Getting the keys

 So our appointment for the keys was at 15:00. I'm always appallingly early, except for flights and trains, so when the maitre d'oeuvres called down to me from the first floor balcony I was taken aback. She told me the code for the main door (a "site code"), and I went up to apartment 101.

Apartment 101 is a three bedroom apartment with a nice big  living room and a big balcony overlooking the tram stop. I can see the appeal, though I think I like ours better.

I signed the various forms and undertakings and we went to see our apartment, number 205. Really there's not much to photograph - just one white room after another. The hallways are all painted blue, so I told them we plan to paint our apartment blue and leave the door open when the cleaners pass so they'll do our flat as well. They all thought this an excellent idea.

The main room has sliding doors onto the balcony - very practical because they don't bang in the breeze and they don't take up floor space. The balcony is paved in stone-concrete slabs. The bathroom and toilet are splendid and the layout all seems very practical.

The entry-com will be on our mobile phones. (How? When?). The lift is fine for moving all our furniture except the nice, massively heavy wardrobes. Hmmm. The mailbox is inside the hallway (hurrah!) and our box is on the top row (hurrah once more!)

The locks have been installed by one of the owners, but frankly the lock is rubbish. We'll take our extra-special anti-burglar high-security lock with us and put back the rubbish one that was in this flat.

The roof garden. Well I'll put on some pictures of the roof garden. It has blueberries (very nice), gooseberries (delicious), redcurrants (super) hazelnuts and vines planted around. There are raised beds where I guess we'll be able to grow peppers, lettuce, etc. And picnic tables and an enormous lawn-mower - far too big.

The bike stores have room for over forty bikes. There's 23 flats. We have access to our parking space, which will be by the garden area at the back of the block.

The more I type the more positive I feel about the move.

Pat came skipping down, fresh from her podiatrist appointment. She also, as joint purchaser, signed the appropriate forms, disclaimers and so on. Then Laetitia presented us with a lovely dusky pink orchid, a bottle of champagne and a composting bin. All ready for mid-August once the move is completely done.