Which is where I am, and it’s been a very long time indeed since I posted anything other than a frontpagefury and even those, I must admit, were stored up and posted in a couple of highly delayed batches. So here we are on the island of Zanzibar, with its dhows and fierce white light […]
Wind from the southwest
Last night there was an almighty windstorm, closing off the Bosphorus, ripping off rooftops and sending trucks skidding onto their sides. Here one of our windows rattled rather a lot, as it is not fully fastened in, and I was a bit worried it might rip itself out of the window frame and fall on […]
Bits and pieces
A few bits and pieces, some more satisfying than others. First, and most satisfying, the items we bought over the weekend arrived today. The lamp in particular is very beautiful, the towel rack is useful and the little coffee table is discreet. All three are welcome additions to what is starting to feel like an […]
Settling in
A quiet sort of working day today. We did decide that we must get curtains of some sort for the living room which has huge south-facing windows that warm up the place nicely in the winter, but the intensity of the direct sunlight makes it hard to work. After an afternoon coffee we popped by […]
Furniture shopping
We went furniture shopping and it was a surprisingly pleasant experience, though we didn’t actually find anything we urgently need (a small dining table, a bed, a fold-out bed, a wardrobe, a comfortable chair). We were going to a warehousey sort of place that does up old furniture and provides to film and TV sets, […]
At last
And so we finally moved into the flat. In the morning I had to go over and wait for the combi technician to come and turn the combi off. This required me to be present. He didn’t arrive between 10 and 12 as promised, so eventually I left. Meanwhile, the professional cleaners had arrived, and […]
End game
Today it truly felt like we’ve reached a sort of end game. The electrical work was completed, the gas has been connected and it really feels like we could move in now. Tomorrow and the day after there will be some minor touching-up of paint, a few leftover bits like the installation of the kitchen […]
A blank
Today has been a blank. Not sure what happened. A bit of work? Oh of course. I had my first meeting with a new client, based in Belize so quite far away. It will be interesting to see how it goes – I quite liked the people I’ll be working with. The company’s owner was […]
Bulldozing
We rather ruthlessly bulldozed our contractor and architect, so today and yesterday a lot of work has been going on in the flat. Today, the plumber was there and installed the longer gas pipe, as well as the bidet and the various taps, so aside from actual hot water, all sanitary equipment is now up […]
Shattering glass
Last night, I stepped out of the shower, put on my pyjamas, left the bathroom, and as I left, behind the shower enclosure suddenly shattered, sending glass everywhere. It was shocking and of course had I taken a few moments longer to dress I would have been covered in glass. Anyway, not only was I […]