Residents with permits and residence!

Yes, it’s true! Against all odds and contrary to Copenhageners’ popular opinions, I found a flat for us in record time, right in the middle of Frederiksberg whose owner was not only happy for us to bring along Hamish but has also installed a – wait for it – dishwasher! Well, I can’t take the prize for it, it was all Ms HandsOnRelocation’s work really.

Spookily enough, the flat doesn’t have ceiling lights but after living with ‘green’ light bulbs for the last couple of weeks (and sadly, back in Melbourne), I’m quite happy to read by torchlight for the next little while. Ms HandsOnRelocation is organising her favourite electrician but, like all tradesmen in the Western World, he can’t arrive before 14 December. Plus, when you’ve spent close to $23 billion dollars (regretfully including economy class air travel) moving your life (and your dog’s) literally to the other side of the world, what’s a little bit more on ceiling lights?

To be honest, I woke up on Sunday thinking it would be a shocking day. We were to look at places all over and out of Copenhagen. I had a huge sense of foreboding. The consensus and odds of us finding a place and Hamish straight off were, well, practically nil.

Imagine my delight when I walked into the first place on the list to find that dreams come true! Two bedrooms, decent sized living room, large kitchen with meals area and much coveted dishwasher, big bathroom with washing machine and dryer! Crikey. I’m glad I did make that donation to the Royal Children’s Hospital Appeal this year! It paid of nicely.

Not only that, but the landlord said once the deposit was paid we could have the keys even though we don’t officially take over until 1 December.

I firmly believe the lack of a dishwasher can be blamed for many divorces and break ups. We once renovated a place and the kitchen was gutted. We washed our dishes in the bath. Well, that was the idea. After a few days there were so many dirty dishes in the bath you would have thought we’d fed the five thousand. Some months later, when our dishwasher was installed, courtesy of Hr. Asko, we filled it up (several times) and stood watching it go through the cycles. Miraculously enough, all swearing under our breath (directed at each other), and face to face, disappeared.

I was telling a workmate yesterday about our luck and the dishwasher and she was green with envy. She and her husband have decided that if they stay in their current flat another year, they’ll ask the landlord if they can install one and they’ll just leave it there when they go. That’s exactly what I’d thought of doing if we took a flat without one. I honestly don’t understand the people who have these ingenious machines and never use them…

Anyway, my excitement was somewhat curtailed today as I wrote the list of items we need to actually live in the flat…