For me, today – December 13th, will go down in history as ‘the day on which I signed the lease’. That’s right, exactly a year ago, I was expected at 6 p.m. at the real estate agent’s office to sign the lease of my current apartment. Today, one year later, I can honestly say that it was the best thing I’ve done in years.
An orchid plant that I've recently acquired, looking pretty
against the background of my new blue living room wall.
You may recall that life in my former apartment had become unbearable due to an almost 20 month old damp problem that somehow seemed unsolvable. For those of you who have only recently ‘tuned’ into this blog, here’s a short recap of what happened.
In March 2009 I noticed a small grey stain on the wall, close to the ceiling. I thought it was a cobweb, but when I tried to remove it, it wouldn’t budge. By September, the small round stain had grown into a nasty looking triangle, 30 cm wide and over 30 cm long. That was when I called the janitor. She showed up – unannounced – one Friday afternoon while I was entertaining friends.
About a month later, she came back with some insurance guy, who wanted to visit the cellar (???) to find a plausible explanation for the stain by the ceiling! The most obvious cause was a leak in the kitchen sink in next door’s first floor apartment. A specialized leak detection company was contacted and their intervention was scheduled on December 18th, 2009. On the 17th I received a call from this company saying that the intervention had been postponed and that I would we contacted again as soon as possible. No particular reason for the postponement was given.
And then the wait began! In the end the leak detection man showed up some time in March; or was it April? He took some photos, examined the wall and the ceiling using a damp detector and off he went. Next door he rummaged through the cupboard under the sink, shifted some boards and went off without putting everything in its original place. An action that strongly upset the tenant, the landlord and the janitor of the adjacent complex and which marked the beginning of a very tense relationship that would finally escalate into a blasting row in July 2010. By then it had been established that the cause was external, meaning that it wasn’t water seeping in from next door.
I will spare you the details, but from March 2010 onwards, there were four more leak detection attempts. None of which were conclusive; although it has to be said that the recommendations made by my insurance company were – for some obscure reason or was it neglect? - never executed. In July, after the aforementioned row with the neighbours, I decided to call it a day, because I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I started looking for a new apartment: not an easy mission as I didn’t want to move too far away from my mother’s, who’s now 83 years old. Since 2001 I have been living next door to her; an pratical and reassuring arrangement that suits both of us.
In March 2009 I noticed a small grey stain on the wall, close to the ceiling. I thought it was a cobweb, but when I tried to remove it, it wouldn’t budge. By September, the small round stain had grown into a nasty looking triangle, 30 cm wide and over 30 cm long. That was when I called the janitor. She showed up – unannounced – one Friday afternoon while I was entertaining friends.
About a month later, she came back with some insurance guy, who wanted to visit the cellar (???) to find a plausible explanation for the stain by the ceiling! The most obvious cause was a leak in the kitchen sink in next door’s first floor apartment. A specialized leak detection company was contacted and their intervention was scheduled on December 18th, 2009. On the 17th I received a call from this company saying that the intervention had been postponed and that I would we contacted again as soon as possible. No particular reason for the postponement was given.
And then the wait began! In the end the leak detection man showed up some time in March; or was it April? He took some photos, examined the wall and the ceiling using a damp detector and off he went. Next door he rummaged through the cupboard under the sink, shifted some boards and went off without putting everything in its original place. An action that strongly upset the tenant, the landlord and the janitor of the adjacent complex and which marked the beginning of a very tense relationship that would finally escalate into a blasting row in July 2010. By then it had been established that the cause was external, meaning that it wasn’t water seeping in from next door.
I will spare you the details, but from March 2010 onwards, there were four more leak detection attempts. None of which were conclusive; although it has to be said that the recommendations made by my insurance company were – for some obscure reason or was it neglect? - never executed. In July, after the aforementioned row with the neighbours, I decided to call it a day, because I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I started looking for a new apartment: not an easy mission as I didn’t want to move too far away from my mother’s, who’s now 83 years old. Since 2001 I have been living next door to her; an pratical and reassuring arrangement that suits both of us.
(to be continued)
3 comments:
I'd forgotten just how difficult a time this was for you. I'm sure a small celebration is called for ...
What a beautiful orchid. You seem to have good luck with what's often thought of as a tricky plant.
Gaynor, I think we'll crack open an extra bottle of Champagne for Christmas or New Year.
Carolyn, Sorry to disappoint you, but I bought this one just when it was about to burst into flowers. But I keep working on the other plants and I hope to have them in bloom before spring.
Post a Comment