Well, the big container finally made it's way here, all the way from Wembley Downs via Malaga, Singapore and Durban! Quite incredible really to see your worldly possessions being pulled out of a massive container half way across the world. I never quite realised the complexity of the worldwide removalist and shipping industry.
Leaving our temporary accommodation came not a moment too soon. After William and I were confined to bed rest with a nasty lurgy in the last week, the walls of that apartment were getting just a little too close! Aside from that, the drains in the place had a serious pong about them, and I had had enough of using a mismatched array of semi-clean kitchen implements. We still had the view over the waterfront which was some consolation, but the lack of our own space was doing our heads in!
So, it's goodbye to the TuziGazi Waterfront and hello to the Mzingazi Golf Estate!
From the Outside
This is a view of our house from the driveway. The bedrooms are on the first floor with a lovely shared balcony. Double garage down below, which will probably never be tidy enough to actually house our car. At the moment it is serving as the laundry, pack house, second toy room and general junk area. Nothing new there.
And below is a view taken down the street, at the end of which is the beautiful Mzingazi Lake. Lovely spot to walk or run around, and many people seem to get around the place in their personal golf carts. The kids next door were picked up in a golf cart to head up to the Country Club for dinner last night - very civilised, especially as it's only about a 500m walk. We haven't come across any rogue hippo yet, although there is a sign at the end of the street warning us that it is their territory.
And Inside
Step into the living area with the dining room and kitchen in the background. We've actually splashed out and bought a second television for William's play room, as I can't stand the sound of the Wii. As I write there are kids playing on it (loudly), so I'm confident the purchase was a wise one. As one of the few homes in Perth with only one television in it, I'm already concerned with what South Africa has done to us...
Aside from the fact that our dining table in Perth weighs about 2 tonnes, we weren't entirely sure it would fit in the allocated space, so we picked up this little number from our friendly local Scandinavian goods store before we left.
Ikea has yet to hit the shores of South Africa, but I have no doubt that whoever brings in the franchise will be eating silver lined boerwoers for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
So, here's our room. Not sure why the previous renters left behind their beautiful LOVE mirrors on the wall - I guess they just really work in this room. I'm thinking of sourcing some more relevant letters, that spell words like SLEEP or SNORE which is what tends to happen a bit more often in our room these days.
And William's bedroom is much the same, although you'll note the distinct lack of carpet in the place which makes me frightened of the impending summer. Apparently all houses in this area are tiled, as the carpet would just turn to mould with the wet season's humidity. Ugh, I'm feeling sluggish already.
Kids, kids and more kids!
One of the great things about this place is the number of kids around! The street is very quiet and safe and William has found a bunch of boys on tap to play with - all you have to do is walk out of your house and within 5 minutes, another kid from somewhere on the street has joined you. Of course they've all been through our house to inspect the new toys, and so far we have come up with universal approval. Pictured below is the first Saturday morning in our driveway - couple of kids playing marbles, a few scooting, and of course, if you look closely, you'll see the car cleaner over the road polishing the neighbour's already immaculate vehicle.
 |
| Eugene is the young marble player in front of William. He also goes to Grantleigh and was one of the first kids we met here. |
 |
Yet another Skylander's tragic has been revealed to us in Seth (pictured above) who lives just across the street. After 5 minutes of being at our house, Seth declared that he and William could be best friends, and WIlliam was in firm agreement. They've spent close to every waking moment with each other since.
The little accents and comments all around are a constant source of amusement to us. William asked last night if he could play outside for a bit longer, and I said, "Ok, twenty more minutes". The response from his little playmate as they both ran out into the street was hilarious, "Man, you are so lucky, my parents only ever give me 5 more minutes"
And so...
... we feel like we have arrived in some sort of tropical paradise, complete with monkeys prancing around on our side wall of an evening. The house is great (and the drains don't smell), we've got a few bits and pieces that make it feel like home, and William has landed in some kind of play date heaven. So aside from a few paintings and photos which still need to be hung, we are now very settled and loving the place. It's almost a shame we've got so many weekends away planned.
