Moving On

Well as I mentioned in my last post it is time to be stepping out and moving on. So I have been looking for a new place to rent. The criteria apart from it would be lovely to have  penthouse suite with a roof terrace overlooking the sea for a few pounds a month. Ah well, that/s not going to happen.

I work from home so it has to have some space where I can leave my work papers out (tidily of course) so they don’t have to be packed away all the time when I need to use the table. Also a good sized bedroom as I do seem to spend quite a lot of time lying on the bed working on my laptop and do not want to feel cooped up. A second bedroom so my friends and family can come and stay once this Covid scare is over.

What else do I need? A kitchen where I can fit the essentials for a busy life, which thanks to my housemate includes a dishwasher. As she said “You can take the dishwasher as I know you cannot manage without one”. It would be good if the kitchen was big enough to be able to eat in too. Then outside space would be good for my sanity, especially as there is a risk of another lockdown and people of 50/70 are going to be asked to stay at home again! I am in that category and I don’t see how I am meant to do that indefinitely.

As to where it should be located. My work is all over the place mainly in the South West at present and as my present place is in the East of the country this means a four hour drive before I do any work. Therefore I have to be somewhere I can easily get to where I have work contacts. Then as I will be on my own for the first time in years I would like to be within range of people I know in case the old anxiety creeps up. Therefore it needs to be somewhere which appears to be safe, though of course it is not possible to guarantee that there will not be some transphobe next door!

So I searched a large area and found what I had forgotten is that there are not enough rental properties to go round and that they are all under offer or let when you call about them. Why don’t agents show that on their websites? It would save a lot of frustration.

So slowly the budget goes up and the houses get smaller! Anyway at last I have been accepted on one which meets most of the criteria. Firstly, the house is in a quiet road in a market town which seems to fit the safe environment I am looking for. It is 30 mins from friends and family in case of need, yet not too near that I cannot have some privacy. I doubt family will be dropping by for a cup of tea on the off chance. It’s just under an hour to one of my main clients and at most two hours from my furthest client. A big improvement on the previous four to six hour journeys.

Now the decision has been made, I am looking forward to the next stage and moving on to my first home in my own name post transition.