The other "f" word

All the time I've been spending recently looking at fittings and fixtures for my flat (ninety two days and counting!) has proved a most educational experience. For instance, I can now look upon a vast range of furniture and instantly gauge it's approximate price simply by how much I like it. Needless to say my attraction to it is directly proportional to the cost (would that it were otherwise) - It seems I'm blessed with expensive tastes, not to mention an unfortunate aversion when it comes to compromise. After all, I've waited long enough to finally take possession of my little corner of Edinburgh (am waiting still), and I want it to be just right. Not mostly right. Not very nearly right. But just right.

And there are a surprisingly large number of things to be gotten right.

My current obsession lies with my shower room (my shower room. Sorry, I just like saying the "my" word in that context) which I intend to refit completely. As with the rest of my flat, I've got a very small area to work with, but I still have a relatively grand vision for it. As a result, I've spent an age looking around to find all the right bits and pieces. Objects that once registered nothing more than antipathy in me, are now capable of generating surprising levels of excitement. Taps, for instance. And shower heads. Heaven help me, but over the last few weeks I've even had to catch myself before uttering the dreaded "f" word with regards to such items (that would be "fabulous" in case you were wondering). And you don't want to get me started on basins.

See what I've become.

Last week I happened across a set of taps and a shower that looked just perfect. My heart both leapt and sank even as I saw them, since they were indeed (forgive me) fabulous, and I realised that if I liked them that much, they would have to be beyond my price range. I was right. They turned out to cost approximately two and half thousand pounds together. Ouch.

I may not be particularly fond of compromise, but I think in this case we'll learn to live with one another.