it's 30 outside, its 40 in there!  How are you meant to work out in that?!  Weights, fine - just about.  But cardio work - in 40 degree heat.  How about NO?!  So the only thing I can do is try to keep control of my eating and compensate for the fact that I am not working out as often as I want to.  I am still managing 2x a week but my eating is slipping a bit.  More precisely, my drinking has crept up again.  The weight loss is still continuing to a degree but I am sure it is not as efficient as it could be.  I need to revisit and regroup.

But right now, I need to give thanks and praise.  Thanks to my family, who have carried me through from down here on earth.  Thanks to God, who has moved mountains and guided me from on high.  Somehow the seas have parted and I have found my way safely to the other side.

Praise be to the Lord

So close now...

Tomorrow is D-day, Tuesday 9th July.  It is the day that I am due to exchange contracts and I will actually own the flat that I am moving into.  After so many set backs along the way, I can't help but feel that I have been guided through all the perils by a higher force.  It really does feel like divine intervention.  Some how I feel like a path has been cleared for me to navigate.

I can't really say that I ever used to dream about owning somewhere - it wasn't really that high on my list of priorities.  But now it seems to have an importance of it's own.  If I am looking at finding someone to settle down with, it gives me a degree of stability, somewhere that is a little bit more stable and secure.

So somehow I have ended up here.  So much has tried to come in the way and to be fair, I am not across the line yet - although unlikely, it could all go wrong tomorrow and exchange may not happen. I can;t see any way that would happen - we are there in all but signature, but none the less, I will not be counting my chickens until it is all finished.

Work wise, there's a whole load of crap loitering in the background.  So as soon as I get one monkey off my back, there's another one just waiting to climb on.  Everything from staffing to bonuses and all that lies in-between.  I think that my stress level will probably rise whilst I'm dealing with this all.  I'm not even really going to get much time away from it as I have 2 days off in the next 3 and half weeks.  The cash will be very welcome, especially as I think I can forget about a bonus for the next couple of months.

Aside from that, the person that I have feelings for has moved into a circle that does not really overlap my life at all.  I haven't really had time for it to hit me day-to-day, work just feels a bit empty without them there.  I find myself thinking about them in the quiet moments, what they are doing... I swear that I could smell their perfume in the office the other day.  I'm sure that can't have been the case, purely psychosomatic.

I don't know quite how it's going to go down over the next few weeks, I'd kinda like to press fast forward and just get to the other side.  I guess I'll just have to wait and see, and deal with whatever comes along.