Wednesday, June 22, 2011

LET THERE BE LIGHTS!! AND HOT WATER AND...

We have had our electricity on for three weeks now, and loving it!
Here are photos of the men hauling one of the three massive cement column across a rice field that will be erected to carry our electric lines and and the electricity being hooked up. It was a joyous day in early June when the lights were turned on and we could have hot water around the clock!
Here are pictures of our house at night--looks good doesn't it?

We have spent the past few weeks putting the final touches and details on the house before we head back to the States for the summer.

The other thing we have been doing is planting a garden. This entails talking with a gardener, telling him what we want and him bringing in fully grown trees, bushes and plants of varied shapes, colors and sizes.  It is truly amazing how fertile and moist the soil is--just take anything with or without roots, 
 stick it in the ground, water it and watch it grow. Along with the garden is the planting of our lotus pond with lotus plants and waterlilies--so beautiful! Also the fish ponds with koi and a few other fish--a few have died, but we will persevere and new ones will arrrive shortly.

We have so many flowering 
plants and bushes, I can't 
imagine what the garden 
will look like when we 
return at the end of the 
summer.

Barbara has been working those vacation web sites getting us rentals for the summer, and we have been training the staff to take care of them in a gracious and professional manner--not hard for the Balinese.
It's funny how easy it has been getting used to living with housekeepers and a gardener.  Every day our house is cleaned, laundry is done and if we want meals, well they can be cooked for us.  Sometimes we ask Made' to cut vegetables if we plan to eat at home or have guests for dinner. Last week we made dinner for 10 and with Made's help it was easy.
This Saturday we're hosting the movie club again and we'll serve roast chicken, corn/cob, cole slaw and potato salad for a pre-July 4th dinner.


Note:  It has been since last September since either of us has drunk wine--the local wine is not drinkable and, although one can purchase imported wines they are priced too high to be worth the purchase.  So we don't drink much except for the inexpensive rice or palm wine--not bad if mixed with lime juice and soda water and cheap.


Our lives as ex-pats have been going along very well. We have made friends with some very interesting, well traveled people, mostly Americans, but also a really cool, fascinating Corsican woman and a few Aussies.  We have started a weekly dinner--movie--discussion  group which is up to 10 people, and we have seen some great old movies, eaten some excellent meals and had some fun and lively discussions.  


We also attend music events (mostly local bands of all kinds of music) and lectures at small venues, our weekly trivia night at a popular ex-pat restaurant and, of course most nights are at one of our favorite restaurants then usually home to watch a movie. 
 
So, the house is finished and 
awaiting  all the paying guests this summer so we can go back to the States and visit with kids and friends.  It has been an interesting, educational and exciting 8 months and we are very pleased with the house and love living in it.


So when are you coming to visit?


Hope you all have a great, fun summer.