The puppies "found" a snake. Look away now if you are very keen on snakes

Some flowers around Iwura today

Arrived!

Although the flight was delayed by almost an hour I spent it very happily chatting to a guy who works with FlyDubai on the ground doing something technical and whose whole family seem to be pilots.

I whinged quite a lot about previous flights and how it is unfair that Matt's flights always take on time and I never quite manage to arrive in the dark because of delay in the flight or at immigration.

I don't know how Mark (FlyDubai guy) managed it but I slept the whole way, the staff were charming, we parked next to the airport so there was no bus and there was literally no queue at immigration.

So I arrived in the dark and, by the time I had unpacked and found a jumper, I was all wrapped up and watching the sun rise with the puppies (who remember to sit, go down and give the paw!). It's now 6am and I'm going to walk on the new grass in the gradual light and then treat myself to a fabulous shower before a short nap. Then I've got to get to work for a while - I'm quite looking forward to it!

I haven't spoken with Brayen and Julia yet but they are apparently getting aruyvedic treatment and, although the injuries look very painful, they are not in any way life-threatening and both should be completely recovered soon. I'll speak with them later today and find out how they are. I'm not sure exactly where they are and may even visit them if I can be of any assistance.

If you are good at talking pictures please consider yourselves invited (Jamie? Harry?) as I would love someone to capture the light here - every photo I take is a disaster!

Accident!

So I'm off to Sri Lanka in a few hours to get some work done, see the puppies and chill a little.

Sadly I won't be able to see Brayen and Julia as they had a motor-bike accident (no broken bones thank God but bruised, scraped and battered so off to get some aruyvedic treatment with the family).

Luckily Brayen's family are nearby and were able to step in. This means that I won't be left entirely bereft when there (and, of course, I always have the trusty Ramesh to get me places) and they were able to make sure the grass got planted. We have grass!

Not everywhere. But we have grass. And sprinklers so we don't have to water it.

To say I'm excited would be a crazy understatement!

No more sleeps and I'm there...

More on the flower tower

It feels hotter here than in the UAE but that's probably because it's been remarkably chilly in Dubai recently. I mean, the weather has actually been pretty fabulous with lunches outside and drinks outside in the evening equally lovely. 

Here it seems hot and I feel for the workmen doing the outside walls but am, nonetheless, delighted that the outside is finally finished!  Now all we have to do is plumbing, electricity, tiling, putting in mirror and shelves etc. fixing the steps and then finishing it all off by planting flowers in the "pots" built into the building and more around the flower tower itself. And most of the decisions about that can be made this trip. Those of you who know me will not be surprised to hear I've made a list! 

I feel  like these workmen have been maligned by me. It hadn't occurred to me how difficult it must be to get all the tiles to match up when they aren't uniform shapes and how much time it must take. They were actually here early this morning and caught me in the shower!

In other news

1) we're also hoping to cover the back wall with sugar cane. Unless anyone has better ideas?  

2) there seems to be a much pronounced noise of crickets and a reduction in the cawing of crows

3) we've had an influx of white seeds from one of the trees 

4) Brayen and Yuliya successfully got me an extended visa. Hurrah! 

No photos yet as although I am taking them I'm struggling with sharing. I'll probably do so when back in Dubai.  In any case, they aren't great - I wasn't blessed with a good eye but I'm hoping to get others, with more talent and knowledge, to take some better ones soon. You'll be especially amused/annoyed by my attempt to capture what the white seeds look like in case someone can tell me what they are?

Today, Matthew, I'll mostly be....

It's 0541 in Dubai so 0711 here and I'm now safe and sound on the terrace. The puppies have been petted (and then ignored as they tore my dress - do dogs need to get their nails clipped? I'm sitting on the terrace having unpacked and had a bit of a chat Bryan and wandered around looking at trees and the progress. I am now relaxed. 

It is slow but steady. I can't help feeling that it should be possible to do more than one thing at a time but it does like everything is very time-intensive. It's going to take Brayen and Yuliya a few hours to get to Colombo and update my visa. I couldn't bear queuing at the airport after  what was not a great flight as there was a drunk man shouting on the plane.

The outside washroom remains enormous but is being transformed into what will be a "tower of flowers". If the workmen actually turn up today we may even finish the external tiling. And then everybody goes off for a few days for Easter. 

