It begins. Finally!

Late yesterday afternoon, we picked up the keys.

We first viewed the cottage in May last year. After a second viewing in early June, we knew we wanted it. Thanks to some extraordinarily unhelpful selling agents who didn’t seem that interested that we wanted to buy the place (no one else was – there’s a lot of work), it was four months before we could.

Then, there was the long, unexpectedly painful and drawn out purchase period. In all that time, we hadn’t been back to look round.

Whilst we hadn’t forgotten the feeling of being inside the cottage, it had faded. I won’t lie, there’s been a certain level of fear and worry as we’ve read the various reports from our building surveyors, asbestos testers, builders and roofers, timber and damp specialists, and so on.

Whenever we needed to remember why we were doing this, we’d go for a drive past. For eight months, we’ve popped round the corner and looked at it from the outside. Andy’s been reinvigorated by the excitement of taking a power washer to the outside (simple things!) and tidying up the garden.

My head’s run wild with ideas for the inside and I’ve had to refrain from picking up supplies, knowing that over time, what I remembered the cottage interiors were like, were being distorted by fading memories and the estate agent’s somewhat deceptive wide angle photos.

So, after navigating the multitude of keys to work out which one opened the door, and with a fair bit of trepidation, in we went.

Almost immediately, in the first room we entered, I tried to start lifting the old carpets to finally discover what lies beneath. Andy had to drag me away to continue the tour.

The living room is far bigger than we expected, as is the kitchen. The dining room made us laugh, the curious utility area is twice the size we thought it was. The cellar is as fabulous as we remembered. There’s a strange smell to the place, the sort that means every window will be wide open today.

So many things we’d forgotten, not realised, or simply hadn’t spotted.

Today’s a day of discovery.

Notebook, pen, toolbox and cleaning products are ready to go. Today we’ll work out exactly what we need to achieve before we can move in.

Today is a very exciting day.