Freedom

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In the midst of the pandemic, the tenants at our rental property decided to flit back to their home country. Obviously it was probably a sensible decision from their point of view but as they left within a matter of hours of booking last minute flights, to say they left the house in an awful state would be an understatement. 

Needless to say it was several weeks before the managing agent could arrange for it to be cleared of the tenants' abandoned possessions and rotting food, as well as given a superficial clean. With the clear lockdown message to Stay at Home, there was little that we could do to assist.

Fortuitously, a month ago, new tenants were found and last week I spent my time between home and Nottingham where the property is located, redecorating and repairing as well as removing several layers of grease from the kitchen. Up and down step ladders, stretching and bending, even my Fitbit was impressed by the effort, especially as I managed 11 and 12 hour days.

The first trip down the motorway was a novelty; I'd never been off a country road since March and driving alongside those juggernauts almost seemed exciting. Two hours in the car, just the radio and me and a constantly changing scenery; it certainly felt like regaining my liberty after 3 months in captivity.

I stayed overnight on one occasion. The regulations, of course, permit you to stay away from home for the purpose of work and I did run my interpretation of them past my MP in the course of an exchange of correspondence arising from Dominic Cummings' road trip around the country. 

Mister E accompanied me on the last trip to do the high jobs and he too got caught up in the excitement of a journey on the M1. How deprived have we been, that a drive we would normally detest actually put a spring in our step? Whatever has lockdown done to us that the monotony of 3 and 4 lane carriageways can fill us with elation?

Toiling with good results to the point of fatigue, I just wish I could do the same with the decorating at home. I even told myself that once back, I would continue relentlessly with the same degree of effort. Who was I kidding? We are now both in recovery. 
Image by bidvine from Pixabay


Comments

Treaders said…
I'm sorry to hear you were dropped in it by your tenants. I will never understand how you can leave anywhere in a less than spotless condition - but then maybe I'm a fool. We had a holiday house in Florida for a while and while the tenants were ok (just superficial damage) the letting agents were out and out crooks. I will never again be a landlord, I can tell you!
2 July 2020 at 15:17
Caree Risover said…
It was the house my son lived in during his 7 year sojourn at university and since he finally moved on we have always let to post graduate students with little or no problem, other than touching up paintwork. This time around it was a mature post graduate plus wife and child. We’ve had this combination before and it has worked well. Never again- the scribble on the walls around where the cot must have been ( in indelible pen, of course), the scorched upvc windowsill where they’d left a coffee cup precariously balanced, the food waste crammed into the recycling bin, the dirt and grime, the mould from condensation caused by a tumble dryer they’d installed in a bedroom etc..etc.. But, not even close to the stuff of nightmares, one of the contractors told me!
2 July 2020 at 16:52
Kathy @ SMART Living 365.com said…
Hi Caree! Bummer about your tenants but yes, isn't it weird that we can now get so happy and excited about doing something like taking a drive on the freeway--going anywhere! The first time we did take-out was a big one for me and then the first time we actually went and ate on a restaurant patio (carefully and socially-distanced of course) was like a special date night. Strange times for sure! `Kathy
2 July 2020 at 18:47
Caree Risover said…
I agree, it is rather weird. I’ve become accustomed at finding pleasure in the natural world but from tarmac and diesel fumes? I would never have thought it possible. Restaurants start to open here on 4th but I might have to build up confidence before entering one again and, sadly, the climate means we don’t have many locally with outside dining facilities.
2 July 2020 at 19:45
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