Another 10 days gone!

I was lucky enough to see this amazing sight the other day, but unlucky enough to only have my little point and shoot and not to be on the roof for once - we were just leaving because of the rain. Still it was quite incredible to see.... Hope you enjoy it too







Well here it is Thursday already and the last couple of weeks seem to have flown by. The house is progressing, painting being the order of the day and colours almost settled. Preparation of the walls has taken the longest time, but the ceilings are now completed and looking fabulous and the walls will be started on Saturday or Sunday. Only a couple of colours to choose.

Some of the curtain fabric has also been purchased at last and is with the maker, we have decided to leave the main reception curtains until last, they are expensive and we figured we'd wait until all the furniture etc. was in and make a final choice.

The last of the plumber's requirements have been bought, the jacuzzi bath will be delivered on Saturday and the plumber will commence work then too. We'll go looking for lights on Sunday. The windows and glass doors have been delivered and are awaiting installation when the painter finishes. The carpenter has mostly finished will be back to put the door handles on when the painter has completed staining them etc.

All the appliances are also being delivered on the weekend to await the plumber and then the kitchen installation. So there will be a huge amount happening in the next 2 weeks if all is to be finished for me to move in. I only have my place in Mohandaseen until the 15th March.

This week has been a big week for Masry as he has taken delivery of the first two vehicles as a beginning for the new tour company and they are now all ready to begin work tomorrow. It's wonderful to see him so happy and excited. This also meant that I didn't see him for 2 days this week and a fairly boring two days they were - I am out of reading material and am reading David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas for the third time! It's a great book but really.... We tried to find a bookshop today near my place but like many things one tries to find in Egypt it was a failed attempt even though we drove the entire length of the street in peak traffic... There are 5 TV channels in English and sometmes there are good things but quite a few of the shows have seasons behind Oz and the movies have been seen before. I must admit that occasionally I get something really good however, it's just pot luck. Masry says when I go back to Australia in May I can bring back heaps of books - he might be sorry he said that when he sees the bill for the excess baggage!!!

Anyway, have been here a couple of hours now and better go, Friday tomorrow so it's mosque day for Mohammad and I won't see him until after 2.00 pm. So I get to do my housework and washing - lucky me!

Hope all is well at home

love to everyone

Lyndall

Mohandaseen

The hairdresser over the road



Out my kitchen window



The living area



The living area, classic style Egyptian furniture included



My bedroom




Net the doorman cleaning a car outside the front gate. Taken from my bedroom window so you can see what I mean about being on the footpath,almost literally!

The house - next stage

Looking from the dining area back towards the entryway - all the ceramic down and beautiful




Looking towards the dining and office areas




Main living area looking towards the balcony





The toilet off the main living area




The main or "big" bathroom




The ensuite




Looking from the bedroom down the hall to the kitchen




The bedroom looking towards the pyramids from the doorway




My "office" in the main bedroom now the tiles are down

House pictures stage 2

There's more to come but blogger has just died on me for today and won't upload any more images....




The tiles go up in the "big bathroom"





The big bathroom without the floor etc. but the walls done



The tiler and his offsider at work in the living area - known as reception or the hall in Egypt





The ceramics man's offsider makes us some tea

House photos at last - beginning at the beginning

The main entrance is at the side of the building



The living area looking out to the balcony



The bare kitchen entrance - without ceramics...



The men have set up a very makeshift kitchen for brewing the Egyptian essential - tea



The cement and bricks and tiles (and sand of course) all sit and wait in the entryway




The kitchen walls are done and the fancy glass rests while it waits for the doors to be made



The view from the roof towards the southwest back across the estate



The doorman's little girl - very cute



Across the road and up one is my local general store...




Our side of the building from the outside - the top two balconies are ours

More photos from Egypt

Headed home through the back streets after a hard day's work at the pyramids



On the street beside the car wash (all done by hand for next to nothing. The bananas are grown between Cairo and Alex and are excellent.




A glimpse of a tok tok as it buzzed by - note the decorations on the windscreen



The building sort of next door goes up floor by floor - this is how they do it in Egypt - each floor is hand mixed and poured by the way...




Roasted sweet potato - delicious!



McDelivery? Yes McDonalds comes home delivered and it really is called McDelivery!



One of the main intersections along El Nil Corniche, taken from high up in the Ramses Hilton. Note the traffic on the flyover



The more the merrier



Traffic in Faysal Street , Al Haram (Pyramids) area



Cafe life - men only usually - enjoying the sheesha




The bazaar (yes, a market really is called a bazaar.) Seeing the guys ride around on pushbikes with the trays of bread on their heads is incredible - amazing balance as they weave quickly through the traffic and pedestrians.

Egypt - photos

Just as I sometimes see them



My view of the pyramids from the roof - in sunshine and shadow - it's ever-changing and yet never-changing



Watching the world go by


At the front of the new library of Alexandria



The Nile by night




The pyramids are everything you imagine




Near the pyramids - there's lots of donkeys used for carts and as personal transportation in this area. My feeling is that this young lady was fetching water.

More pictures later

I've finally found a net cafe near home so I can come and do stuff without fighting the traffic!!! However, image upload is really slow so not many up tonight. Will probably come each evening and do a bit now it's simpler, so stay tuned for more images.

Love to all

Lyndall

House photos

Taking it easy on the bedroom balcony



The doorman's wife with a friend and chilren