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