New Year, New Flat, New Saga of Dimwits

Hmmmm, I'm not sure where to go with this post.  It has been an eventful couple of weeks (which have mostly occurred without broadband hence the "radio silence" so to speak). There have been a lot of emotions whizzing around, therefore this could very easily turn into a miserable self-pitying rant - and realistically these are such first world problems you would end up throwing your computer across the room and gouging out your eyes to stop the words penetrating your brain.  Yeah, okay, maybe I will just go with the short version then.

So - we have our flat! The one we wanted, five minutes' walk from the beach, beautiful terrace, beautiful views to the ocean, spacious, light - and empty!!  This will be the first time we get the excitement of going out and choosing furniture and deciding how we want a place to look! Previously, we have always been left to the whims of whatever taste the landlord has had - and quite frankly, no wonder some of them moved out. So this is the exciting part! The, "Yay, this is our real home!" part.

The sucky part has been ... drum roll ... the estate agents.  I know, it's such a shocker, isn't it?  Either we have the worst luck ever, or all estate agents the world over are a bunch of money-grabbing, bald-faced-lying twitbaskets*.  I favour the latter. The VERY short version is that they basically LIED TO OUR FACES, promising that the landlord would do work on the flat if we signed a longer contract. Turns out, they never checked this out with the landlord at all. As I say - twitbaskets. This was followed up with a half-hearted inventory which seems to miss out any damage on the flat and claims every room has fresh paint.  Erm... NO.  We have spent the last THREE DAYS going through the flat documenting in minute detail every scratch, blemish and dent, because we are now DREADING the moving out process, when it comes.

Needless to say, this has put a bit of a dampener on the excitement of moving into our beautiful new flat, which has left us both feeling cheated, angry and slightly underwhelmed.  But!  "It's a new year", I hear you say, "Come on guys, leave all that negativity behind, make like everyone else with the New Year's zen - less eating, drinking, smoking, and more peace and harmony to all** etc etc - enough with the moping! Show us the lovely flat you have now!".  Oh...  oh, well, okay then...

First up - Jan in repose in the lounge...

Me in contemplation in the dining room...

Jan navel-gazing whilst in front of the kitchen

Jan beckoning invitingly from the patio (or terrace, or balcony, or whatever the heck you call it).  And yes, that is THE ACTUAL SEA in the background!

Al fresco dining... (pizza = no cutlery required.  As the only kitchenware we have amounts to the four glasses on display here, we are limited to takeaways/eating out. Oh, the agony.)

Dining inside (Thai = rice and sauces = not so clever.  Shortly after this picture was taken we had to go and beg cutlery off the neighbours.  Beats a cup of sugar, I suppose...)

* This would have been a much stronger word, was it not for the fact our parents read this - plus I'm not sure how Google translate would have dealt with the swears for Jan's parents...
**  Except estate agents obvs.