This time last year, I was high on Vicodin and signing lots of legal papers. The prospect of owing $120,000 to a bank seemed less remote than the worry I was going to lose my leg. And for a further week after that, I had a house, but I couldn’t actually visit it, because I couldn’t walk more than a few steps.

But eventually (thanks to the quick eye of Tammy, who got me to the hospital before the cellulitis got too problematic), I recovered and we moved across Durham to @314Driver. The house is pretty much the same as it was when I signed the papers back last year; a door has moved, and of course there’s a lot more bookcases, but we’ve spent the first year settling in.

The second year is probably going to involve a few changes. I keep looking at the big bathroom and feel like it all needs to be ripped out so a proper second shower can be installed. But don’t worry, I have decided that the clawfoot tub should stay after all. People like baths, it seems! Also, maybe in the coming year, we’ll rip up the carpet tile in the back room and put down kitchen tile, giving us more space for food preparation. The dream of taking an axe to all the knotty pine and replacing it with stainless steel and concrete as far as the eye can see is however still a way off.

On the whole, then, a successful first year in the house. Here’s to a few more at least.