I'm giving myself today off to relax (listen to the Archers, write this, have a shower outside, read my book, do yoga, eat fruit, get chilly and put on a jumper), watch this episode of Corrie (my dirty little secret!) and then tomorrow I'm going to do a day of work. I'm looking forward to it as I've got some interesting things to prepare. There will likely be quite a lot of noise as it's Easter and there are likely to be lots of celebrations. 

Matt arrives on Saturday so I will have delicious food and cocktails  and we can drink the bottle of champagne I bought and read books and talk nonsense and do yoga and get to know each other and plan out the garden and hang out. Hurrah! I might even really try to get the dogs to chase the crows this time. They are so cheeky! Oh, yes and we might do a video for a TV show. Hmmmm.......

We have a Facebook page! You can see the pretty photos here. https://www.facebook.com/iwuraonline

The bomb site

It's lunchtime. 4 hours since work started and 8 hours since I got here and saw this.

Biryanis for all are on their way. Possibly with two more rakes to assist in the raking of the ground.. I doubt it though as I personally tried three places and all sold the business end of a rake but none the handles. Quite frustrating. Especially when the ice-cream you're adding to the biryani bribe is melting in the back of the tuk-tuk. Ramesh, the tuk tuk driver, is a very nice guy who earnestly wants to do well. His utter lack of English and nerves make him a little difficult at times, however and if he had asked me one more time if I really needed a handle for the rakes (each!) I might have lost it.

While they've been working with some great results already, I've been to the bank, met with my lawyer, written a long letter, made a lot of decisions and did a lot of discussing. Bought vegetables and limes and ice and now I'm starting to flag. I've had 2 hours sleep in 31 and today has been quite stressful as I really didn't want to sit in a building site for the next few days which are supposed to be about relaxing after a busy month.

That starts when all of the very good workmen who have been here today leave tonight, not to come back until Monday. And it really starts when M and J arrive tomorrow. 

My toes remain in the most disgusting unpedicured state ever as I have been too busy to get to a salon. I did get the skin nibbling fish treatment for a few minutes whilst waiting to speak to my lawyer (now, you don't get that in Dubai!) and was genuinely disturbed by how many fish could nibble at once. It felt quite peculiar and I want to go back there and do it again after the pedicure that I will be enjoying with J tomorrow.

My next task is to find out how to do that and to try to make an appointment. Everybody I've met so far, bar maybe a few people, seem not to want to plan more than about 3 seconds ahead. I find it infuriating but recognise that that very fact is part of why I love it here. It forces me to slow down.

Still, can't wait to see what they'll have done by nightfall. There will be pictures soon....

It's been a while and things have happened.

So, it's been a long time since I've posted. Mostly because on the few occasions I've made it to Sri Lanka I've focused on relaxing and all the progress has been made in my absence. So you can see what's happening Brayen and Yuliya have sent some photos. We're not finished yet but it's really getting there now and we've even got guests staying at the moment.

Some of the colours seem to have come out weird but I've no idea how to fix that so, to see it for real, I guess you'll have to get on a plane and come visit!

A photo montage update

So, it turns out that Shiny's internet package was not all it could have been and that, on the 19th July or thereabouts, I ran out of "internet juice". It took us some time to realise this was the issue and then upgrading was difficult because the account was still in Shiny's name and changing it took some time too. Those of you who know me well can imagine how much I've hated not being able to use the internet freely. We're now back to normal service it seems although I'm not sure how long for at the moment as I don't really understand how much juice I use or even how to find out. Any ideas?

Anyway, rather than write a long post, I thought I'd share some photos of what's been going on and, of course, the rapidly growing and very cute puppies. 

Yoga

I had a comment on another post asking what had happened with yoga. Well, it turns out that there are no yoga teachers based in Negombo or, at least, if they are here they don't answer their phone or respond to email. However there are quite a few in Colombo who are prepared to travel. I've now got a fabulous woman called Jasmine who comes here and we are prepared to open the class to others so just let me know. We'll also have some people coming from a centre in Colombo so that we should be able to get daily or almost daily classes in the gorgeous "shack".

Let me know if you're interested!

Today is a good day.

Warning: only read this post if you are interested in the minutiae of my life. A friend pointed out that I will forget the pain involved in doing this and so I just want a record of the progress and this seems like a great place to put it.

