Come rain, come shine

Today, Wed 12 is supposed to be the day our crate of stuff finally gets here. But as I write, no phonecall yet. So I wait. I will be glad to get some different clothes, but it’s funny; I can’t really remember what else is coming in the 18 boxes I dutifully signed for on 5 November. I am looking forward to seeing the wedding pics again of course and also some pics of nights out with The Sisterhood. It will be good to hear some of our CDs as well and get a fresh supply of books. But I can’t see how that takes up 18 boxes! Apparently, looking at the insurance inventory, I have 8 handbags coming! I have survived here on one samsonite travel pouch and the fab sparkly evening bag I got from The Sisters when I left work. As for all the rest, it is amazing what you can do without when needs must. I have resolutely refused to buy things I know are coming, to the extent we were using the tiny tubes of free airline toothpaste until I relented last week!
There is a great hubbub about the estate today as various tradesman try to sort out the chaos caused by rain. Yesterday, we had a violent rainstorm at about 4pm and apparently some carports collapsed at the apartment blocks on the other side of the estate, one of which went through someone’s living room window. And all the drains in the street were blocked with builders’ debris causing huge floods to gardens. When I went out to pick up Les it was like driving down a river. In the town, all the locals who were walking about were in their bare feet, with shoes balanced on their heads. Some wore plastic shopping bags as hats, actually looking quite stylish in the way they were tied! Across the road, the rain has lifted all our neighbour’s patio bricks so they are being relaid now. As we are on the “high” side of the street, we had no problem, but the water was very near the front door of those across the way. One lady opened her garage doors front and rear to let the torrent through! However, by the time I got to Les work, 15-20 minutes from here, it was hot and dusty, no rain at all. And by the time we got home, it had dried up here too, apart from the flood at the entrance caused by the blocked drains. Even the hilly street which was like a river was completely dry! Amazing! I’m sure Les thinks I was imagining the whole thing!
We had a surprise yesterday; we have now had the car a month and when the leaser called to find out if things were OK, he told Les the car we had was to be replaced with a new one! Wow! I’ve only just learned to cope with this one! However, it is exactly the same, just a lighter shade of silver grey and fewer kilometres on the clock.
We stopped to let the gate man know, he had already noticed the different numberplate and came out of his wee box to check who was entering. I must say the security seems to be excellent; on Sunday afternoon we were sitting outside when we heard our neighbour bawling to the gate which is a couple of houses behind us. Apparently he had received a call from his uncle, coming to visit unannounced and he had been refused entry! Neighbour: “Why you don’t let that car in?” Gateman: “I don’t know where is he going” Neighbour: “He is coming here” Gateman: “Where is there?” Neighbour: “Here, at my house” Gateman “Which house? What number?” Neighbour: “Why you need the number?” Gateman: “To send him there” Neighbour: ”He’s my uncle, he knows where is my house” Gateman: “Which is your house” Neighbour: “Just let him in now” (Neither has English as first language) At this point we were laughing so much I had to go indoors incase the neighbour heard us! By the way, we have video entryphones which apparently connect to the gate!