Kerstin at angelblue.com

My offer on the flat is accepted and after the usual struggles I finally move in on the 23rd. I still can't believe it - I am now officially a home owner. It feels good.

I immediately take to Bath. It is so funny with places, isn't it? Living in Surrey for instance was very nice too but I never quite settled there. Whereas in Bath I already have that "home" feeling that is so important to me and that I have previously only had in Richmond and in Vancouver. I take that as a good sign. My choice of Bath was very much based on a gut feeling and so far it proves itself right. Some of my friends think I am very brave because I don't know anyone here. I am realistic enough to know that making new friends will take time, especially as I will still be going to London lots because of work. But that's ok, I have accounted for this.

The remainder of the month is spent ... decorating and getting intimately aquainted with the staff at B&Q in Longwell Green! Hurray. I must admit, I do feel slightly DIY weary. It's only been 9 months since I painted and drilled away at the flat in Richmond. The Bath flat is very small but there is nonetheless lots to do as the previous owner was a champion of bodgy DIY jobs. Or how else do you explain kitchen cupboards that are glued to the walls?! Still ... I can drill and paint away as much as I like and how I like, because it's mine!

A brief history of Bath:

"The City of Bath is situated beside the river Avon in the south-west of England. It was founded by the Romans in 1AD, who chose to settle beside the only hot springs in the country. For a few centuries they stayed and built extensive lead-lined baths which are open to visitors today. By 400AD Bath had been abandoned, remaining so for several hundred years. Rejuvenation began with the wool trade in the fifteenth century and by the eighteenth century, Bath was at the height of fashion. At this time, architects designed and built the many fine Georgian buildings that survive today. With an interesting selection of museums, galleries, musical events, restaurants and gracious parks, visitors to Bath can choose from all the very best of past and present."