the one who refuses to go away

© Joselito Briones

Back in London. Wil and I went to Putney to look at the house that he's buying. It's a lovely semi-detached in a quiet neighborhood. We did the measurements, which wasn't very easy because the old woman who owns the house is still there - together with all her stuff - most of which are breakable.





© Joselito Briones

First thing that I thought of, since it's obvious that Wil loves having friends around, and everybody invariably gravitates toward the kitchen/dining room anyway, is to suggest to convert this garage, next to the kitchen, to an informal dining room. He's currently enrolled in a car-sharing program and has no immediate plan to buy a car, and visitors can always park in the driveway.





© Joselito Briones

Photo above is Wil talking with the current owner (not shown). At first glance she's the typical old lady, nice and gentle and proper, but when you talk to her it becomes obvious that she's always calculating and that she's rather cunning. All the time that we were there, she kept offering Wil stuff that she won't be taking with her (usually junk) and her effort in making everything sound appealing was just admirable, albeit ineffective. Wil was fuming when we left because she insisted to extend her stay in the house by a few days, at Wil's expense (he'll have to rent a place to stay those extra few days), and brushes Wil off with "Oh I'm sure you got friends who'll accommodate you! If not I've got friends who'll put you up." Shrewd, if not cunning.


XXX