MOVING

I am moving into a new world ! Tomorrow we will start to empty our house and bring over all small things together with friends and the furniture will arrive next week.

A new life can begin ! That's the first time we will live in an apartment since 45 years in the 51 years of life together.



On the 4th floor at the right our apartment goes around the whole corner with a huge terrace !



From the front windows we will see the boulevard which leads to the next little town.



There is not a lot of traffic. Only in the morning and in the evening when people go to work or come back.



and this is our view from the terrace




On the other side of the Boulevard is the park of Waterloo



where festivities take place



and the exhibition Building




and just besides is the main street ! There was just the National day festivities.




and the city hall, police, theatre and cinema are just there too.

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I WANT TO MOVE

I am feeling as if I would live on another planet. These three month of lockdown have certainly had an impact on me. I always wanted to discover something to go out to have company and now that the end is near (not my end, but the lockdown end) although the near can be far away too.

We were very lucky, just before the lockdown started, our Estate agent found a buyer for our house because since at least two years I always thought "I want to go out of here".

Mr. G had broken his hip last year and although he recovered very well, the lockdown didn't suit him at all, because he didn't move, or yes he moved from computer to TV back and forth and is now bored ! It became worse and worse and when I see him walking I think of a Geisha ! Of course he doesn't want to go to a physiotherapist ! To walk up and down the steps to the basement seems as if he has to climb on the mount Everest.

As a creative person and to make him walk, I send him to do the shopping and always find something that he has to go to the basement to do some exercise on the steps. It is very tiring because he complains loud and angry that he has to walk too much and that I also could go to the basement. Yes that's the joy of 50 years of marriage.

Therefore during the lockdown I went apartment hunting instead of shopping, but always had a shopping bag with me in case the police would asked me where I am going. I drove along the streets where I wanted to live, in the city center which is very cute and green. Waterloo had been a village since two years ago and is no proudly a town ! Not so much for us inhabitants but for the mayor who gets more money for a town then for a city.


Waterloo city

It didn't last long and I found the apartment of my dreams. Of course I only could see it from outside but the location had all what I wanted !  It was in the city I could go to the movie, theatre, boutiques, banks, shops etc in walking distance and Mr. G. had his Whist Club at 500 m away. Ideal for a vintage couple. The apartment was on the fourth floor.

Lookdown or not, I jumped on the occasion, and per telephone and email we arranged a meeting with the owner, the estate agent was not allowed to come of course. It had to look private. With mask and gloves, a bag with cookies and books, I met the owner in the apartment and immediately fell in love with it.



The building

We came to an agreement but had to wait for the signatures until the Estate agents were allowed to work again, which was yesterday. It was the first time in 40 years that we rented, because we thought we are too old now to bother with buying all the paperwork which is involved (at least here) while renting is easy, you pay your rent and the owner has the troubles !

What I want now, is close my eyes, and wake up in the new apartment with all our belongings in place !!


Linking to Linda G. Hills SOCS - Want

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

On Monday I stayed home, because the second part of the liberation phase started ! That meant that now all shops and boutiques are open except the most important one the hairdresser !  It was the first day the boutiques and shopping centers were open and therefore long lines of crazy peoples queued up in the cold,  for a blouse or something they didn't need. Most of them respected the rules of distances but not all had masks.



Even at Ikea !

Blogger also caused me some worries, because when I wanted to write a new post, the presentation of the Dashboard was "new" so new, that I didn't find the "publish" button. Unfortunately I forgot to make a screenshot, but it seemed very difficult to me. Just before I wanted to ask, I saw the mention "Back to old version" clicked on it and had my good old Blogger dashboard back and could publish my post. I hate when they change without telling how it works.

Our Estate agent came with the buyers and an Expert to see if there was any asbestos in the house and we had to go into our guestroom, because it was not allowed that buyers and sellers were in the same room too dangerous. We all wore masks and gloves and it went very nicely. The wife had already seen the house and had put an option on it, the husband hadn't seen it yet, but agreed to everything. It's a couple in their 40th I guess. So now we have to wait for the notary papers.

