House news, interviews, job, music

It's been a busy week.

We woke Monday morning to the news that we had an offer on our London house. It's only been on the market ten weeks, and that includes the deadest time of the year over the Winter Holiday period, but it felt like an eternity to us, so we were very happy to accept the offer.

That enabled us to contact our broker in Eugene regarding the house we have seen and like very much. We had approached the owners with a potential contract to lock us in for four months, i.e if our house got an offer in the next four months we would buy their house, with a small amount on deposit to shown our goodwill.

Understandably that was too risky for the owners, who already had another offer on the table, but with different strings attached. Our call (via our broker) came through just in time, the husband was about to accept their other offer and was literally standing outside their lawyer's office with his hand on the doorhandle.

Maybe that bit of synchronicity triggered some extra luck for us, because the next morning I got a call for a job interview from one of the local retailers. With an hour to shave and dress smartly, I went through two interviews, then a drug test, and was offered a job starting next week with a day's orientation. Our lovely broker and another local friend acted as my references, and they both talked me up a storm which undoubtedly helped my case.

For now the job is only as a part-time Sales Associate, but it's my first experience of work in the US, it's some dollars coming in, and it doesn't require me to sit on my rear for eight hours a day destroying my eyesight at a computer screen and knackering my hearing talking on the phone. It should also give me experience dealing with the Great American Public.

On Wednesday Beth got called for an interview with the University of Oregon. The interview was scheduled for Thursday afternoon, so we had some time to upgrade her interview outfit, and get some work clothes for me.

Thursday was a beautiful sunny day. Beth got ready for her interview and I planned to take a bike ride while she was gone. Off went Beth in the car, and I lay down for a little rest before setting off. By the time I woke she was back, so no bike ride happened. It was still a nice day though, so we had a walk round the apartment complex instead. In the evening we went to a music session at a friend's house, this time a beautiful house designed by the owner and built by her son, right near the Willamette River. Neither of us had had much time for music practise, so I fumbled my way through a couple of jigs when it was my turn to lead, and mostly we passed and just played along with what we could.

Just as we were leaving one of my fellow fiddlers, known as Chico, handed me a business card and asked if he could pick my brains sometime about Morris Dancing. I'd been meaning to get in touch with the Eugene Folkdance Society as I'd heard that they tried to start a Morris side last year but it got shelved. Now here was someone seeking me out for my Morris Expertise! Well, four years playing and dancing doesn't really make me an expert, but it does make me the most experienced Morris Dancer in Eugene.

Finally Friday rolled around, and we went with our Broker to see the house that we are making an offer on, and talk again with the family. We had another viewing, measured a few rooms, determined a few paint colors, and went through the necessary paperwork. We now have a schedule, our own house sale should close on 19th February, we close this end on 15th March and they rent the house back from us for a month while they finish moving out. We move in on 15th April.



While all this has been going on we've also been integrating a stray kitten into our lives. There are several cats we've seen wandering around the complex, but this little creature has been returning to our door every night for about ten days. Returning because we feed her, of course, but we're feeding her because she seems to be abandoned. The mother cat has been around a couple of times and rounded her up, but she keeps coming back. In another week or so we'll be taking her to Lane County Animal Services for registration, shots, and neutering, and after a couple more weeks we can formally adopt her. On Monday she would let us touch her if her mother was next to her, by Thursday she was playing with a toy and coming inside to visit, though she still runs to the door and meows if we close it.



Elbie, the cat we brought from London, is generally accepting of her, either ignoring her or staring at her, but never mean to her. We say her, it's just a guess at present. We called her Clockwork Ghost from the way she flitted about beneath cars and in the shadows, Ghost for short.


New job, new house, new kitten, our shipping soon to arrive in the US, and when we've sold our house, a new car to be thought about. Lots going on, no wonder I'm exhausted.