Tag Archives: home

downsizing…

10 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by in change, home, sevilla

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I remember when I first saw this little upstairs room at my present apartment… it decided everything for me, simply because of the built-in bookshelves and cabinet. So it’s ironic that it became a room that was almost never used, until Peter decided to switch from the second bedroom downstairs to upstairs. But even now he can’t use it because the central air-con remains broken, so he is now sleeping on the sofa bed in the living room. But I digress…

Back in the days before iPhones, I would easily read a book a week. This was not only costly, but it meant I needed space for all those books. I haven’t counted, but there sure are a lot of them. Likewise the whack of DVDs I’ve acquired over the years (that fill the cabinet), not to mention CDs that take up another set of shelves. And so I have this dilemma… what to do with all this stuff? Because although this ended up being a rather useless room, it was damn handy for storage, but it just was never a comfortable space.

The new apartment has only two bedrooms, so unless I line the living room with IKEA Billy Bookcases, there really won’t be anywhere to put the books. So I’ve been wondering if I should either sell or just donate them. Same with the DVDs and CDs. I mean, who even listens to CDs anymore, and although I have some amazing films on DVD, I can mostly find them online.

Look out for a big Apartment Sale soon… not just books, CDs and DVDs, but also furniture and appliances I won’t be able to use in the new place. All in good condition of course. And what I can’t sell I’ll just give away to charities. Still not sure if this is going to be therapeutic or traumatic…

riding the c5

08 Saturday Jul 2017

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For years I’ve seen this cute microbus all around town – and I mean ALL around – but not in a way that made any sense. I’d wonder how the C5 bus stop could be in so many seemingly random spots and where it could possibly be going. Then one day my friends Julie & Steve informed me that “riding the C5” was one of their favourite pastimes when they visited Sevilla, so I put it on my To Do list, and today I decided to take the plunge.

There are three of these Mercedes Sprinter diesel microbuses used on the route, measuring 7.7 metres long and 1.9 metres wide, with a capacity of 27 passengers (13 seated, 14 standing), and equipped with an electric ramp for people with limited mobility.

[click on image to enlarge]

Calling the C5 a circular route is a serious simplification. We started at the “start/finish” stop just behind the Alfonso XIII Hotel and from there it was like being on a Magical Mystery tour. We had no idea where the bus was going to go next as it trundled down one narrow street to another. Just when I thought I knew where we were headed it would abruptly turn, even occasionally backtracking down a parallel street to end up almost where it had just been. Whoever designed the route must have been either mad or a genius. Or drunk. We noticed that sometimes even locals getting on the bus had no idea where it was going, and would get right off again after checking with the driver. But it clearly serves a purpose, as long as you’re not in a hurry, connecting parts of the “casco antiguo” (old centre) that larger buses can’t access.

AND…it was fun. Plus it could also serve as a totally wonky “off the beaten path” tourist ride for visitors, though it’s a bit of a bumpy ride at times, and the driver doesn’t stop anywhere for long, so taking photos is tricky (as you can see above). But I’ll certainly be doing it again.  🙂

 

so much going on…

04 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by in cats, health & happiness, home, hope, sevilla

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There’s so much going on that all I can do today is leave you with a photo of skinny-minny Morcilla, demanding more wet-combing. She’s become quite a fan.

I hope to have some good news to share soon, because things can’t keep going like this. The whole apartment fiasco is seriously affecting my health and well-being, it’s been so awful, so stressful. Let’s see if things get better soon.

a different view(point)

30 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by in home, sevilla

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Looked at an apartment today that had THIS view from the terraza… not bad! The apartment was nice too, but in the end the landlord didn’t want to remove the existing furniture (and I have my own) so we left it at that. However, we’ll be seeing the apartment next door to this one (same view!) on Monday and – maybe – something can be worked out re: furniture.

This whole moving thing has really been taking it out of me. It feels like I’ve been given a hard kick in the gut (and my heart) and I can barely breathe. Some people don’t mind moving. I even have a friend who, until buying a house, loved moving every 2-3 years to try out somewhere new. But not me. I really put down roots where I live, make it my own, make it my own home.

So these past couple of weeks, since the dread meeting with the landlords, have been hugely stressful. And then when they refused to replace the central heating/AC, coinciding with a massive heat wave, our living space was reduced to the living room with the inefficient split. Peter had to start sleeping on the sofa since his room upstairs was unbearable, and my bedroom wasn’t much better. THEN the water heater broke down and for over a week now we have been living here without any hot water at all. Can you imagine? Again, the landlords are refusing to pay for anything.

We are paying for a 3-bedroom apartment but are now living here like refugees, huddled in in the living room during the day in order to work, though even with the split turned on full-blast it only cools the room down to 28Âş. Nights are just awful with the heat, so neither of us can sleep, and now there is no hot water. So we have to take cold showers and boil water to wash our dishes. This is not right. It’s actually taking a toll on my health and well-being.

I seriously do not understand these people. We have done nothing wrong. We have lived quietly in this apartment for 6.5 years, we keep it nice and clean, we take care of small repairs, and I have always paid my rent on time, without fail. So I honestly don’t understand why they are doing this to us. After the water heater broke I was told that I was “breaking everything in the house” and that they had no legal duty to repair anything. WTF? Even if they didn’t have a legal duty (which they actually do have) what about their moral duty? Why would anyone subject their tenants to this?

And anyhow, how on earth can you even break a water heater?? Or a central heating/AC system for that matter? All I’ve ever done is turn them on or off. And then one day they stopped working. I’ve been told the apartment was restored in 1992, so you can do the math. Both of these machines are 25 years old, and clearly have just died of old age. Unfortunately for me, they died during my tenancy.

BUT… to get back to that photo up there. A view from a possible new home. And perhaps also a new viewpoint, point of view, whatever… which is what I want to think. That all this will (eventually) be a positive change in my life. The whole “hating to move” thing has held me back before. It was probably time to move on from here when things were getting bad just over a year ago. But now I’m definitely moving on. Wish me luck!