So two weeks ago, on a typically rainy, Cape Town day, we moved into our new house. On the last drive (and there were many), from Sea Point to Kenilworth, I spotted a rainbow. Its end seemed to point straight at our house, which I took to be a good sign. The whole weekend was spent variously packing and unpacking, and although two weeks later the house is still a disaster, it’s nice to start getting into the swing of things.
It’s funny the things you only notice when they are gone. I keep saying that our last house (which we bemoaned for not having a garage, or any storage space), seems to have been the Mary Poppins handbag of houses. We have a lot of stuff, but in that house, most of it had a spot. We have a MUCH larger place now, and yet, there’s no space for anything to be put away! This house is a clutch bag – beautiful (so beautiful!) but nowhere to put all of our shit.
And so, the adventure begins, starting with our bedroom. In that room, we have one built in cupboard. Designed for two, it houses all my clothes, and half of the husbands (work wardrobe lives in another room, I think). There’s no place for makeup (which is living in my knicker drawer), or any of our paraphernalia. So last weekend we went thrifting. I can’t tell you how excited I was. I’ve always wanted to try my hand at refinishing furniture, and now I really have the chance.
A little three-drawer dressing table with mirrors came home with us. Mine for just R499! From the 1950s, it’s a simple, boxy shape, with rounded edges, and the wooden frame is filled out with lightweight ply panels. At the moment, it’s dark wood, painted a (now rather grungey) white. Since it’s peeling (and second hand), I plan to strip the paint, and sand it down, then treat it for beetle, and repaint or stain. I haven’t quite decided which yet, it will depend on the quality of the wood, I think.
We still need bookshelves, as we only have two small ones, and well, I have many more books than that, as well as a TV stand, mirrors, possibly a tall chest of drawers for husband. And that’s not even thinking about the two bedrooms we’re not really using! Yup, this house is a biggie, and we have our work cut out for us if we want it properly furnished. But you know what? I’m pretty excited about it.
eat with a spoon 