Monday/Tuesday — End of production cycle means little else (aside from meals and a few hours’ sleep) but work from Monday morning till Tuesday afternoon. I’m used to it, but also tired of it.
After all the files are gone to the printer, more Project Hannibal. We see a place in nearby Smithfield which is great for location and okay for space, but is a bit grotty inside (worn carpet, scrapes on kitchen counter, no power shower).
Later on we see a much nicer place out in D15; it’s modern, clean, lots of space, the kitchen is perfect. But there’s a catch: there’s no good cable TV or broadband available. That’s a deal-breaker for us, unfortunately.
Wednesday — Another day, more places to see. The first we don’t even get to the building: the council estate right next to it signal an immediate no-no. We’re disheartened, yet we soldier on and head out to D15 once more, and a very nice two-bed apartment – but a mix-up with the keys means we only see it through the windows. We make plans to see it again on Friday – hopefully on the inside this time.
We go home feeling much more positive about things. But at the same time, we don’t want to get our hopes up. I distract my brain in the evening with solving a technical problem with comments on the website (with a little tinkering in the settings and a lot of serendipity, it should be fixed now).
Thursday — In the early afternoon I get a phone call: can we see the apartment in D15 today instead? Of course! A little after six we’ve had a good nose around, and decided it’s the place for us. Yes, it’s in the suburbs, but we have friends nearby, it’s not far from the shops, and we need the space (especially for clumsy old me), not to mention the peace and quiet. In any case, I won’t feel that the deal is done till we’ve signed the lease.
Friday — Work/bank/home. Nothing to write home about.
Saturday — Rainy morning almost puts a damper on our plans, but it’s drier after lunch. So after a stop-off to pay the deposit on the new place, we bus it to Bull Island for a stroll on Dollymount Strand, collecting shells and watching the kitesurfers. The walk does us good, too, and works up an appetite for dinner at my mam’s.
Sunday — Glad to have a mostly lazy day after the stresses of the week. But that was only phase one of Project Hannibal; phase two is The Move.
Meanwhile, I’ve resumed recording personal health data on my Daytum page. It’s been a few months since I’ve seriously kept track, but despite the odd excesses here and there, I only put on 2lb over the summer – which is obviously a Good Thing. Whatever I’ve been doing, I’m gonna keep doing that.