When the Going Gets Tough... (Part 3)

These days, i don't even think freehold/leasehold anymore.  The key to being adaptable so as to survive without a constant pounding head in London, is to know when not to fuss.

(Self- Cheer:  I'm adaptable!  I'm flexible!  I can still put my nose to my knee without too much hunching of my back!)

Last Saturday, I stood entombed in a mews house for sale.

Husband:  Baby, does it feel very claustrophobic?  

Realtor:  So what do you think?  Excellent location huh? It's got an integrated kitchen!

Moi:  Please would you mind lifting all the blinds?  Do the windows open?  Is there a rat problem?  Leaking issues?

Blinds lifted, I stood staring past the glass.  What a view- a wall of brown bricks!

Realtor (honestly a very sweet man):  It's priced to sell!  It's a very unique property!

Moi:  Can I extend upwards?  Build a loft, throw in skylights?

Realtor:  Uh, No.  

Moi:  Can I gut it out and dig up a lower ground floor?

Realtor:  Huh, Yes.  But, you are willing to take on all that work?

In yoga, the headstand is like a revered posture, king of the asanas.  It's supposedly healing for the body and mind.  Upside down, literally, you see the world from a changed perspective.

I so dislike the headstand.  What comes back to me is the physical memory of taking on a boy's dare, flinging myself in the wrong direction from Popo's swing, and falling head first, smashing on the hard ground.

There was so much blood that day.

***

I made an offer on a flat I liked.  

Realtor:  It's very rare in London to find a lateral flat!  4 sash windows instead of 2!

Moi:  And the restaurant downstairs?  What if it becomes a Chinese take-out or an Indian joint?  How would I be able to sell it then?

Realtor:

Then God saved me from the risk of Tandoori Chicken and Chicken Chow Mein.  For we found in fine print that it was not dog-friendly.  Not dog-friendly?  Impossible.  I can't live without Bruno Chan!

For a while, I paused at Mid-century and the aristocratic English village north.  Sweet J has a house,  Kate Moss lives down the street, and there are these glorious, glorious woods.

But the vendor was "stuck in a chain", and then another, and another.  My husband came, took one look at Mid-century, declared its scale all wrong.

"Wrong!"

I know that in the end, God will provide and the flat will find me.  It's kind of like finding, love.  You do what you can, while waiting, try to stay serene.

Sometimes, you remember to pray.

(Dear God, I know I should straighten my back, but I am rusty/rusting...)

  At all times, never give up hope.  At all times, keep stretching, flexing.  For when the going gets tough, the tough damn it, gets going. 

(* With photographic contributions by Summie Chan.  To her relief, neither model was injured during the process.)

When The Going Gets Tough... (Part II)

Flat-hunting in London, sucks.  Every morning for the last two weeks, I awake feeling my body laden with the lack of sleep.  I try encouraging myself by repeating brightly, what everyone keeps saying of me, and what I know I can and have no choice, but to be.  Tammy, you are so adaptable.

I am adaptable!  C'mon, I can do this!

Adaptable, I suppose is another way of saying, flexible, which by the grace of God and a particular set of genes, I naturally am.

Great.  I can just about still spilt with a cold body in jeans.  

Husband:  Baby, because you're so adaptable, we've been able to .... Baby, Sung is right.  I'm so lucky because you're so adaptable!  Baby, thank you for... Baby, it's all because of you...Baby, do you want to buy yourself a gift?

Great.  I can still push up into a semblance of upward facing bow, without first warming up.  Phew.  Surely I can live another two, three, four, five, six weeks on such an aesthetically challenging street without going mad?!

Husband:  Why don't you just check yourself into Number 16 or wherever you prefer when Summer goes back to school?  Or do you want to come back and rest in Singapore?

Singapore?  

This is what it feels like to have blood rushing to one's head.

Singapore.

I'm flexible!  I'm adaptable!  I can still manipulate my 44-year-old limbs!

Even if, I need help balancing (see left arm above), on one leg.

*  photography- Summie Chan, no one was injured in the process.

When the Going Gets Tough...

...the Tough accepts invite from the Good Samaritan, treks north to Hampstead, and steps on the Red Carpet.

***

The London Cockerpoos were celebrating Halloween at Gaucho's (64 Heath Street) .

Bruno received treats, a bandana, and neither he nor I, could quite believe that it wasn't necessary for him to remain rooted on my lap, but that the restaurant was tolerant of dogs wandering about, mingling!

I think it's a meat joint, but they whipped up quite a delicious vegetarian dish for me.  

Aside from meeting some nice folks today, it was really a lovely change to be in the company of so many dogs.  I've been sleeping poorly, and my nerves are unusually frayed.  But for two hours this afternoon, Bruno and I, escaped.

(Special thanks to May, The Good Samaritan, for your kind invite and for including us.)

Cloud 7 for Tumi Pet Carrier

Delivery!

(On time!)

Everything is so carefully packed.  Love it!

 This is a furry, machine-washable pad that is then velcro-ed inside the bag.

