Just Houses and Phil
29 July
Ross arrived safe and sound.
Can we just assume on the nod all of the 18 certificate stuff? Take it from me that we
took full advantage of the privacy of having a house with double glazing to ourselves.
The important business of the day was househunting.
We took Ross's electronic camera with us. Mainly it was because we knew that, by the end of looking at three different houses, we would be left not knowing one from another and would be wondering which had the smallest bathroom.
It also proved to be a golden opportunity to take photographs which included the delectable Phil. However, they really didn't turn out that well. This is the best. It was actually a photograph of the kitchen at Kimberley Avenue but I've cropped it dramatically. I can't imagine that you'd be interested in a draining board, now would you?
Anyway, it makes him look more like the younger, slimmer version of Stephen Gately than the Jason Priestley he more closely resembles in real life.
We'll just have to go back and take more photographs of the wee chappie. Er sorry
more photographs of the salient features of the houses.
We went first to Regent Road.
Ross agrees with me that this is a house that has been neglected for just too long. I'm sure that it has done yeoman service as a family home for the past 20 years. But we weren't prepared to spend a lot of money bringing it back up to scratch. And the bathroom was miniscule and wholly unsuited for Ross. We'd have to convert a whole new room to make it serviceable for him. So, this was crossed off the list.
Next up was Kimberley Avenue.
In the intervening week, I'd grown to like the idea of this property. I hoped Ross would like it too. And he did. There's still a lot of work that would need doing but it's within my price range. Ross agrees with me that there is just a hint of lavender about Phil. If he is a hettie boy, then he has an amazing gift for campy back chat.
Finally, St Luke's Road.
Oh, God I would kill for this house. It is gorgeous. All original features. Lots of original wood panelling. Original floor tiles. Any modernisation has been effected to be entirely complementary to the original style and feel. But, but, but... It's just too small. It's a room on each floor too small.
And no matter how hard I cut it, I can't magic an extra room out of nowhere.
Ross and I spent a long while in Stamps talking it through. Regent is out. Kimberley is in. St Luke's, St Luke's, St Luke's. I just need time to grieve before letting it go.
We told Phil we'd let him know about Kimberley on Sunday.