Oman: house update

Mrs M got into a bit of a tizzy yesterday morning regarding her perceived lack of progress in turning the house into a home. With nothing better to do, I spent the entire weekend fixing over thirty pictures around the house and there is still a pile leaning up against a wall somewhere. A cluster of six Japanese prints took several hours wrestling with templates, rulers, tape measures, a spirit level and a keen cartographic eye to ensure the arrangement was within a tolerance of +/- 1mm.

The neighbourhood is expanding as more houses are finished each week. The level of sand and dust is also increasing and Mrs M spends much of her day tutting and rubbing the floor with her Vileda mop (which makes a good surfboard for the kitten). To be fair, she's doing a grand job of creating a home within my ‘you’re not spending any more money’ restrictions.

Meanwhile the previous landlord has just phoned to ask how the watering system works as all the plants are dying. I mentioned to him months ago that there was a leak in the system which caused the pressure to drop throughout the day forcing the pump to activate with teeth-shattering brusqueness. Combined with the regular power cuts which reset the controlling computer, he’s beginning to realise he might have to spend a bit of the obscene amount of rent he has accumulated over the last three-and-a-half years.