Day 5 in the Stop Gap House - Wednesday 11th July

Not much to report as barely in the house today as only got in about 9.30pm after choir.

The door to my room doesn't work and my Landlord had promised to get it fixed and said it'd be today but I returned to find it the same :( Texted him and he said it'd been a 'mare' (which made me giggle) and that they were trying again tomorrow.

Made a pasta dish for tea using only a wok! The only cooking apparatus I had. Turned out pretty well - what do you think?

Whilst in the kitchen I heard some creaking. Then I realised the creaking was constant....... and rhythmical..... and accompanied by moaning......... Suzi must've been 'entertaining a guest!'. Who needs 50 shades of Grey?! ahem

Day 4 in the Stop Gap House - Tuesday 10th July

Not particularly eventful day today. Went shopping after work for food provisions. Got home, boyfriend came round and I started making tea. Never cooked with a gas oven before so that was novel. Then I encountered a problem - my 2nd fork was missing from the dish drainer! I'd only brought 2 knives and 2 forks with me from my set in storage as knew that's all I'd need whilst here. I searched the kitchen drawers for it to no avail. Someone must've used it and it was probably in their room. I didn't have an issue with that, but that I'd now have to use one of theirs! That made me feel guilty. Typically, my boyfriend had gone to my room and I was dishing mine up when Suzi came into the kitchen and I'm sure she clocked the fork I was using :$

Day 3 in the Stop Gap House - Monday 9th July 2012

Monday morning but no work as on TOIL from yesterday so had a lie in :) Checked on my washing when i went to make a brew and well, i don't know what the machine had been doing for hours the previous night with its whirrs and swishes but drying wasn't it!

I went back to my room and looked up the manual for the model in the house online - it looked like I'd tried the right button combos :( so I tried it again.

I got ready for the day ahead and then I heard someone come downstairs and go to the kitchen.  Oh!  I never mentioned my room is downstairs at the front of the house in what would've been the lounge, the lounge is what would have been the dining room and there are 3 bedrooms upstairs along with the bathroom)  So I pounced on the opportunity and went through to introduce myself to who turned out to be..... 'Suzie' (I have changed the name to protect the innocent?).  She was a pretty, petite girl with dyed red hair aka last season's Cheryl Cole.  She said she'd seen my note but had been busy.  I explained I'd heard noises upstairs so knew someone was home but as it had been late I didn't want to knock on people's doors to say Hi.  She started to apologise for the noise, saying she tends to play her music loud and looked a little guilty, so I interrupted her to ensure she knew it hadn't bothered me, I was simply saying I could tell someone was home.  One down, one to go!

Then it was off to storage to try to salvage some essentials. Took my trolley suitcase for ease as was hoping to get some crockery and had 2 bus journeys to make. Miraculously I found my duvet and pillows immediately and some kitchen essentials easily :). Felt proud of how my organisational skills had withheld the stress of packing a 3bed cluttered house up in less than a week!

Back at Stop Gap house I unpacked and washed my kitchen wares whilst my boyfriend readied for his late shift at work. After he'd gone I made my bed and put away all my clothes in the wardrobe. It felt good to be organised and back to some kind if normality.

I went to the kitchen to make a sandwich for a late lunch and saw Suzi again briefly who'd come back from shopping with a friend.

Then it was some 'me time' for the first time in a long while. I lay on the bed watching DVDs of House (series 7) and In Treatment (series 3) glad to be able to relax without a hundred and one thoughts running through my head.

On coming down from the bathroom and going back to my room I caught a glimpse of a man sat on the sofa in the lounge and nearly jumped out of my skin! I hadn't been aware of anyone coming into the house! He was sat there quietly reading some paperwork. I introduced myself and so met 'Simon'. He was maybe late 20s and had short wavy blonde hair - hard to gauge his physique slouched on a sofa. He looked friendly enough.

