Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

Apologies all around for the lack of updates. I had 2 days in the new place after the move and then had to fly to the Middle East for 8 days for work.

I tell you what, the whole leaving a boy to sort out the flat thing...that was new. I am a control freak, in case anyone thought otherwise, and being in PR means I am good at organising. So, while I am often stuck as the organiser of things (nights out, group gifts, holidays, parties etc) I actually don't mind it. As I am a control freak, this way I know it's done and it's done my way. Simple. So leaving CB at the helm of about 1000 boxes was less then comfortable for me. Before I left we agreed that he wouldn't touch any box with my initials on it (clothes, bathroom stuff, general crap that has no home which I need to find a home for, you know THAT stuff) and we also agreed where he would hang certain pictures etc. We unpacked the kitchen entirely in the one day I had, so that was not a concern. On my nightly call with CB each day that I was gone, I got a running commentary as to what he had done that day. The conversation would go something like this:

GF: Hey there hot stuff, how are you?


CB: Yeah, I am good baby. I miss you, come home.


GF: I'll be home next week, you'll live. So how was your day?


CB: It was good. I hung the pictures in the hall, the pictures in the entry way, the pictures in the kitchen and also unpacked all the books and framed photographs and neatly arranged them. I was worried about unpacking your books, but I arranged them all (the travel books) by geographic region. South Africa and Asia are together cos there weren't any others to keep them company. Also I have finished all the unpacking, and done all the recycling....





And on and on the conversation went. EVERY NIGHT. Bless. He's so sweet and such a good man, he really really wanted to make sure everything was done when I got home. I actually one evening got a play by play of his weekly grocery shopping trip. From the way he had spoken, I genuinely expected to walk into a perfectly arrange flat that was spotless. Coming straight from the airport last night, I got home about an hour before he did. The pictures were hung and the recycling was gone. As for the rest of the laundry list of activities, I couldn't really see it. Each room was nearly done. Which meant each room had a distinct element of chaos and multitude of partially empty boxes. I hate clutter and I hate overcrowded spaces more then I can say. Aware that I didn't want to burst his "I did good" bubble, I very quickly picked up the lounge and dining room, cleared up the kitchen re-arranged a couple of wonky pieces of decor, hoovered and started dinner (we are talking like 30 minutes flat inlcluding multiple box moves). When he came home he said, "wow it looks great in here, I didn't realise just how much work I did while you were away."





PS: I LOVE our new neighbourhood. While the photo is probably circa 1940, you get the idea