Moving Day! Sunderland

25/6/2010

Hurrah! It’s moving day! I have at last kissed goodbye to the mouldy shower, creaky stair case and exploding light bulbs of 3 Langton Close and flung my arms wide open to greet the mouldy rooms, pink sofas and ice rink kitchen floor death trap that is 19 Duke street – postcode unknown by google maps. And I will tell you this for free, you can expect some very weird looks if you ever have any need to push two desk chairs and a bike with flat tyres through the streets of Sunderland. This I can tell you because its what I had to experience on Friday, as we pushed out rag tag collection of possessions through the streets the residents of Sunderland showed us their pleasing spring/summer 2010 collection of bemused and miserable facial expressions.

Duke Street

Boys outside the house waiting for the land lord to let us in

So after about 150 trips back and forth between the old and new house, we finally posted the old key back through the letter box and moved into the new house. By all accounts 19 Duke street is a considerable step up from our last home, mainly because this house feels like a home and not an extension of student accommodation. We have nice squishy sofas, REAL carpets (!) and a washer and dryer that aren’t beige with age. We were also left a considerable number of gifts by the generous ex tenants. Computer monitors, tvs, cutlery, crockery, duvets, sleeping bags and pillows have now become our possessions. Infact they had left so much stuff we assumed that a) someone must be coming back for it or b) that someone was still living their secretly in the attic, who would come out to murder us as they slept. 

The most rational theory is that they were foreign students who couldn’t be arsed to lug all their stuff back home so they left it for us to take to the dump for them. In fairness there are several things we are glad they have bequeathed to us, the apron and chef hat (modelled below by socks) and a lovely picture of Jesus are among the items we are planning on keeping as well as a pair of cocktail glasses that I have squirreled away for ‘cocktail Tuesdays’. We then had a celebratory Chi's and watched some dvds.

Free things we found in the house

Nice comfy chairs

Our lovely back yard

Socks trying to get on the roof

On our first night in the house, Socks made the discovery that the previous tenants had been able to get onto the roof (they had left ash trays on it) and became fixated on the idea of following in their foot steps. Above is an image of the 1st of what will surely become many attempts to get onto the roof. I tried to make him promise to only do it when someone else is in the house with him, so that they can phone for an ambulance when he falls to his death.

Socks also spent much of the night spying on the naked man in the house opposite.

My room (there's some mould behind that far mirror)

Although you cant see it, on the window sill are 2 small square tubs of what look like either salt or crystal meth. Either way its nothing poisonous because Socks stuck his finger in it and ate a considerable size lump of the stuff. He woke up next day, but I'm going too monitor him over the next 72 hours just to make sure he doesn't sprout wings or something. We also managed to steal someone's internet as they don't have it password protected, which is a win and means I wont start doing stupid things like climbing out of windows when I'm in the house for a week on my own.

These photos are for the people who care / are too lazy to come visit me in the Arctic north and so will never see this house. Sadly there weren't many surprise gifts in this room (unlike sock's who found £2 , some mould and a lovely splattery stain on the wall) all I found was some extra blinds, the aforementioned potential crystal meth and a set of keys. Though I do have a secret set of doors that leads to an en-suite where I have my very own sink. This may not sound like much, but our only toilet is down stairs, through the kitchen and takes like 5 minutes too get their. Toilet trips are going to have to be planned very much in advance. I hope no drunken vomit attacks happen suddenly or that luxurious carpet in the landing/ on the stairs is going to be a bitch to clean.

Post decoration

It took a lot longer than you would think to stick up all those postcards

My en-suite sink