Seems to have survived ...

On the 4th of October, 2011, I published this sad post about Ratty's close encounter with a solid object/vehicle/death ray. Do you remember how Marius and I traipsed back and forth to the vet dithering about putting him down because he was so ill -- and yet so excited to see us?

 
I think I made the right decision, taking him home and nursing him so he had a little longer to recover and avoid the lethal injection.

He's been having continual problems with a fungal infection we haven't been able to eradicate -- so far -- and has spent the last five months in and out of his bonnet, on various expensive drugs:

In spite of these setbacks, he is flourishing.  

The four cats are finding their new roosting spots and working out their new battle-lines, but they all seem to be very happy in the new house with its magnificent garden and multiple climbing opportunities.

Ratty has claimed a shelf in the pantry, right next to the street cat food:

 

 While Ming has her private quarters nearby (but higher up, naturally):

Ratty continues to be closely attached to me.  He'll go to sleep near me and wake up later yeowlling when he can't find me.  Best of all he rather likes to help me with my writing tasks.

 

 There are still a few boxes to negotiate, things we can't find (like a cupboard full of shoes???) and no-go corners of chaos.  Last weekend we hung 46 pieces of artwork and photographs.  I told you we had a lot of stuff.  Marius has been busy in the garden replanting the fountain, putting up hose reels, the clothesline and lantern brackets.  We've bought a few new plants as this garden has almost no flowers, so he has been busy digging too.

In mid August, before we moved, we submitted a request for some extra handrails - one for the front door, one for the carport/kitchen door and one for the steps inside which lead to the dining room.  This is standard procedure when you want to make modifications to your compound house. If the work is approved, we will be charged a 'reasonable rate' for materials and labour. The handrails are for me as I have become dangerously unsteady on my feet and the steps are marble - slippery at the best of times, lethal when wet.  So far we have not had a response.  We would simply go and buy standard grab rails and install them ourselves (well, Marius would do the work while I said encouraging things) but being Exile-land, we can't find any ... 

Marius has a conference in Perth, Australia next month.  Guess what he'll have in his luggage on the return journey?



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Boxes

This pile is getting bigger ...  

Moving is disturbing on so many levels, not least of which the confrontation with how much stuff one has.  Yes, loved and with stories attached, but stuff nonetheless. 

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A Moving Experience

It does look like it will really happen.

 After false starts, delays and attempts to persuade us to move somewhere else (so that an Important Person could have the house earmarked for us), problems with the maintenance crews and almost everything else, we have a confirmed key-handing over ceremony for next Tuesday morning. 

Prima is flying over to help with the chaos, bring her mother cups of tea and generally make herself useful.  She is in the air as I write this and lands here tomorrow morning at 6, inshallah, as they say here.  Fourteen hours flying, poor wus.

The packers will arrive on Wednesday and do the heavy packing and lifting (especially of the 1000+ books), finishing sometime late Thursday night.

The cats go to the vet for the duration on Tuesday afternoon.

I have devised plans for each room which Marius has printed on A3 for me, and which I will stick on the doors and walls to help the furniture placement.

We will be without internet for a few days (oh, and a little busy!) so I will check back in post-upheaval.

Really though, do you have a spare bed?  Could I come and hide at yours for a few days?  No one would notice me, I'm very quiet, don't eat much ...    why did I ever think this would be a good idea?

Last weekend we found these on the lawn:

Bigger than hens' eggs  -- probably peacocks' eggs I reckon.  The next day they were gone, no sign of broken shell, far too big for a bird to move, so somebody must have pinched them.

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The Other Wall

Downstairs we've painted one wall red - everywhere else is painted a sort of 'almond white', which you can see in the photo.  The rooms downstairs don't have doors (except my study) so you catch glimpses of the red wall but don't see the full expanse unless you are in the hall. If you look at the other walls in the hall you see the reflected rosy glow from the red.

Strong colours have an interesting effect:  people either love them or hate them I find.  This is the first time we've actually been in a position to choose any wall colour in over 12 years.

Our house in Sydney has a central hall that runs from the front door to our bedroom door (a long way, about 20 metres or so) and it is painted 'Egyptian red', a sort of terra cotta colour, to the picture rail and white above it, with skirting boards, picture rails, window frames, doors and architraves in a fresh pea green.  At the time of painting viewers were divided between the head-shakers who said 'how will you sell it?' and the more open-minded who loved it.  In the front of the house (the old part) the walls are 11'6" in the old money (just under 3 metres) and in the back of the house they range from 4 metres to 8.  There is a lot of 'Egyptian red' and we never got tired of it.

I love colour.

Upstairs in the hall we've painted one wall blue in the 'new house':

Shame about the regulation red fire alarm.

We are hoping the blue will be cooling for the bedrooms, and again, apart from passing through the hall, most of the time you will only see glimpses of blue or its reflection through doorways onto the otherwise whitish walls.

It is only paint.  Funny how some folk get so passionate about paint.

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One Wall

I've just been across to our 'new' house to check on progress and the painter has completed the wall in our front hall.  (Don't worry, most of the rest of the house will be pretty boring):

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