We also met at Myriam's and there was a lot to discuss, her daughter expected potential buyers for her house, she had already found a new one here in Waterloo. Today M called me and told me that the house is also sold. I think due to the catastrophic stock market situation people put their money into bricks !

I have got the contract for our apartment to look it through, there are some little changements to be made and tomorrow we will sign and move in on June 15 ! I can't wait and even Mr. G. who was quite reluctant to sell our house is now in a hurry to live in the center of Waterloo, where he can walk to his Whist Club and to all shops ! It's less lonely then where we live now, and above all far more practical, no steps anymore.

We will have 3 bedrooms, a shower and a bathroom, a huge kitchen and living, and a wonderful terrace all around.



We can move in no hurry, because we can have our house up to 4 months. So first we move into the apartment, then make a garage sale  in the house, and when only rubbish is remaining I call a "vide tout" which means "empty everything".

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

I think I can slowly begin with the countdown of my imprisonment ! Another one and a half week confined in my golden cage and then the door will open, I stretch my wings .... and return home. The first day there are probably too many people around and I am not used to it anymore. We have to wear masks probably obligatory and gloves too and keeping the distance of 1.50 m ! I wonder how we will do that in some narrow streets ??
Apparently we will get our masks from the city, if the delivery is not delayed as it already was.

The week started with Monday (as usual, since the Gregorian calender was introduced in October 1582) and that day I mean Monday and not the calender it was very windy cloudy and cold. At least the weather changes from time to time, not our days they are always the same.  Get up, drink coffee, answer emails write my post, eat lunch, watch TV, return to computer until supper, eat supper watch movie (often a Barnaby) and then it's bedtime. I think in a few years if ever this nightmare is finished I will think of the Coronavirus when I watch Inspector Barnaby discovering murderers.

Then came a welcomed adventure. The owner of the apartment I loved so much called me and asked me if I could come, to finally visit it but paying attention because visits are not allowed. I took a bag with books and some cookies, in case somebody would ask me what I am doing in the building so I just could answer that I would bring the books and cookies to a very old person who couldn't go out anymore. Fortunately I didn't need to lie, nobody was in the entrance, I rang the bell, got in and was also alone in the lift.



I had seen the apartment on video which he had sent me, but in life it was even more beautiful. In the middle of the town, surrounded by green lawns and trees on the fourth floor where the white crosses are. The living room was gorgeous very big 40 m2 and a terrace surrounding the apartment. I will have sunshine (if there is any) the whole day. There also were 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms and of course the kitchen. When I had finished he asked me to give him an answer but I told him that we can't do anything because of the lockdown and I would call him the next day.

Instead of driving home I went to N. because she has quite some experience in owning houses and apartments and renting them and asked her what I should do. I wanted to rent from July 1st on, he wanted June 1st which is too early, the papers for our house sale maybe not ready. N told me to insist on July first and if it wouldn't work propose June 15.



We sat on her terrace in the warm sunshine and talked about the apartment. Isis the cat was brushed, and we also had a coffee together and then I went home and told Mr. G what N had suggested. He agreed immediately and would have moved right away, now he is not anymore against the idea to move, no now he wants to  move immediately.  Not women always change their minds, men too !

The next morning I called the estate agency and they knew already that I would take the apartment and she told me that the owner was very happy with us, we are the ideal couple for renting, we are both retired, nobody can fire us and he will be sure to get his rent each month. We won't give loud parties (but you never know) and no kids are hopping around.

Mr. G. and I started to make plans how to organize the move and do it right away, the house can stay empty with the junk inside which we can take out later.

The next day we went to M. she had cleaned her swimming pool, it was warm and we  chatted about the apartment, how to arrange the furniture, where to put the shoes etc etc.
For them it was a nice change too, otherwise you only hear Corona related stories and statistics, how many death, infected and saved people !



respecting the distance of 1.50 m, but no masks ! too hot ! We are really lucky in our golden cages !!

more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.