Monday, January 03, 2005

In the frying pan

I am just back from one of our disheartening trips out to see a potential house purchase. We do this from time to time- get it into our heads that with the property market being what it is, we really should be investing in some sort of small holiday home. Plus the fact that it would be nice to have a place out of town to get away to at the weekend, especially if we were ever in a family sort of way.

Unfortunately, we always end up plunging headlong and screaming into the gap between expectation and reality.

Take today, for example. We drove for over an hour, through surprisingly heavy traffic, to look at a house that, on paper at least, would have ticked a lot of boxes. Once there, we parked the car, and walked up and down the narrow sea-lashed street. We peered into the window. The glorious views promised in the brochure were, on this cold January day, simply bleak. The quaint harbour walls were slimy with moss, and the neighbouring houses appeared neglected and crumbling, in a vaguely sinister way. An unappealing caravan park lay just down the road.

We got back in the car and drove straight home. En route we had our usual argument about where to live, should we move, should we stay...a discussion so repetitious we could have it in our sleep. We arrived in a fractious, frazzled state, collapsing exhausted on the couch with cups of tea, wondering why we spent the whole day off subjecting ourselves to this kind of exercise.

Sometimes I think we just need something to take our minds off the current state of infertility- to seek out something, ANYTHING- other than dwelling on that one seemingly insurmountable problem. I worry though that one day we may actually overcompensate, finding ourselves with a shedload of other difficulties- i.e waking up to discover we have bought AN OLIVE FARM! IN SPAIN! Or whoops, I 've moved- to New York City! That would certainly be an interesting distraction, but probably not the sort of thing one wants to undertake as a casual diversion....

It's just that sometimes it takes such an effort to stay in the frying pan, rather than throwing oneself into the fire...to sit still long enough to figure out what is really right in any given situation. To know when is "long enough".


5 Comments:

At 7:41 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh boy do I identify. We'll be first time home buyers in San Francisco. Somehow I see myself as a sardine in your frying pan imagery just flipping and flopping trying to get evenly crispy instead of burnt all to hell.

Here's to spatulas.
Wavery Bindweed Heights

 
At 11:01 PM, Blogger Lala said...

I'm feeling nicely charred right now.

 
At 5:37 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can't remember if I've ever posted on your site or not (faithful reader) And...not what I wanted to say but after reviewing the pithy comments prior to mine...I'm not even defrosted yet. Goddamn frustrating, barely treated situation... I need a house in Crawley, England to eat some beautiful soil...long story. Lot's of faith to you...
Jaine

 
At 5:37 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can't remember if I've ever posted on your site or not (faithful reader) And...not what I wanted to say but after reviewing the pithy comments prior to mine...I'm not even defrosted yet. Goddamn frustrating, barely treated situation... I need a house in Crawley, England to eat some beautiful soil...long story. Lot's of faith to you...
Jaine

 
At 5:32 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

House shopping should be on the list for the #1 reason for divorce. Forget sex and money. I feel your pain... I'm living in an area I hate. I've made T. promise next house/location choice is MINE! ALL MINE! I tell you!!
kisses, Jen/VintageUte

 

Post a Comment

<< Home