A box of wood

It’s Friday – a beautiful day, quite warm – and Masry has collected me at 2.00 pm after prayers at the mosque and there are a few things to do, hopefully to finish off a few things and bring a smile to everyone’s face!

Masry has been busy since I said goodnight to him yesterday evening – the car has been cleaned (mind you he gets it cleaned every few days and it’s always immaculate) – he’s bought the diaries for the Coasters and is ready for action. I notice the diary has a world map in the back; I can’t help but check out Australia and find it interesting that in this Egyptian diary, mostly in Arabic, the City of the Gold Coast is on the map. Masry notices me looking – “looking for your children” he says and he’s right of course. But the main thing I notice is that it’s a long way away.

I have finished Cloud Atlas this morning and now I really have nothing to read. I absolutely refuse to read anything I have yet AGAIN. I can nearly recite some of the handful of books I have by heart I think. After our abortive attempt to find La Maison Francaise in Degla Street yesterday, Masry had wanted me to bring the phone number so I have my copy of Egypt Today with all the bookshop phone numbers in it and sure enough the bookshop is supposed to be at 28 Degla.

So Masry says ring them and after I dial the number and get a recorded message – I’m supposed to put 02 in front of the number in the book, how am I supposed to know this I wonder – Masry dials it and gives it back to me. The conversation goes something like this:

Me: Hello, do you speak English?
Man on the other end of the phone: Yes, I speak English
Me: That’s great. Are you the bookshop in Degla Street?
Man: Degla Street Mohandaseen, yes
Me: So can you tell me please, do you have books in English?
Man: No – books?
Me: Yes books. So, only Arabic and French?
Man: Yes. Box?
Me: Books, you have books in Arabic and French?
Man: Box, you want a box? A box of wood.
Me: Books!
Man: Yes box, you want box? A box of wood?
Me: (Looking kind of bemused I think) Books! Books!
Masry: Give me the phone
Masry – some Arabic that I can basically understand as “Do you have books in English and French etc.”
A short conversation follows and Masry hangs up
Me: So no books in English? He kept asking me did I want a box of wood…
Masry: No, no books. I ask him about the books and he says – what are you talking about? This is a furniture shop!

Hysteria - well almost, tears at least. It’s not a bad way to start the day even if we still haven’t located a bookshop!

It’s been a good day. The voile was bought for the curtain sheers and all the lights except one bedroom also chosen and bought, a good price and very nice, although very classic in style and ornate with lots of gold and bulbs like candles. We delivered those to the house and checked out the ceilings again – they still look great!

And the first vehicle went out on its first job – the beginning of something grand and great I hope for Mohammad.

So now there’s hardly anything left to buy – drain covers, a doorbell, a peephole lens for the door, the big bathroom cabinet and some bits and bobs like soap holders and a mirror for the small bathroom. And then when all that’s done and the furniture has been bought the curtains for “reception” to be made. We’ve chosen the design but the fabric needs to be purchased and the curtains made. You’ll notice how I brush off buying the furniture so easily even though not all of it has been chosen.  But it will all work out. Today I am a total optimist. Like I said, it’s been a good day!

Love to everyone

Lyndall

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