The House that Escher Built

Can I just say how much I love our new place? It is an interesting pink house with a small walled (slightly overgrown) garden--we’ve got bleeding hearts and a rose bush and quite a lot of dandelions. It even has a name.

 Model Villa.

 Because a name makes everything better. FACT.

 We live on the first floor (that’s second floor to my American  peeps) above a really nice bloke who reads comic books like we do. It is nice to have a friendly neighbour.

 

To get into our flat, go through the main door and then unlock another door and go up the stairs. At the top of the stairs the landing splits into two sets of small stairs. Which way will you choose? The Lady or the Tiger?

three sets of stairs!

 

See what I mean? It is like a drawing by MC Escher.

 

One side leads you to the kitchen, bathroom and dining room, the other to the bedroom, living room and my personal favourite--the craft room.

 

Yes! I get my own little cosy room to do all my crafty/ musical stuff!!!!!

 It is only a one bedroom flat (whereas our old was two) but it is surprisingly spacious. We just had to rethink how we wanted to arrange things.

 Now onto the tour.

 This is our bedroom. We have hung our wedding photo over the bed (it used to be in the living room)

This is the bookshelf Mama Bear (formerly in the hall) and the Altar (formerly in the living room)

One thing we found out when we moved in was how un-level the floor is. Seriously, everything leans. Which was a bit of a problem for bookshelves--all those heavy books made it lean even further. We had to add a bit of a prop up on Mama Bear and Papa Bear to stop them leaning. Spiderman cleverly rigged device made of three unbreakable rulers (bought on a back to school sale) wrapped in packing tape to keep them together. Not too bad, huh?

 

This is how we have our clothes. Spiderman already had an open clothes rack, but I had a wardrobe at our old flat that we had to leave behind so we bought me another open rack. Thankfully we both don’t have too many clothes.

 

Now for my craft room!  This is a small room probably meant to be a study or computer room, but it’s mine all mine!!! I couldn’t get a good shot of it, but the colourful shopping bags hang on the door and my sewing table and shelves with all my crafty bits and bobs fit in perfectly.  There is also space for my music stand and Tallulah the Ukulele! Plus I can close the door when I want to practice!

And just because I love my space so much, another gratuitous close up.

most of the OZ artwork is now in here

 

Then the living room which is a combination of our old living room, the hallway and the back room. We have the sofa and Doctor Who watching station on one side (you can see all our books from our Beginning Welsh course on the floor! More on that later!)

can you spot Opus wearing 3-D glasses?

 

Then by the window you can see the computer desk and Spiderman’s work area. Plus you can see what we’ve done with the bottles which used to be in our bay window. Lovely, innit?

hard to see because of all the lovely light from the window

 Then we’ve got the bookshelves Papa Bear and Baby Bear that used to live down the hall.

still getting rid of boxes (in the corner)

Then the spiders, safely tucked away from sunlight in a little alcove.

 

Spiderman cleverly rigged this up--since we are going to be as poor as Church Mice, here are Mr and Mrs Church Mouse and their tiny door and a stained glass window above them (they are Church Mice after all!)

 

Then if you go to the other side of the stairs you get to the bathroom (I couldn’t seem to get a good photo, but it has pink tiles and our bathtub is buttercup yellow and rather narrow. I like to call it the Yellow Submarine! Big bottoms beware!)  

 

Then the kitchen. I’d always dreamed of a bigger kitchen, but alas! It was not to be.

 

It is lovely kitchen, small but weirdly spacious. Too small for our fridge, so because of that more roomy, if that makes any sense. The oven is great! Our old one you needed to use blue tac to hold the temperature dial in place or all your food burned. No blue tac this time!

 

So if that is the whole of the kitchen, where’s the rest of it? Why next door in the dining room, of course!

 

We put all the food that used to be in the pantry and all the bulk dry goods and baking dishes that used to live down the hall all together. Plus things like tea towels that used to live in a kitchen drawer now live in a basket.  Up close--one side:

food in labelled containers make me happy

 

Then the other:

 

It works out fine. There is space to dry clothes as well and we have our little table set up (not in the shot) so we can have a lovely, civilised sit down meal together and not eat on the sofa like we used to. Bliss.

 So that’s basically it. 

 

We get lots of natural light which is really pleasant, it is not too noisy as we are set back from the main road and some of our rooms have wood floors which is extra nice. It is an easy walk to the shops and the library as we are close to town centre and the rent is £200 less than what we used to pay.

 

You heard me, £200 less. What a blessing. If we’re going to be as poor as Church Mice (and we are at the moment as I’m still looking for a job!) then at least we have a gorgeous, comfy (if slightly wonky) home to live in.