Tuesday 3 July 2018

Surely you knew what you were buying?







The plumber scratches his head
 at the mystery of the disconnected hot and cold water pipes
in the 'rustic utility area' in the garage.
I need him to quote for fixing them so I can have
a washing machine that works and a loo and basin 
when I move in.

I leave him to it and wander round the emptied rooms 
of my new house.
New to me but not new.
Old and dated in fact.

My dear friend and the woman from the estate agency 
 accompany me
while I take in the harsh reality of
damp stains on the peeling wallpaper
cracked yellowing light fittings
dusty curtains and
old, unclean carpets
 that I wouldn't want to walk on in bare feet. 

'Surely you knew what you were buying?' I hear you ask.

Yes, I'm buying a house and a garden that
 I can make beautiful and  into my own.
In the future.
With a lot of work and building dust to get through first.

But now all I can see is 
shabby and grubby 
and from another era.
And I will need to live it for a long time
 while I plan
for beauty
in the future.

So I'm going to bed now in delayed shock,
 making plans about deep cleaning and
 white paint
 and sweet smells
before I can contemplate
 making up a bed in a strange room
on my fist night
away from home.

2 comments:

  1. All best wishes for the renovations. I'm sure it's always the case that you see all the faults of something after the initial honeymoon period. You will make the house beautiful!

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  2. Oh thanks Belinda - I do feel rather daunted at the moment but if I remember all the good things about the house - especially the garden - I can imagine how lovely it could be. Lovely to hear from you too. x

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