The Importance of Being Idle

Sweet'n'Sour Fried Life

The past couple of days have been... well, I'll tell the story and you'll see, it's been a day when I've got everything I want, and lost something really important.
So, Tuesday morning I get up about 6am 'cos I'm going to Stilton to help my uncle clear out some of my Gran's belongings. I got there plenty early, planning to be a dutiful child and do my bit, only to discover that the council workers had already been (two hours early! Council workers are NEVER two hours early!) and taken everything, and that I had nowt to do. I had a chat with Robert for a bit, then went on my way to see Ronnie, 'cos we had houses to see!
I got to Ronnies and she'd only just got up, so her mum made us all porridge for breakfast (I hadn't had porridge in twenty-odd years! yummy!), and I played with Archie while she got ready, which was cool 'cos Archie has never really played with me before.
Then we were out into the world, looking at houses! The one I showed the picture of yesterday was the first one, and we really liked it. The location is cool (very central, easy to stagger drunkenly back from a night out), and the house itself is nice and modern, with a gorgeous little enclosed garden. We liked it straight off the bat, but there were other places to see... so we went jeans shopping! It was a couple of hours to our next appointment, and we poked about until we found a REALLY awesome pair of jeans. I mean REALLY awesome, Ronnie looked so hot in them I needed to sit down (I coulda passed as a hat-rack!) but the jeans were insanely expensive so we had to leave them. Our next housing appointment was a total farce, it was in a dodgy looking area, and the previous tenant was still there despite having been supposed to leave five days previously! From there we went to another small house, which was much older and less well decorated. The location wasn't as nice either, not even remotely central (I don't think! By that point I was well and truly lost) and with allocated parking. From there it was on to our final appointment, which was in a nice little appartment complex. To be honest, we did like them, although space wise they were a little tight, and there was obviously no garden. They were brand new though, just being snagged, and looked pretty cool, but I wasn't keen on living in a flat again. So, there we were. Still liking the first one we laid eyes on, but not sure if we liked it enough, I called the estate agents to see if we could get a second look. They said sure, but not till late in the day.
That was okay, cos we had something else we wanted to do, and that was check on motorbikes! One of Ronnie's mates had recommended a place to go to, and he was damn right. Even though we went in there knowing effectively feck all about bikes (especially me!), the guys in there were just so into their bikes that they wanted to spread the love. So I found out that the bike I thought was cool the other night is in fact cool, but that parts are now discontinued and if they break down they're pretty much scrap. Instead he recommended the Dragstar as having similar styling, more support for spares, and loads of customizing options! Then he showed us a gorgeous Dragstar he had in his workshop! From there we went to another couple of show rooms, one that was shite, and one that was totally cool and where you could sit on the bikes! Much as I love the Dragstars, and I do, I can see that'll be what I'll be getting, I totally fell in love with the Triumph Rocket III! I was also kinda surprised by how... big and raw bikes are. Which I suppose is the attraction of them, cars are so sterile by comparison, and bikes just sit there being a big engine on wheels with rudeimentary steering! Very, very cool! I'll post pics another day, I'm sure.
From there, we were on our way to our second viewing of the crazy porthole house, when my Mum phoned. My Gran had passed away about half one that afternoon.
That kinda threw me, as you can imagine.
We carried on to our appointment, and the early evening sun had come out, making the whole place look amazing. And we knew, it was the one.
The rest of the evening was here and there: I'd cry, then feel okay, be sad and then all excitable... we went out for a leisurely walk round Whittlesey, stopped off in the Falcon for a relaxing drink and some ice-cream. Ronnie was amazing, as usual, just making me laugh and smile. Her Dad also managed to distract me with a conversation about crappy history in Hollywood movies!
Eventually it was time for me to come home again, which was at least relatively uneventful this time. I chatted to Ronnie again when I got home, and she gave me tips for getting a good nights sleep, and kept me smiling by saying bizarre random things (which has stuck with me during today, and kepy me smiling when I've felt sad).
This morning, Ronnie took the rental application to the estate agents, and paid the deposit for the house! Scary step, but it's what we both want so here goes! It's super exciting too!
There's so much more that needs to be said, about my Gran, about the future, about Ronnie and our house and so many things! But I'm tired, and I've got another big day tomorrow, so I'll say more another day. For now, all I can say is... without the sour, you wouldn't appreciate the sweet.

posted by BadMonkey @ 9:59 PM