We received the keys to our house yesterday!
As you can see, this is more a promise of progress than a signal that the house is actually ready to move in - bricks and mortar still visible on the outside, guttering only present on one sixth of the roof, and the Jojo tank not so much connected as... well... roughly positioned in place. Our toilet is still nowhere near ready, and the rain tank for the shower is not even on the property yet.
However, it is still progress, and progress that we are excited about. It means we can start measuring for shelves, curtains and security gates. Once we've had a few minor tweaks added to the inside (like the ladder for the loft... probably fairly important) we will even start slowly transfering possessions, so that the actual MOVE is less stressful.
This is the view from our future bedroom window... soon to be curtained with beautiful blue Shweshwe fabric. Don't worry, neither of us will be sewing - apparently Mama Umfundisi (pastor's wife) is happy to get a bit of extra income doing this kind of project.
We got the fabric on a long hot day trip to Mthatha: here's a picture of Jo part way through... Can you see the joy and excitement? Mthatha was definitely an education in and of itself - but we still managed to have some wonderful interactions which made the trip worthwhile (not to mention some essential city-supplies, and a lunch date at Mugg & Bean).
We also managed to do our health checks for Discovery, and get new bank cards before ours expired. All those little chores which you take for granted in the city, but which require a 12 hour day trip out here. No kidding.
Where were we... ah yes, a micro house tour. This is our kitchen:
Key features include a sink (no water yet, but we have faith!), a window (which caused a lot of boring trouble and drama which you should be happy that we're not sharing) and some sturdy plywood cupboards - more, and nicer, than we anticipated. Though we might add a few more shelves. You never know.
And how can I forget the neighbours. Though they are a bit on the nosy side...
Anyhow, for now we are just doing what we do, and possessing our souls in patience. There is no hurrying a rural building project! In the meantime, we are enjoying our various jobs - but more on that in a later post - and staying committed to at least half an hour of walking or running every evening.
How can we not, when we are rewarded with these kinds of vistas, even on rainy evenings? (The village/hospital/community centre is behind the trees to the right, and our future house lies somewhere to the left).
Until we write again!
Joanna and Adam