(Summie wished they made one in her size!)

The thicker edge on one end provides support like a pillow.

***

Bruno's bags are in storage, and last week, we offered his Cloud 7 to a Good Samaritan, who had just rescued a pup from a killing shelter(!).

We've kept his Wagwear Messenger with us.  It's nifty.

But it doesn't offer him a structure for nap time, or privacy.  It also doesn't zip up, something we must keep practising for air travel, and for those unforeseen moments, when incognito status is required.

Incognito, New York Subway

Bruno has been super with our new living arrangements.  However, he does get a tad displaced especially at bath time, for previously he was zipped up in his tote that was kept right by my bathroom sink.

Now that the new pet carrier has come, he's not feeling as lost.

He has a safe and comfortable place to go.

He makes himself right at home.

Settles in a jiffy, waits for me.

When zipped up, there is a design feature that allows the middle piece to pop up like a tent.  This gives Brunz the height needed within for if he wants to sit up, and look out.

One end can be unzipped and extended/lengthened to create more leg room.  The other end conceals a good sized-pocket.

Other thoughts:

Positives-  Well-made, discreet style, well-ventilated, holds its shape, surprisingly light-weight.  Bruno is 2.5 kg on a fat day; along with the carrier, we are still within the weight guidelines for in-flight travel.

Negatives-  Too costly.  Also wished that the top flap could be rolled aside, and held in place, like the "window" shown below.

Wished it also had a sleeve, like the previous design, that you could then slip over the handles of a roll-along bag.  

It is though, a sleeker and more practically-wrought bag, offering the pup, an alternative to my lap!

Girl Talk

We made the unbearable trip to L-U-T-O-N to pick her on Sunday.

At Luton Airport, a woman in some uniform told me that no dogs were allowed in the terminal.  I was so worn-down by the tube-train-bus journey to faraway Luton.  I think I said something incoherent like- Oh.  Really?

She repeated herself in what I suppose, was her stern voice.

If Security were to see you...  (She threatened, threatened me!)

Note to Self:  Insert Smile.  Dismiss uniform with smile.

Half an hour later, Summie emerged.

Hola, Madre!

Hola, Summie!  Cómo estás?

Estoy muy cansada... Tengo mucho hambre...Me duelen mis pies!

(Note to Husband:  Field trip to Spanish capital yields immediate returns.)

photo credit-  Summie Chan

(Note to Weary, Wary, Post-production, Homeless Self:  No rest!  Mother-dom for the next 14 days.)

***

Day 4, I toss leftovers into a pan, add butter and furikake, voila- brunch.  

Mom, I love your fried rice!

Thank you, I love it too.  Shall we go for tea?

***

Mom?  Do you miss me?  Mom, Bruno is SO ANNOYING!

Mom?  I'm really excited about University!

I think boarding school is really preparing me well!  I love it!  I wish IB was over, but I wish I was still boarding!  Mom?  Are you stressed?  Is everything ok?  Why is Daddy always telling me to behave myself and not bother you?!

Mom, you're really busy in London!

Mom, do you think of me when I'm not around?

Mom? Shall I take a picture of you?

Mom?  You look rather, fierce.

  

Luxury

Currently homeless, I couldn't bring myself to check into Number 16 for an indefinite stretch of time.  

I decided to slum it.

When I saw the decor however, my heart sank,

sank, 

sank.

Number 16 is but one-tube stop away.

  If I called for help, I might just get there in a jiffy, and Jon would understand.

I decided to get showered.  The bathroom is clean, and there are fresh towels, never mind the thread count.

So I shut the door.  

And the handle fell off completely.

And bits of the door crumbled to my feet.

And Bruno and I are stuck, locked upstairs.

Because my heart had already descended to my feet, there was no place else for it to go.  Which sometimes, I think, is a wonderful place to be- you know, down in the dumps.  For the next logical place to move one's spirits, surely is, up.

For some unknown reason, my cell was in my pocket.  I called the London Girls for help.  J secured the number to reception, I waited to be rescued.

While waiting, the memory of previous homes, came rushing back...

photo credit- The Business Times, Singapore

Help came!  But Help kept buzzing the front door downstairs.  How was I to answer that, when I was trapped upstairs?

I've been so fortunate to have lived my married life in some gorgeous spaces.

photo credit- The Business Times, Singapore

Surely I could brave the current abode for a few weeks?

Huddled in the cold on a piece of worn cardboard, by the nearest tube station, is a man and his dog, while here I was, secured, in a room with central heating, listening to Help buzz on and on.

There's a kitchen space on the lower level; I can improvise meals and feed Summie when she gets in.

There are hangers, an iron, an ironing board, and laundry facilities in the basement.  Everything is kept tidy.  Service is kind, waiving the mandatory dog fee for us.  The trash is removed daily.  If I keep the curtains pulled open, some light has a chance to slide in.  It is also less noisy here, and did I mention, free wifii is provided?

Gosh, Bruno.  We are living in luxury!

Luxury-  Citadines, 35A Gloucester Road, SW7 4PL