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Monday, 24 March 2008 |
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 OK, it's been a very crazy past few weeks. I guess the biggest thing for all of us is that we have moved into Legoland. It still feels a bit like a holiday to me and I can't help but think that I have to duck down to reception to pay the bill before I leave! It's kinda weird to think that I can just go and have a swim whenever I want or practice my tennis serve before I start tea. It's also weird to drive North(ish) out of Kingston with my shopping, I keep heading in the wrong direction. As for some of the comments I made in my last post? "Tennis": I'm still playing in the club competition and taking lessons as well. I'm improving all the time. Nick has me concentrating on getting the racket back early and pointing the butt of the racket in the direction I want the ball to go. Those two things have been a huge help. Unfortunately last week my opponent didn't turn up and as I play him in all three games it meant I just had to go home. I get the three points, but I'd rather have the exercise and experience. "Injury": Nick was watching me hit returns the other day and said "Your letting the ball get too high on you, you will hurt your shoulder hitting the ball like that". Funny thing was my shoulder was killing me and had been for a few weeks! "Crappy land lords": Thank God I'm rid of them! This bit is going to cover a number of other comments I made in the previous story. The owners of my last house meant well (I think), but they just have no idea when it comes to leasing property. I was the ideal tenant. I knew that, the real estate lady knew it, but they just didn't get it. They fought me all the way, refusing to do anything that I asked for no matter how small or cost effective it might have been. The only concession they made was to install a new hot water cylinder, but they only did that after two years of complaints and even then I had to embarrass them publicly by posting video of the stuffed hot water system on YouTube before they would act. They told me they were selling so I tried to buy it. We couldn't agree on price so I found Legoland and signed a lease. 24 hours later they changed their minds and just expected me to stay on. HELLO!!!!! This seemed to upset them somewhat as they then became crazy. I knew they were fussy, but that wasn't going to be an issue as the house was spotless and I had fixed heaps of stuff myself whilst I had been there, however I still made sure that everything was perfect before I left. Then 24 hours before I move out I receive a call from the real estate agent who almost sounded embarrassed to be saying it. "The owners have asked me to inform you that they have photo's of every plant, shrub and garden bed and they expect everything to be just as they left it or they will be withholding your bond". FAIR BLOODY DINKUM!!!! 24 hours before I move out. If they really wanted me to maintain their little botanical gardens for them then they would have said that three years ago when I moved in. I might have expected a comment or two from the real estate agent given that they have done an inspection every six months for the past three years. They could have even said it when I gave them my two weeks notice, but no they told me 24 hours before I move out and the next day was forecast to be 38 degrees. Emma was away (more on that later), so Brad and I worked our butts off to ensure that everything was perfect. It took us a whole day to weed and primp everything back to their exacting standards (not that I had a copy of their photo's). We left the place absolutely exhausted. I haven't worked that hard for a very long time and Brad was really worried that I was going to have a heart attack or something! As you have probably already guessed, this is only the beginning of this drama. I'll continue the saga in my next post - I think I should probably go and have a swim now!
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