School UN Assembly

Guess what? I'm in the school library again!

This morning DD very proudly flew the flag for Great Britain in the school United Nations assembly which took place this morning. In the rush to get here on time, with her in costume I left my camera at home again but hope that the ones I took on my phone will be OK...errr when I can work out how to transfer them to computer!! There were teams of three to flag carry for each country and luckily DD had two older girls with her to actually carry the flag. She was really brave at first but then slightly overcome as the enormonity of walking through a room with a noisy cheering audience of 600+ dawned on her. She did so well and undertook her duty with great aplomb. Photos to follow, fingers crossed.

Scrap Last Post - I Lied...

...albeit unintentionally. Our sea shipment didn't materialise, it's "allegedly" ready for delivery now but I'm beginning to realise that you have to learn to expect things when they actually happen. So, whenever. Whatever.

We moved into the house a week ago and as of today we have been here 4 weeks. We have no Internet connection and probably won't have for at least another week. I dropped DD at school and one of the other mums suggested I use a computer in the library - way hey! Didn't realise I could, so at least I can do a few things like check email, check the news, weather, blog etc

It's been great being in the house, even though we are sitting on boxes. I can at least cook meals other than pasta now, don't get me wrong pasta is one of the best culinary inventions EVER but after 3 weeks solid of the stuff and exhausting all the sauce variations I could think of even DS was beginning to complain!

So, 4 weeks in and we're settling down, we have a routine, we have more settled stomachs, we have a red meat/wine/beer supplier, we have the rainy season and I'm beginning to find my way around this city...well I can get from home to school to shop to bakery to deli to fruit and veg shop via a shoe shop...not bad going! I'm going to attempt to get to a Mall this afternoon as I need some books.

And the Good News Is...

Our sea shipment could be with us by the end of the week!!

We weren't expecting it until first or so week in November but it turns out that it reached Colombo in Sri Lanka last week and has been re-loaded and, all being well the ship docks in Chennai tomorrow. Originally it was going via Singapore and then to here but I'm not complaining! DH has had a good go at talking round the bureaucracy that rules the Port Authorities of Chennai and if we're canny we may be able to go and do all the necessaries and have some home comforts by the weekend! OK so now I'll just take a reality check and admit to myself that 1) We're in lovely India. 2) Things never go according to plan. 3) There will be a 'Jobsworth' or three to contend with. 4) Indian Customs & Excise are allegedly b*****s for red tape and extremely thorough - hmmm could take time.

Whatever happens sooner rather than later will be a REAL BONUS!

Tomorrow is D Day

We have....
Curtains (upstairs anyway) - Check
Fridge, oven, water & coolers, all doing their stuff - Check
Air-con - Check
Beds, rented - hard as nails - Check
Some towels and linen - Check
TV - Check
Cbeebies on Tata Sky - Check
Playroom with some toys - Check
Well stocked store cupboard - we can enjoy pasta with various sauces and can do beans on toast - Check
Basic cooking utensils - Check
Some cutlery & crockery - Check
Diesel for the back-up generator - Check
Insect screens - Check
Something hard and impracticle to sit on until comfy furniture arrives - check
Somewhere to sit and eat, draw, colour and stick - Check

So, what, you may ask are we waiting for? I think we should take the plunge and move into the house tomorrow as I just want to get this show on the road and settle into the house. We just need pest control to come and do their stuff which will hopefully be tomorrow.

And now I feel bad....Bindu, our housekeeper/caretaker/maid in the apartment has just asked me if we are leaving tomorrow and I've told him yes, and he's now very upset. :-(

Our Little Housemate

Hope you can see him/her!

This is one of our little Gecko's that periodically run up and down the walls and ceilings in the house much to the delight of DS who tries his level best to catch them but they're way too fast.

I found a baby one in a box in the playroom the other day and as they are good housemates to have (they eat the nasties ...err well, I hope they do) I carefully took it to the front door and popped it outside...where it sadly lay on it's back with feet in the air. While I was peering at it in disbelief because I'd really been so careful, one of the security guards wanders over and declares "Dead Madam". Oh b***** I thought.

5 minutes later it's time to collect DD from school and as I come out of the front door I guiltily glance down to my left and the little blighter was nowhere to be seen, gone, disappeared! What a wise little chap it was and must have been 'playing dead' to save itself. Clever little Gecko!

Coming Through, Coming Through...TV on a Bike

This time I had my camera at the ready when our TV was delivered yesterday. It did not look as ridiculous on the back of the bike, just imagine a 6ft High , 3ft wide fridge on the back!

This is such a good example of India, the land of contrasts, the latest technology being delivered by old technology.

Work In Progress

I finally found the camera cable and I will also insert some photos into a couple of older posts.
In the meantime here are some photos of the house and the on-going work in the garden.

The front is now looking quite tidy

Working on the pool. They had made great progress this week but things slowed a bit again today after 3 of the workers ended up in jail after a boozy holiday day and a brawl!

These ladies are sorting out the 'good' grass for planting