Zan's Zone – Ramblings of an O.A.P.

Way back in 1969 when I was first married, my Husband and I moved into our very first home together with our Daughter Sarah, who was then 3 months old. Prior to that we had been living with my Mother.

In those days one didn’t buy ones telephone but it came as part of a package with the rental of the telephone line.

The trimphone had not long been invented and of course as a young couple we wanted the newest thing on the market, so I chose to rent a two toned blue trimphone. The trimphone had a funny little warble as a ring tone, which at that time was also a great novelty because up until then there had been only the one ring tone in the whole of the UK for all phones.

Of course as the years passed and more and more choices arrived for styles of phones and as we started to be able to buy phones privately, at some point my trimphone was discarded for a newer model.

As I am now moving into my new and last home that I will ever have, I decided that for fun, I would once again like a trimphone as an extension in my bedroom. I find it rather ironic that my very first home and now my very last home will have this piece of equipment.

Of course now with integral answerphones, push button dialing and all the other bits that go with the modern telephone, this trimphone is totally impractical to use alone, but great fun as an added extra.

On their first invention trimphones, obviously, in those days, had a manual dial, but in the early 70s they changed the style to have a square pad of push button dialing. As you can see the replica I have recently bought is the original manual style of dialing.

My new home is far too small to warrant a 2nd phone, but then again people are fond of ringing me early in the morning while I am still in bed, so a phone beside my bed will come in handy even though it would be only a few short steps to get out of bed and walk across the floor to pick up the main line. But aren’t we all entitled to a little silliness sometimes?

Last Thursday I received a phone call to say that a flat had come vacant in the complex that I have been hoping to move to.

FridayI went along to collect the keys to go have a look see. As per usual it ended up as a family outing. The whole family, naturally, wanted to take a look see. By the time we had gathered together there were 10 of us.

You can imagine it with everyone looking and planning what I could do with it and what would be best here, there, or whatever. My head was spinning with everyone making suggestions at the same time, lol.

The flat is on the top floor of a 3 story block. I was very pleased about this as I have been saying “I hope it’s on the top floor”. I hate curtains and to live on the top floor means that I don’t have to have any covering at the windows if I don’t want to.

It also means that there is no one above me which is something I also didn’t want. I have lived in flats in the past and have always loved the one floor living and I have always been on the top floor. It’s funny what one gets used to.

The flat itself is very, very tiny. The kitchen is so badly designed at the moment that there is less cupboard space and less room than I have in my caravan at the moment, would you believe.

The bathroom is a lovely size. Brand new suite and as I like it, all white. The bedroom is soooo small that it might mean me having to go into a single bed instead of a double, but I am still working on how to design that to it’s best advantage.

The sitting room is a good size although once again due to how the electric points have been installed and placement of doors, is going to need a little chopping and changing.

Now for the best of the best. The view is fantastic. All of the windows look out on an amazing view. By glancing to the left slightly one looks out to sea, with a view of the Isle of Weight and the Needles. Directly in front the view is of the woods that lie at the back of the property. The sitting room window is virtually the whole length of that wall and the lower part is only as high as ones thigh making it a very light room.

Where the garden of the building ends the woods start with no barrier. So one literally walks out of the front door, across the garden and into the woods. Between the complex and the sea there is a beautiful hill to walk across which lead down to the beach.

My Bayley will absolutely adore his walks there.

My Nephew Gary will be stripping out and replacing the kitchen, while I will design it. I have designed so many kitchens in the past that despite several obstacles with it I am sure I can make it more serviceable.

My only concern at this moment is how to make the best of the cupboard of a bedroom. Although Sarah’s chap is coming up with a few good ideas.

Editing to add more:

We have spent the weekend looking around at many furniture shops and although I had no intention of ordering any furniture but was just going to get an idea of what I wanted and needed I ended up ordering some for my sitting room because of the price.

There was a big sale on, finishing Monday, with the exact furniture I have had in my mind for a long time. I managed to save over £2000 on all of the units and dining table. I haven’t yet decided on the seating for that room but have whittled it down from a choice of 2.

I have also seen the kitchen I would like but haven’t done anything about ordering that either until I speak to my Gary about what to fit in and what not to fit in.

I can take the place over on the 1st October but there will be a lot of working doing to it before I can even think of moving in but I am hoping to be in before Christmas.

Edited to add images of my view.