My boyfriend came back round after work and I heated up a ready meal for him that he'd brought and myself scrambled egg on toast. Not much I know! but was the first home cooked meal I'd had in days and it felt great to eat off my own plate with my own knife and fork! And soon I would be sleeping in a bed under my own duvet! Oh the joy! :)

Day 2 in the Stop Gap House - Sunday 8th July 2012

Woke feeling more refreshed than I had in many days after a night's sleep on an actual bed - though still in my sleeping bag!  Got ready for work and read a bit of my book group nomination - Cloud Atlas - whilst waiting for my lift to work (today I was going to be at St Annes Carnival doing face painting).  Still no sign of the housemates...

Returned to Stop Gap House to find all was quiet.  Not going to bump into anyone with a big pink flower painted on my face then? phew! 

Sorted all my clothes out and put the worn ones in the wash.  Took a while to work out the machine as is digital and mine (in storage) is about 10yrs old - you turn the dial and press on!  Was done quite quickly though so thought I'd try to dry them too (is a washer / dryer).  This seemed more complicated!  Pressing obvious buttons only produced an irritated beeping - the machine was not going to comply!  After a while I thought I had managed to set it but it looked like it was going to take 2hrs 30mins?  Surely that couldn't be right....?  I've only ever used dryers in launderettes before, usually putting stuff on the line or a radiator.  Time would tell...

My boyfriend came round and we watched a DVD on my laptop.  No TV in the lounge and mine - yes you guessed it! - is in storage.  We went out to get some food and I realised that it would have to be a take out as I had 1 plate, 1 bowl, no pans, ovendishes etc  Also in trying to be practical I had bought an enameled camping plate and bowl so I didn't buy needless crockery and it would be useful in future not thinking that it's metal and can't be microwaved! duh!

We returned to Stop Gap House with our kebabs to the sound of people? upstairs.  To be honest by this point I had begun to wonder if they were ghosts as I had heard sounds but had no visual signs!  Although a ghost probably has no use for a bra - of which there were four in interesting shades of grey (no pun intended) hanging on the bathroom towel rail.  So I knew that 'Suzi' hadn't been blessed in the chest - unless of course these belonged to 'Simon'?  Would I find out tomorrow?

Day 1 in the Stop Gap House - Saturday 7th July 2012

So I met the Landlord at lunchtime Saturday to get the keys.  No house mates in.  There weren't when I looked around either.  I was told there were 3 of them - 2 males and 1 female.  One of the males is away for 3weeks so probably won't meet him (depending when he left).


The Landlord had already told me at my viewing that 'Suzi' had broken the rules of the house by smoking (including weed) and 'bringing people back' (?) and other house mates previously had had 'run-ins' with her and to let him know if there were any issues.


This made me a teensy bit apprehensive but on the whole I reckon I can get on with pretty much everyone and failing that - avoidance!  Just stay in my room out the way!


Didn't get back to the house till late as had to go shopping for some bits (bedding and crockery etc aren't provided for hygiene reasons and my storage place doesn't open after 1pm on a Saturday or Sunday so needed essentials) then went to my boyfriends.  I'd left a note introducing myself by the kettle so they knew I'd arrived.


On my return there was clearly someone in upstairs but as it was late I didn't go up to introduce myself.  My boyfriend stayed with me for a bit till I was ready to sleep.  At last a bed!  I'd been looking forward to sleeping in one of them for over a week :)

What's this all about then?

So what's the Blog title getting at? Why have I been compelled to write a Blog?

Well on Friday 29th June my house sale completed and I left the home I'd lived in for 6yrs, put my belongings in storage and became homeless!

The house I've applied to rent isn't available till the end of July. The lettings agency initially said it might be up to 2weeks earlier so I sofa surfed for a while. On being told they couldn't guarantee it'd be before August, nursing a sore back and sick of not knowing where I was going to be from one day to the next I took the decision to rent a room in a house as a 'stop-gap'.

Although I had met my live-out Landlord twice, on the day of moving in, I hadn't encountered my housemates. The term 'housemate' of course conjured up 'Big Brother' and so I thought I'd do a blog as my version of the diary room!