The anticipation was killing me

I was certain that buying the flat was the right thing to do. All signs pointed to it being the right thing to do! It was in the same street as Gran's house. I had walked past the building a few times and I knew exactly where it was. I loved Rothesay and I had met some wonderful people there. And of course, there was that body of water around Bute called the "Kyles of Bute". It was a sign!

But as I made the journey from Brisbane in Australia to Scotland once more, I suddenly felt a little worried. What had I done!? Gianna, my Scottish solicitor, who thankfully helped me to navigate the whole purchase, said something that kept going around in my head. She simply said that she hoped that I was happy with my purchase and she hoped that it was okay. But of course, I read a million interpretations into that simple goodwill gesture. What if she knew something I didn't know?

Eventually, after a flight to Singapore, a flight to London, a flight to Glasgow, and a train ride to Wemyss Bay, I found myself on the ferry heading to Rothesay. Even the train station and ferry terminal at Wemyss Bay looked beautiful that day.

I skipped to meet Gianna, with the biggest box of chocolates that I could carry. We talked about the history of the flat and the previous owner (more on that later!). We talked about Rothesay and some of the people who were there. Gianna and her colleagues were as friendly and helpful in person as they had been from a distance.

Eventually, I headed off to the estate agent to pick up the keys and find Trish at The Green Interiors. There was a lot of hugging and squealing with delight. Already I felt so comfortable with Trish - there was an easy warmth between us, as if we had been friends for years. By chance, Shaun happened to be there at the same time - although he looked a little overwhelmed by the arrival of cyclone Kylie, he was easily persuaded to come and look at my flat for the first time.

It is an attic flat, and there are quite a few flights of stairs. Yes, that might be off putting for some. BUT the view. Wow!!! It is worth the effort to climb those stairs! You can see the castle, the town, the church steeple and the bay. I was thrilled.

The flat needed some work. Okay, maybe quite a bit. Even the rooms that I thought might be okay were in need of some love. The previous renovations were less than ideal - even to my untrained eye, I knew that my brother Cam (an incredibly gifted builder) would be horrified at the workmanship. So, it might be a bigger project that I anticipated...

Here are some snaps on the day that we opened the door for the first time:

It is going to be a challenge. But I know in my heart that it is also going to be absolutely gorgeous by the time we finish!