Happy Spring Everyone! It is autumn here, but raining all
week so it feels the same. Our big news is that we have moved into our new
place. We are in Inglewood, a suburb just N of Perth’s CBD or downtown, and
right next to Mt Lawley, which is a great area full of restaurants, cafes, and
pubs.
In an attempt to save money, we continue to live with Jack,
who also works at Barrick and attended Plymouth University with Matt. They work
opposite weeks at work, so when Matt is home it will be just the two of us. The
house is smaller but it should work well as there is a study/small spare room
on the opposite side of the house from the living room and I can work in there
with the door shut and not be too bothered by Jack watching TV or whatever.
I will start by telling you what we were up to last week
(mostly moving) and then include some pictures and details of the new place.
Our lease in Mt Hawthorn doesn’t end until April 19, so there is still some
sorting, cleaning, and furniture moving to be done there once Matt is back.
On Wednesday, April 3rd, Matt returned from work
around noon since he had been on night shifts that week. We had lunch at
Spanish Flavours, a restaurant right around the corner from the Anzac Road
house. Most of the afternoon was spent relaxing and trying to keep Matt awake
until at least 8 or 9 PM.
Thursday we celebrated Easter late. I made a ham for Matt,
along with deviled eggs, cheesy potatoes, and asparagus. It was nice. Jack
arrived back from work since he had taken the weekend off for a camp retreat
thing with one of the churches he attends.
Friday we headed over to Acton Real Estate to sign the very
long lease. We have asked for a lease of just six months with the option to
extend. It frees us up to see how things go and not be too stressed about being
responsible for the rent if anything comes up. After signing, paying, and
getting the keys, we came by the new house so Matt could see the inside.
Luckily he liked it and thought I had done well in saying we should apply for
the lease. Afterward, we dropped Jack at home to get ready for his retreat and
Matt and I headed to Ikea, Big W, etc to pick up things for the house. One of
our receipts had a coupon for Marco’s Organic Pizza on it. On a whim we stopped
in and took Pizza home for a late dinner.
Saturday was more shopping and several trips back and forth
to the new place. We weren’t sure that we would make it to a housewarming party
at Matt’s coworker Renee’s share house, but we worked it in with a trip to drop
of things at the new house and were able to give our roommate Vince and his
friend Erin a ride to the party! (Chewie the spaniel was there, so Matt was very happy we managed to stop in :).
Sunday we slept in and then hit up the Angove Street
Festival in nearby North Perth. Local restaurants and companies had booths up,
there were two stages with live music, some freebies, and several craft and
vintage clothing stands as well. We spent most of Sunday evening packing.
Monday Matt went and picked up a cargo van at the rental
place. Moving from one furnished place to another, we don’t have too much large
stuff, but there is a lot. Matt is still storing things for his friend Simon,
and when you add up all of our clothes, house wares, the TV, Matt’s bike, plus
two large shelves, it was worth having the van. We got a large amount of stuff
over and unloaded, pretty much everything and then spent some time unpacking.
We stayed in the new house Monday night and had very nice takeout from an
Indian restaurant just a couple of blocks down the street. Except for the very
early lawn waste removal and tree chipper Tuesday morning, the first night went
well.
Tuesday we headed back to Mt Hawthorn. We watched the Iron
Lady since Margaret Thatcher died the day before and Matt got ready to head
back to work. On Wednesday I cleaned the house and really worked on the
kitchen, getting it ready for new tenants.
Yesterday I used the bus system to make my way over here
(Jack worked an extra day to make up for his weekend off) dragging a cooler and
two large bags with me, and only got a little wet when it started raining and
the bus driver skipped my stop, even though it was requested and lit up, and I
had to walk a few extra blocks. Ah, public transport. Except for the fact that
the gas isn’t on (no hot water or stove), and the electricity went out for a couple
of hours earlier due to the rain I guess, I am settling in well. There are
still odds and ends to get at the other house, and Matt and I will stay there
Tuesday night so that once Jack is all moved and goes back to work I can clean
some more. (Matt is coming back to Perth Monday evening and has training
courses in Perth all day Tuesday and Wednesday). But to be perfectly honest, I
am really enjoying organizing and setting up house, and hopeful that this place
will feel more like home and be more comfortable for both Matt and I. The style
and décor is definitely more to our taste, and it is smaller and cozier. My
goal after this week is to get more involved in activities outside the house.
First though, all about the house!
It has two bedrooms, a main bathroom and then a second one
with the washing machine in it.
There is a small study, which we will also use as a spare
room, eventually. I am most excited about this room, because I am kind of
claiming it as my workspace to do my translating projects. When Jack is home he
spends most of his time in the living room, and at this house I have a desk I
can work at away from that noise, with plenty of power outlets nearby.
There is also the kitchen, dining room, and living room.
A garage is attached to the side of the house, but as it is
a manual door and quite small, Jack has amiably decided to set his drums up in
there, which adds a lot of space inside. In the front is a yard with lots of
trees and plants – gardening is included in our rent! Out back is a bricked
terrace with partial roof cover, a small storage room, and laundry lines, etc.
It should be great for entertaining and just enjoying dinner off the BBQ.
Our new address is:
169 Tenth Avenue
Inglewood, WA 6052
AUSTRALIA
Don’t worry if you’ve just sent something to the other
address, we will have mail forwarded for a month beginning on the 19th.
As much as we enjoyed Mt Hawthorn and some of the perks at
the Anzac Road residence, we are very excited to explore our new neighborhood
and home. We will have a housewarming soon for friends in Perth and everyone,
in Australia and beyond, are welcome for a visit (once we get a futon in the
spare room)!
To see all the photos of our new house, click here.
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