Every day right now is full of things getting better. I worked all day yesterday on business things and so didn't really notice what was going on. (Except for the puppies of course who do take a lot of attention but are doing great and starting to pee where they should. We go for little walks around and say hello to people and the rubber chicken is now used as a "bad dog" sound. Very effectively. Sorry Monica!)

So it was a great surprise just now to wander around and see what has happened in a day and a bit.

We've got half of the ceiling in the living room done and it looks SO much better. The kitchen is all painted and we're nearly ready to unpack everything we've bought. We don't have all the shelf space we need yet but we're close now to having the living room area back and that's where all the glasses etc. will go. The necessary bathroom accoutrements have been bought and the man is to come in the next couple of days to finish all of that. Today or tomorrow the rain screens go on and then shortly after the fence and the window coverings arrive. All the time the painter is staining and polishing and varnishing and making clean. It's lovely. Soon we'll be able to focus on the even more fun stuff like finishing off the massage table and the massage room, putting in our slide and making a barbecue. We already have a few pots and more are on the way so soon we'll be planting herbs and flowers.

What I really like about this place is the way people turn up and say things like "ooh, you should put bamboo there" or "what about hammocks" and I think, "yes, that's a great idea" and we make it so.

I'll take a video and post it soon for those of who can bear it.

I'm mobile!

I have spent 4 years without a car, public transport or a bicycle. I live in Dubai and don't want the hassle of driving and, although the metro is a great service, I usually use taxis. This is especially true during the Summer months when even the 2 minute walk from the metro to where I'm going is horrid.

Here in Sri Lanka the equivalent is the 3-wheeler or tuk-tuk and they're great so I won't get a car here. I'd love to get a tuk-tuk but apparently it's quite a complicated procedure here (unlike India I'm told). So it's a motorbike or bicycle. Obviously it's not going to be a motorbike as I'm a complete physical coward  so it's a bicycle.

Last night I tried the painter's old sit-up-and-beg and was immediately transported back to Japan and China and using the bike to get around for the basic daily runaround. So I asked Brayen and his Dad to keep an eye out. This morning at 0730 they turned up with a bike. We need to attach a bell and a basket but I've already been out to the main road and it was gorgeous.

Cycling is the perfect way to get around. You glide past at a sensible pace - allowing you to see and hear what's going on around you and keep going with just a smile and a wave or, alternatively, stop and get involved. And so many other people are also on bikes that the dogs seem to accept it. I immediately felt closer to the community too.

There are no photos because I still don't have a mirror. I have now not seen myself for over a week. And, as a friend pointed out, it's probably just as well. I've got a party tomorrow and I don't know if I want to meet any more new people whilst looking like Shrek!

The puppies are alive

Everyone says so I have to have a dog and I suppose I even quite like the idea which, given how scared I am of dogs, is rather strange. I decided to get a rescue dog as that seems like a good thing to do and Martin Fullerton, my real estate guy, runs a charity that does this as well as other excellent things with stray dogs and cats.Martin runs a few businesses as well and, although he is very kind and always takes a call, getting a gap in his schedule so he can show me some dogs was hard. 

But then last night I got a call saying that 5 female puppies had been abandoned earlier in the day in a shopping bag outside a foreign lady's house and would I like one. 

Of course I said yes as it seemed like fate that, just as the house becomes properly habitable, young (like 4 week old we think) puppies turn up needing a habitable house. Although, to be honest, I was not remotely prepared and so the poor puppies have spent the evening on a bit of cardboard and a (very nice rug like) door mat for comfort. I have done some research now and have got some idea of what I need to do but they are under the age anybody seems to write about because they should, by rights, still be with their mother.

I have never really got the idea of animals and sharing a house with them. So I won't be. They are going to be purely outside dogs and I'm going to do everything possible to make sure they are properly trained. This is particularly important as I am, of course, a big scaredy-cat and scared not just of dogs but also of kittens. Although this fear (hatred?) of cats may mean I live longer according to this article  which shows that cats will do anything to get us. 

Training has already started which will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me! I have no treats to offer them yet so I've been using affection and attention. Everything I've read makes it seem just like training a kid but with the complication that they use an entirely different language. I was going to write "and their brains work differently" but I think they're not that difficult to the average kid - they want to feel secure and looked after, to know what the rules are because they are applied consistently and be left alone a lot to get on with things. 

