Moving to Leicester - Flat hunting

Within a week from the verbal offer, the contracts were signed and there was no going back. I went from being giddy with excitement to terribly apprehensive. Freedom! It was scary. It occured to me that I had never lived on my own. I met Tunji when I was 16 whilst still living at home. When I moved to England in 1994, it was to join him in the flat he was already living in. By the time we got married in 1997 any opportunity of living the single life was gone. Though I loved him and it was fun, it did seem like I'd been married since I was 16!

With Leicester, I'd have that opportunity to live on my own, sprawl out on my own double bed, cook for me alone - and that's if I felt like it.

First I had to find somewhere to live.

After a week of trawling through Gumtree Leicester and other internet sites (Loot is so not what it used to be) I'd got a list of places to view some places I had selected. I decided to house/flat share to avoid bills etc... So on the Sunday, I set off and in all, it was a 2 hour drive even in the crappy rainy weather we had. Before I went to Leicester, I prayed to God to send me to the right place first out of the 6 places I had to see. I went to see this lady first, Louise, loved it and her and paid a deposit. I did not bother going to see the others. I just sent them text and headed back home. It really was that easy.

Louise is 36, lives alone in a 3-bed town house (similar to mine, so obviously I felt at home), she's a HR manager at a phone company, very career focused and has lived in London,Australia and one other place - I can't remember. She goes to the gym every morning and eats healthy. The house looks like a picture from a magazine, very nicely decorated and in a nice area. The top floor has her bedroom and ensuite, the middle floor is mine with a large bedroom and my own toilet and bathroom. We'll both share the kitchen, lounge and other facilities. She even reduced her advertised rent rate because I said I'd hardly be there at weekends.

She totally gets where I am coming from in trying to find myself again after being mummy and wife these last few years.

Best of all, her house is 15 mins to where I'll be working.