Another Lifetime to go

27th April 2019

The trek to get the rest of the flooring was interrupted by a visit to the memorial of our late next door neighbour. It was a wonderful reminder of a life we knew nothing of, but were only touched by his wave and smile that we saw occasionally.

We got to Menards in record time, and wandered around the paint section preparing to get our paint mixed.

This process really messed with my head.

I have been used to selecting my paint from a standard range, and having special colours mixed as an exception. Over here everything is mixed individually, so the choice is infinite. I like to have some boundaries, makes me feel more comfortable. Firstly you have choose the type of finish, Matt, Eggshell, Satin, Semi gloss or gloss. Finally there is the size, pints, quarts, gallons and five gallons. We spent a lot of time looking at each other with an expression of “I don’t know”. In the end we made our decision, “ its only paint, if we don’t like it, we can change it” I said, as we loaded the 400 bucks worth of coloured liquid into the truck, “God! I hope we don’t have to” I was thinking.

I can now understand why so many Americans have high anxiety and stress issues. Living in a country where multi choice is the norm, it’s no wonder that even choosing toast can blow my mind.

We collected the last twenty packs of flooring and headed back, stopping on the way to give our notice to the landlord, finally liberated we went home.

26th April 2019

We now own the house. The process was the signing of sheets of paper,followed by handshakes and congratulations. There was the realisation that our joy was at the cost of other people’s sorrow. We could see both sadness and relief that the financial nightmare for the family was over. All of us were starting a new chapter, albeit indifferent directions.

After registering the house with the city, we set off for the bank. It turned out that the money that Kelli had transferred was still in limbo, so we had no option but to use my credit card.

We drove back to Menards in Grand Rapids, the route we were beginning to know well, to collect the flooring.

We managed to load just forty boxes into the truck, and crawled back to Holland.

We looked forward to yet another drive to collect the rest tomorrow.

In the evening we met up with Lesley and Mike for a drink and a bite. They were pleased that we hadn’t moved very far.

25th April 2019

We had to get the cheque for tomorrow’s house closure. It seems so trivial to see the amount written down on a strip of paper.

We put the cheque in a safe place and headed off to Hudsonville.

A quick revamp of the space and then we set to Menards in Grand Rapids to get our flooring.

It was the first time I saw what sixty packs of flooring looked like. Shit! that was a stack.

Unfortunately there was a problem paying for it. Kelli had the money transferred into her current account, but the card she used had certain restrictions on it meaning that we couldn’t pay for all of it. She made calls trying to resolve the issue, but we finally conceded that we would have to return tomorrow with a stash of cash.

24th April 2019

This was the first time to see what was in the garage. As I walked through the door the magnitude of what was there. Things were piled high with my name on them.

Kelli pointed to the one she wanted first. This was a dresser that had a bad top that Kelli had started to remove the veneer. What was left were stubborn areas that she couldn’t strip back. I set about it with brute force and a big hammer. Soon I had the worst of it off, ready for filling and sanding.

It was time to go in search of flooring material, so off to Lowes we went. They had a limited selection that didn’t light much of our fires. We visited a flooring store that had much more of a choice, but as usual the one we liked the most was discontinued. We walked out with a sample of an alternative. We then went to Menards and found one we liked, but we worked out we needed sixty packs which equates to half a forest. The Holland branch did not have that stock, and they were unlikely to be able to order more, so we would have to travel to Grand Rapids to get the full quantity we needed.

Our friend Kim came round with a key to the house, it would be the first time that I could have a proper look at the inside.

I wasn’t disappointed, quite the opposite, there is a bit of work to do, but it will be fantastic to get started.

23rd April 2019

Awake at 4.00am and on the road by 5.00am, I felt guilty because I was forcing my son to travel so early. I usually try for a mid-day flight, so I don’t remember why I chose the early one.

As we started the drive, I took one last look at the Jag glowing in the early light. It was an sad sight, and a little emotional. It meant such a lot to own such an amazing machine for six great years. I would always be grateful to Damian for such a generous gift, but he supported my decision, and it will go to a new owner who will get the same “wind in your hair” experience.

I have the memories, and that will make me smile.

One life experience changes into another, and with the completion of our new home on Friday there is a lot to look forward to.

Terminal 3 didn’t seem so busy as I expected, Damian believed that freaks and weirdos travel from there, and proper travellers fly from terminal 5.

I joined the freaks and weirdos

I was due out at 9.15, so I settled back in my seat, hoping the flight was not full. I flicked through the film selection trying to find the three to watch, and boy were there some dull sounding titles, but with the plane half empty, it will be a good flight.

The plane arrived fifteen minutes early, and the entire passport/ immigration process was less than ten minutes.

The train connecting the terminals was not in service, so we had to take a shuttle bus.

Passing through the security seemed a bit lax, there were no bins, didn’t have to take my laptop out, and my shoes stayed on my feet, maybe I joined the “old gits” gate.

There was a slight delay to the Grand Rapids flight, but Kelli was there to greet me with her great smile.

When we got back home, we popped next door to check out our new home. Although we didn’t have a key, we walked around the back yard, it was a decent size, not sit-on lawnmower large but manageable, I was excited.

22nd April 2019

An early start with the mop and bucket after a good nights sleep on my new bed. There were no creaks or groans so my handiwork was okay.

I moved a few bits of furniture around, washed the floor, scrubbed everything that needed scrubbing, and even took time to water the plants.

By mid afternoon I was bored of cleaning, I had stripped the fridge of anything edible, I barely enough for breakfast apart for a bag of potatoes. I didn’t want to leave them, as I had done a similar thing when I went to India, leaving them out ready to throw away and forgetting. They were not recognised as potatoes when I returned three months later.

I placed them in my bag, and headed down to Damian’s home at Blissford, I would dispose of them there.

21st April 2019

One last window frame to make for the garden pavilion. Both Ryan and Louise were busy cutting up pallet wood to finish the outside. I had limited time, as I needed to clean up my place ready for my departure.

I wanted to get the bed ready with all the things I got from IKEA, so I fitted the top and bottom mattress retaining pieces then set about putting the covers on.

I moved all the tools and remaining pots of paint into the shed, which was a liberating feeling, and really the first time in over a year.

20th April 2019

I met up with my friend Rob to go and buy some plants. I wanted a couple of apple trees to grow against a wooden fence, and a couple of Japanese maples to hide the shed.

I left it in Rob’s capable hands to choose the others. We wanted just a few to get established, I would get more the next time I am back.

Earlier I went to get another oak sleeper, only to be told they had sold out, that put the mockers on my plan, let’s hope there will be some in July.

19th April 2019

Today I had a rest from the house, instead I drove down to Ryan and Louise’s to make a window frame for the pavilion. This project has been going quite a while, but they have been busy cladding out the inside with a mixture of tongue and groove and pallet wood. The glass came from an old door that Louise had found.

I had to keep alert because Bobby( one of their three dogs) kept running off with bits of wood I had just cut.

Later I drove down to Bournemouth to see Ethan and baby George. An energetic play session in the garden with the active three and a half year old would have killed a lesser man, but I put it down to carrying all those heavy bags up the slope that allowed me to survive.

18th April 2019

The Shogun was down on it’s springs as I drove back from Westbury with ten bags of path gravel. In total I used about forty bags of ballast and thirty bags of topping. The path gravel has clay in it so it beds down hard, and is not loose when walked on.

I managed to finish all the path, so both me and the Shogun gave a big sigh of relief.

Nicola and Colin came up and dug over the beds, now all I need are the plants.