I am a great one for procrastinating. Why not put off what could be done today until tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow or the day after that. Or till next week? In fact I am very Spanish in all things mañana, mañana, mañana. So I have been happily putting off one of the most important things I have to do before I go to live in Madrid. I need to find a lodger.  Matt would have us pack everything up and rent the whole house out for mega bucks but that ain’t happening. I don’t win many battles but I’m holding my ground on this one. Because it is not just a house, it’s our home.  The girls are only going to be at university, they’ve not actually, properly, left home yet. We all still need to have a home to come back to at Christmas and other holidays and I will have to have somewhere to come back to when I need to see my friends, family and the sea (so that’s every other weekend then!)

Anyway, I have agreed on the lodger. The house should not be empty while I’m in Madrid. Not only is there the ethics behind leaving an empty house while so many are homeless (not that I’m advocating opening my doors and yelling “come on in” to all and sundry – I’m not that philanthropic!) but an empty house is inviting all sorts of problems from unwelcome burglar types to frozen pipes. So a lodger is the best solution. They can take the upstairs spare room while leaving all the other bedrooms just like they should be for when we all come home.

I need to get someone in sooner rather that later so we can get to know each other and more importantly, I can check them out so I know they can be trusted not to turn the house into a crack den the minute we all leave. They will need to get used to this, slightly unconventional, living situation too. Most lodgers live with/alongside the host family all the time but in our case sometimes they will be living in the craziness that is our whole family together and sometimes totally alone in a largish empty house.

I am really not keen on picking someone at random from Gumtree (other lodger finding websites are available I’m sure). I am hoping that someone will serendipitously drop into my lap. I say ‘hoping’ but I’m actually dreading it! Now I love having people to stay. For a night or three but any longer and I start to get twitchy! I need my space and my privacy and …. my space!  It will be strange for me to share my kitchen and sitting room.  What if they like to cook up foul smelling chicken stock (yuk) while listening to death metal? Or plinkity plonkity jazz?  In my kitchen! They may want to watch endless re-runs of Friends in my sitting room when I want to watch something quality like Big Brother! Will they be a neat freak? Or a total slob? Eeek. Actually, I like the sound of a neat freak! Will I be judged if I’m found curled up on the sofa at three in the afternoon having a siesta? What if I find them curled up on the sofa a three in the afternoon having a siesta? How very dare they be on my sofa, where I want to be!

Well no more mañana. I have put this off long enough. This week the room is going to be given a very quick lick of paint and I am going to be prepared for Serendipity to work her magic and introduce me to the perfect tenant who will come bearing a bottle of prosecco and a promise to love and care for my house the way I do and who I will like so much I won’t mind the death metal or chicken stock or even finding them curled up on my sofa at three in the afternoon having a siesta!