The Dream House

The day I moved into my flat 2/4/2015

My flat was a constant mess. I loved it with all of my heart but it often looked more like a postal sorting office than a living space. I'm a very lucky lady to be in a position to tour the country with various shows and book signings but that also means I bring back hundreds of letters and sometimes gifts from very generous people across the country. I then wouldn't have the time to go through them all before heading off onto the next job which meant they'd all sit in my living room, ready to be tripped over as I dashed past to grab whatever I'd forgotten that morning. Sadly, the flat didn't only collect letters but also bad memories. Each way I turned, there was another reminder of a failed relationship. It was a gorgeous little flat but eventually I outgrew it, physically and emotionally and it was time to leave. 

I viewed several houses, two for which, I put in offers. The first offer was accepted but unfortunately, the lady who owned the house had her offer declined on a bungalow that she'd been looking at which meant she wouldn't be selling for a long time. I then moved on to a gorgeous little cottage that I absolutely adored however, when the survey came back it was FORTY-ONE pages long. The house was riddled with problems that potentially made the property structurally unsafe and it just wasn't a risk I was willing to take. Then came my dream house. From first glance, on the outside, I wasn't keen. It didn't stand out to me as anything special and I was always on the look out for houses with "character" and I just wasn't sure if this particular house had what I was looking for. Then I went inside. 

The house was built in 1978 for the couple who lived in it before me and it doesn't seem to have been decorated since. It's filled with floor to ceiling patterned wallpaper on every wall, complete with loud matching curtains and the worn carpets are drab shades of blue and green. There are cracks in the walls (but a structural survey assured me the house isn't about to collapse on my head and it's just a lack of lintels above the windows which can be fixed) and the windows are thin and rotting. Sounds like a bit of a nightmare, right? However, I fell in love with the potential. With a bit of TLC, this house could be completely unbelievable. It's big enough to one day raise a family if my life should take me in that direction and it's also within my budget. It was also a lot cheaper than the houses in the surrounding area because the owners had sadly passed away and I have a feeling the beneficiaries were happy to see it go. There is space for an office in which I could write, film videos and go through letters and it would all be contained within one working space. It could have a guest room for when Scott Paige comes to visit and even a dream bathroom, complete with a stand alone bathtub should I want it (and I do, very much, want it!). Even if it took me over a decade to raise the money to turn this house into my dream home, room by room, sobeit. As soon as I walked in, I could see my life in the house and when I walked out, my decision was made. I put my offer in around September last year and moved in on January 18th 2019. I suddenly found myself thanking my mum for teaching me how to save, save, save like a mofo. 

Bye Purple Flat!

(I do want to explicitly say now that I know how lucky and privileged I am to be able to afford a house at twenty-six. I never went to college or uni and so have no student loans to repay and I've been working  professionally since I was sixteen years old and have been saving ever since. I also lived with my parents (love them!) until the age of twenty-two and so, whilst I chipped in for bills each month, I never had to pay rent prior to moving out. I also am hugely lucky to have managed to be somewhat successful in three creative jobs that, whilst all unstable, balance each other out when one goes quiet and the income dries up. I do recognise my unique and privileged position in this regard and I don't want people to read my blogs about my life thinking "she has no idea how lucky she is!". I do know, I do recognise it and I hope that doesn't go unnoticed when I don't explicitly explain my gratitude in detail on each occasion. However, I don't want to avoid talking about certain aspects of my life and so I feel I can only speak about them as long as I explicitly let you know that I don't speak about them oblivious to the privilege they showcase. <3)

I put the emphasis on "moving in" as opposed to "moving out" because I didn't feel sad leaving the flat. At all. It may be partly because I haven't sold it and will instead be renting it out but I definitely thought I'd feel...something. I didn't think it would be quite so easy to close the door on four years of my life. Whether it was a hatred for the bad memories on the other side of the door or excitement to begin a new chapter that dulled the sadness, I don't know but either way, I'm grateful it wasn't an emotional goodbye. I've explained why I won't be doing a house tour anytime soon in a video that you can watch here but I guess another reason is because the house doesn't quite feel like it's mine yet. When I've torn up the carpets and stripped the wallpaper and replaced it with my own chosen style, I'll probably feel a little happier to loosen the boundaries...maybe. I've yet to decide but my GOD I love this house more than I can explain. I love the bones of it and what it could be one day and I'm ever so pleased it's mine.

The day I moved into my house 18/1/2019