Anyway, I will go out today and buy all the accoutrements and get a vet to come and visit them. Then  I'll feel a lot more confident. 

UPDATE: The vet is coming at 1 and, as I was waiting for the photos to download, I went it to play and one of the Puppies (currently called Dopey/Hidey) is actually a boy. Hmmm.

UPDATE 2: Both puppies are female it seems. It also seems I'm not good at telling the difference. You may get photos of this too soon. We have lots of accoutrements for them and soon we'll have a home. Thanks to Lankalogger. 

Some more photos of progress...

https://picasaweb.google.com/100962707179505090108/SomeMoreProgress

Some photos

These show the progress made before my arrival. Things have moved on even more since then but, right now, we're back in the worse before its better phase except for the "shack". Anyway, if you want to see the photos you can do so here.

Some photos

These show the progress made before my arrival. Things have moved on even more since then but, right now, we're back in the worse before its better phase except for the "shack". Anyway, if you want to see the photos you can do so here.

The continuing progress..

Hurrah. Clearly I'm now connected which is another big step forward. The electricians turned up and there are lights most places (with shades) although there's quite a few still waiting as it turns out that I've gone a bit light crazy. They're coming again today I hear.

The girls tidied up the "shack" and drinks were drunk with LankaLogger and her lovely husband. I think I might have fallen very lucky here as they got stuck into the Negroni and none of us got finish a story without interruptions and digressions (on their part, sensible and erudite. Sitting on soft cushions with lights, overlooking the lagoon was pretty great too and I continued to do that for quite some time after they left, munching on the delicious, crusty home-made bread they kindly brought. If you want to learn about the difficulties/fun of cooking here then have a look at this. 

Although we can't unpack them yet as the kitchen still needs painting, all of the essentials for the kitchen are now bought, including an enormous mortar and pestle and a ridiculous number of spice jars. There are also some fun things like bowls/glasses made of coconut with little tops through which you can put a coconut spoon or a straw and some things that I can't imagine using but absolutely needed like a think for making string hoppers. The fact they're all still packed means no photos but also means that, when we finally get to do so, it will be like Christmas. I now own a lot of pots and bowls and tupperware type things in what, as I understand it, will be a constant battle against ants. 

I'm going to clean some cupboards today or, actually, get someone else to do it and then I'm going to have fun filling them with things.

And the ceiling man is coming today so, by the end of today or, at worst, Monday, there will be proper ceilings in the main house and nice, clean fans installed. 

We've also got, and I hope you'll forgive my indelicacy, a new lavatory and sink for the main bathroom as the sickly blue colour of the previous set made me feel ill. I also need to change the lavatory in the cabana as it is broken. A fact that came to light when the tiling was being done.That means that I have just got rid of a lavatory from the property (here since Shiny) and now I'm going to have to live with two more for another week until the bin men come next Friday. Bathroom should be done by Monday evening.

Tomorrow Brayen's mum and dad go off on a shopping trip. They will come back with tables made from one huge tree; pallets matching the "shack" to make a fence of, coconut leaf matting to repair the shack roof (bought from some poor old lady they like apparently); screens for when it rains and some big pots we'll use when we get gutters and rain things as well as as water containers in the bathrooms (plastic bins don't do it for me). These things should be in situ by Wednesday and the external light fixtures will be done by then too.

Sunday will be dead. And then it will all start again on Monday. If the painter turns up and the carpenter has done the screen then by Wednesday I should be able to have my first massage in the "shack" on the lagoon. As I've been dreaming of for so long! 

Then it'll be about finding a sofa and organising a yoga class and unpacking. This really has been quite a project and coordinating things is something we're all getting better at.  The book may have to wait a week or two!

I'm baaacckkk!

Well, not yet but I will be arriving very early on 4 July and it seems likely that I'll be returning to a house that is newly electrified, plumbed, cleaned and painted. Hurrah! Not everything will be ready but it'll be a very different experience from the last time I was there and I can't wait. And there will soon be a dog too. That's a lot of responsibility for a commitment phobe. And, given how scared I was by the kitten, things could get ugly. Eeek!

Worse before it gets better. Inshallah.

Another expat living in Negombo, Lankalogger, got in touch through the blog recently and I was rude enough to ask for her help in seeing what is happening at my place. She very kindly cycled over and took these photos. See what I mean about "worse before it gets better"?