h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yesterday was such a busy and productive day that I was too knackered and unwilling to venture out in the evening to report on it.

We got in Gerry's van and went through to Cape Town. There we went to the bank where I opened an interest-earning account for the money I made on the sale of the Upington properties. Then I paid Gerry for his work on the flat. Then we went to buy curtains for the sitting room - rich red ones. Then we had breakfast. Then we went looking for shelving units. We eventually found these at the Federated Timbers in Gardens in town. Then we returned to Stellenbosch where we picked up a piece of wood which would become a footboard for my bed (to stop the duvet from falling off the end of the bed in the night). We also mended my car indicator light and got little plastic things to hang the curtains with. And last but not least, we got little panel heaters that you fix to the wall - only 450W and they take the edge off a cold room. One for the study, one for the living room.

We started construction with the bed board. Then we put up the shelves - lovely white shelves to go against the green painted walls. It looks fab. Then we put up the panel heaters. Nice white squares against the interesting colours of the walls that Gerry has painted. Then we put up the curtains. My flat is now looking more like home. We had ostrich burgers for dinner - no cholesterol in ostrich meat apparently. The night before last I treated Gerry to a slap up curry at Bukhara. Lovely. I had lamb vindaloo. They tried to warn me about it but it was vindaloo for wusses - more of a madras than a vindaloo. The kulfi afterwards was absolutely delish, much nicer (and more authentic, I believe) than the flavoured kulfis you get in UK indian restaurants.

I don't think that your average white South African has much idea about hot curry. I say white because Bukhara is an expensive restaurant and I have only seen whites in it. But I have been warned about curries here in two places and they have been absolutely non hot. Huh. There is still the Wang Thai who do the Angry Duck curry, or used to. One day I will go through to Cape Town and go to the Wang Thai in Green Point.

Gerry has gone through to Cape Town this morning (it is half an hour away by car on the N2). He is going to finish the painting later today. I am very, very pleased with the results of his labours. The sitting room/kitchen/passageis the colour of rich egg yolk (almost, one might say, Mustard colour!). The study is a lovely green colour, helped by the white of the shelves and the panel heater, the fitted cupboards and the blind. The bedroom is an interesting khaki colour - can't describe it but it isn't brown, it isn't grey and it isn't green. The bathroom is rich orange with a blue ceiling. Unfortunately most of the bathroom walls are tiled so you don't get that much orange. I suppose we could have painted the tiles but we didn't. I don't think you get very good results when you try to paint tiles. (Yes I know about tile primer.)

We have put up shelves, two panel wall heaters, a footboard for my bed and a pair of lovely rich coloured curtains in the living room. As the wind started blowing last night it was lovely and cozy in the flat. That's why I didn't come out to the internet cafe and write up the day.

I've got to go to Telkom now and see about a telephone installation (again).

Leandre at the body corporate has promised to do something about my flat's parking space. Hope it's soon.

It's raining quite hard at the moment. Thankfully I have my rain hat on and my waterproof jacket and my umbrella. Only my trousers will feel the effect of the rain. Great hat, I have to say.

Hi there Dagesh! I love the colour-scheme for your flat, except perhaps for the khaki bedroom ~ but perhaps it IS more of a man's colour!!

I particularly like the idea of white cupboards against a green wall ~ I have exactly the opposite in my kitchen! I can also recommend PAINTING TILES if the need arises.

In my kitchen, when we moved in, the walls were tiled with a non-descript wishy-washy beigey colour, and the cupboards/units were a wishy-washy pale yellow. I painted the tiles white and the units a bright green, called "springtime", and it looks a whole lot better!

I also painted the wishy-washy pale blue tiles in the bathroom in a rich,dark turquoise called "Pacific".

I'm so glad that the flat is now looking more like home ~ will you be having any sort of "flat-warming" party?? Whilst I'm here, could I ask how Sandile & Monique are getting on??

Hope the day is good to you! 'Bye for now, ~~Misty~~

p.s: Still haven't managed to find the emoticons! When I re-discovered your journal entries I found I was on ~ of all places!! ~ the WW2 Peoples War site ~ don't know quite how that happened!

Gerry arrived the Saturday before last and since then Sandile and Monica have been scarce, as they say. They are keeping a low profile while the work is done on the flat. No doubt I will be seeing more of them once Gerry has gone back to Johannesburg.

I'm glad you like my colour scheme. I actually like the colour of my bedroom - it is an interesting, rich colour.

The flat really does sound homely now Dagesh - all you need now to finish it off is you stuff currently en route and the rest of your furniture (I haven't missed its arrival have I?)

J

No you haven't missed it... it will still take a few weeks. But the weeks are flying by so I will soon have all my stuff in the flat.

Dagesh, the colour scheme!

Pity I didn't know about your taste for rich red curtains. I've got dozens gathering dust in the spare room...