The weather had significantly improved a week later when I came to pick up my keys... blue skies, sunshine and 20 degrees - all the reasons I love living in Sydney!! Now picking up keys on a weekend over here isn't usual, in fact I don't think it normally happens. When I initially said I'd have to pick them up on a weekend, all seemed fine, then when I signed the lease I was told I couldn't because they're not open on a Saturday. However, I stuck to my guns and said surely they would be doing viewings in the vicinity and couldn't I just pop along to one of those, to which they responded "that's a great idea"! I can't believe no-one's suggested it before!
So on Thursday I arranged that I would collect the keys from Luke at a property 5 mins walk from my place, then I was having brunch with Katy at the other end of Woollahra (in the village), before heading back to check out the apartment and take all my photos of the defects!
I'd been pleasantly surprised yesterday when I'd received a phone call from Harvey Norman to say my bed had arrived! They'd expected it to take up to 4 weeks, but it had taken 1!! However, don't expect anyone to be accommodating when it comes to delivery over here... in fact customer service isn't a term they generally comprehend in Australia! My bed can be delivered on Wednesday, or.... Wednesday. "But I work in Canberra" doesn't even thaw the ice... it can still only be delivered on Wednesday! I'm therefore extremely lucky to have a friend who only lives 10 mins walk from my new apartment, works from home & was kind enough to offer to take delivery for me. So, I'll have my new bed by the time I actually move in to my apartment! I also had notification from Anglo Pacific that my stuff from the UK is now on a boat and due to arrive in Australia on 18th August! Hurrah... Just a month to survive without everything and then I can have lots of fun sorting it all out! I think I may take a few days off work for that job so I can really get stuck in and get it all done in one go.
Back to today and before I left Johnston Lodge this morning, I managed to say goodbye to the lovely Gay & Bob Watson who run the place. They're heading over to the UK for a month tomorrow, so it'll be the caretaker manager who checks me out when I finally leave next weekend. With the moving out formalities sorted, I headed across to Woollahra and after finding a parking space in Bathurst Street (always seems to be a great spot for 2 hr parking round here), I relaxed with a coffee in Sonoma before heading round the corner to the viewing and to collect my keys. With them safely in my bag, I didn't rush straight round to take a look, but instead went off to Woollahra Village to meet a friend for brunch. After a delicious meal, we both headed round to take a look! Surprisingly, it was bigger than I remembered and I was absolutely sure I'd made the right decision going for it. I dropped my friend back at her place in Bondi and then had a chilled afternoon paddling in the beautiful, crystal clear sea, then drying off whilst using the free beach wifi... what a great idea!
Sunday was another lazy brunch... this time checking out the well-known Esther's Table in Annandale... so well known, in fact, that in 6 months of living there, I'd never come across it!!! However, they did mean ricotta pancakes and the corner plot is sun-drenched, so it's a lovely place to sit outside and laze away a morning. I eventually had to move though and spent the afternoon packing up most of my stuff and taking across to my new place... no sorting it out for the time being, just dumping it in the spare room! Then it was off round to see my friend who's just 10 minutes walk from my new abode. I dropped off the key (so he can take delivery of the bed) and we spent the rest of the afternoon drinking tea and putting the world to rights!
I should have known what the rest of the week was going to be like when I set my alarm clock but forgot to switch it on, waking 45 mins late on Monday morning! However, one thing I did discover was I could leave Sydney 45 mins late, but arrive in Canberra only 10 mins late... all due to the appalling Canberra rush hour traffic!! Back to Monday though and after my late start, I realised in the evening that my washing machine had broken down. The owner was very good in trying to get it sorted, but it seems there is only one repairman in town who turns up when he feels like it! Anyway, I eventually ascertained I'd have a new washing machine fitted in a week. The bed all got delivered as planned, although my friend had a couple of hours waiting around in my apartment with just a camping chair for company! On Thursday the same friend headed back to my apartment to drop off a heater (apparently the place is freezing, but that could be because he's been used to living in the tropics!!) and discovered there was water dripping through the kitchen ceiling! I was very quickly onto the agent, who got onto the strata management company (because obviously its not coming from my apartment), who said they'd instructed a contractor to come round and they'd call me before they came out. I didn't hear anything for the rest of the afternoon and it was only when my diligent friend popped round again the next morning that we all found out it had been fixed! Obviously a very efficient contractor... just a shame he couldn't tell anyone once he'd done the work so we could all stop worrying!!!
All in all, an eventful week and I'm now looking forward to a long weekend (I've taken a day's holiday Monday) to relax and start sorting things out.
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