Some icky things have happened over the last few days. My computer keeling over with no notice, the removal of kittens from engine bays three times, the constant financial hiccups and discovering they were probably my own fault, realising that there was no way the phd was going in when due, weird dreams that probably mean I'm homesick, and to top it finding one of the kittens dead in the engine bay of the blue car; after I'd been driving it around all morning. It took 20 minutes for the lovely men at our local service station to extract the body and I was a touch pathetic. I know it isn't my fault, but that doesn't help very much.
Anyway, I need to concentrate on some good and lovely things. So here they are:
1. Thanks to the wonders of technology, I have talked to fabulous friends for long stretches (thank-you google-talk), had random phone conversations and sms's from James and George as they travel round the USA (thank-you viber) and got to chat with my mum and dad when I felt like it (thank-you NAWRAS even though you cost me lots - it's all worth it)
2. I have a fabulous husband who let me have a very cute kitten (not the one in the engine thank goodness!)
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| Said husband after work with Bundle |
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| Helping quietly (for once) |
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| Impossibly cute from afar |
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| Impossibly cute close up |
3. My house is slowly becoming a home as things get added, such as:
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| Carpets, and plants and blinds |
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| More plants! |
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| Curtains! |
The curtains and blinds have made a huge difference in the house. They keep everything cooler and look great. The large blind is still waiting for Elmer the Curtain man's scaffolding man to come and help him put it up. The Roman blinds in the entry look gorgeous and don't detract from the rather dramatic light and dark contrasts; the little pleated blinds are just plain cute. The other curtains add a splash of colour in otherwise stark, white rooms and the echo's are slowly receding.
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| One of a pair of Afghani woven wool carpets |
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| Did I mention carpets? The Afghani knotted wool carpet in the study |
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| A working study! Check out the Ikea bookshelves! Hours of entertainment for one little kitty! |
4. I get to collect more rocks, shells and coral!!!!!
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| from Sawadi Beach |
5. I can count to ten in Arabic - slowly, but I can - all I have to do now is learn to spell them in their transliterated form. sigh.
WaaHid
Itnain
Talaatah
ArbaAah
Khamsah
Sittah
SabaAah
Tamaanyah
TisAah
Aasharah
Thank-you all for listening :-) I feel much better now.
Love your ramblings and look forward to reading them when they come in. Thank you for the wonderful prose. Looks like it is all coming together amazingly fast. Having spent most of my youth moving (10 moves in 15 years) you are awesome in that you look so organized already. Keep up the good work and smile :)
ReplyDeleteHugs from all of us. Nic/Lillian
I still think you two are very brave to do this. I'd certainly have some down moments. I hope you have many more up ones though. Oh, and Carpets! I do like a nice carpet. I'd probably aquire many if I was there :-)
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to let you know that this week you've made my week.
ReplyDeleteI wore your beautiful orange elizabethan dress for the day at May Crown, and we got some great pics of us all looking almost Elizabethan at the fire. I shocked the life out of many who thought that I just didn't come in a late period flavour - lots of double takes/lack of recognizing going on - felt like I was in stealth mode :) It was still a bit uncomfortable, but oh the splendour of wearing ORANGE!!
Also your meanderings are lovely. I'm so excited for your adventure, and I feel for the first time like the Middle East isn't just somewhere in the middle where people speak arabic, but where real people live and have adventures every day. You've shown me just how beautiful it can be through your rocks, coral, photographs, home, kitten...
Six weeks in to my PhD, I'm astonished you had so much time to look after us all while you were here, and while you were providing so much love and encouragement to your music students. I'm excited that the end is in sight, even if it isn't by some arbitrary date. Its a huge achievement, and the longer I'm at this, the more I realise it.
Your house is looking beautiful. As is your latest family member. And you should know that Brooke looked beautiful at Crown - I even had someone ask me if I could help them look like her, which i know she couldn't have done without your mentorship over the last few years. Much credit to both you and Brooke for setting the bar so beautifully high on what Italian should look like now. (I sent them back to ask Brooke for help - I hope they did!)
So although we miss you and David terribly, I just wanted you to know that you are still providing an inspiring example from so very far away, and that you are loved very much.
Lots of love -
portia