I have been waiting for this moment for over nine years, ever since I moved into the previous “casa az” from the place next door. I was lucky enough in the first two apartments I had in Sevilla to have kitchens equipped with gas cookers, but the last two came with those awful electric ceramic top ones that are not only electric but a bugger to keep in good condition because everything stains or scratches them. But it’s really cooking electric that drives me bonkers.

So when I realised a couple of weeks ago that I could no longer live with the crappy taps in my bathroom I decided to approach the landlords about helping me with a couple of home improvements. To my surprise they agreed to spit the cost of both the new taps and the new cooker! And as I have a five-year contract with the option to continue living here after that, it seemed like a good investment on my part too. I think the landlords like that I am interested in not just maintaining the place well but also in improving it. Though of course they are cautious about how much more they want to spend at the moment, after having just redone the whole place before I moved in (last tenant left it a mess). But these two things (taps and cooker) were a constant annoyance and so quality of life at home is now greatly improved.

I still haven’t tried the cooker as it was just installed yesterday evening. It was the cheapest on display at the store so I hope it’s okay. Will let you know…