The good news is that we have found a house to rent.

I looked at a bungalow last week and it was right on the main Shaftesbury to Salisbury road and was painted magnolia - which looked grubby before we'd even started. The outhouses turned out to be worse than useless and she wouldn't let us put in a cat flap for Sammo.

We were quite despondent, wondering what we were going to do and then I found a place in Blandford St. Mary which although a little pricey, kind of fitted the bill. I was quite hoping that Pen would go see it, but she came back Friday with four for us to view. One was almost the same as the one I had suggested, but about  £30 a month less expensive. She had also found two country cottages, a thatched cottage and a two bedroom house in Sturminster Newton.

Today was going to be busy.

Well how weird was it that the one she had found in Blandford St. Mary was actually right next door to the one I had found and how much weirder was it that it should be just over the road from our friends?

We looked round - nice sized lounge with sliding patio doors onto the garden, three good bedrooms - the master bathroom having an en-suite shower room, gas central heating, integral garage, small garden... It was comfortable and felt good, but we still had the country ones which were by far and away the favourites.

The first one would have needed a tractor to get to come winter when it was all wet and nasty. Pen feared for her little soft-top. When we got inside, the ceilings were hanging down, it smelt damp and the garden was appalling. The front door had even been taped shut with parcel tape.

We thought there was going to be a difficult decision, but for me, this was a no-no.

The third house was worse.

Poky little rooms just off a farmyard and at the end of another treacherous drive. Country views should not include getting up close and personal with the local herd. Not only that, but on both the last two properties, the bathroom had been on the ground floor, with terribly steep stairs. I can just see me at four in the morning, needing a quick squirt and falling arse-over-tit down the stairs...

We asked about broadband and was told that BT would put it in at over  £35,000. I thought they were having a laugh, but the man was serious.

That ended the conversation.

We now just had the one house left to see and half way back, we considered the options.

• The second house was out as it was nasty.
• The third house was out because I wouldn't have been able to get on-line.
• The fourth one was out as it was smaller and didn't have the features the first one had.

Pen phoned the agents.

Turned out that number four had gone that morning and wasn't available anyway.

So we're as happy as pigs in pooh, being close to our friends and having the amenities close by - which is something that over the last eight years, we have missed. We're not in the country anymore, but the only way we'd get what we want out there, would be to buy it and we can't do that right now.

We're due to move in on the first of October - subject to references.

If you're wondering about the thatched cottage, that one was ruled out when I phoned to make an appointment to view as they would not allow Sammo in the house.

Ain't life strange?