New House New Baby (Just Joking!)

Monday 6^th February 2012

We have been in our new place 2 weeks yesterday. It has been an adventure so far.  We have a gas fire and have been experimenting with the heating.  For those of you outside of Georgia, let me tell you that it is a tad on the cold side here, in the minus 10 ish? So we have kept the gas fire on all day and all night and even when we are not here!  We have found though that it is like the tropics as long as you are standing up but a drafty ice-well when you are sitting down.  This may have something to do with the poor-fitting windows, doors and ermm bricks!  Yes, despite Martin’s deftness in securing plastic sheeting to the windows and doors with drawing pins, it is still freezing cold.  So we have had to deploy the use of curtains strategically placed across open doorways, windows and doors.  Take a look at the outside of the building – this is our “Backroom”. 

On closer inspection, I think the windows are now being held in place by the plastic and the drawing pins.

You can see why it is so bloody cold!

Turning the corner you can see the entrance to our block. 

When I look at these pictures now I feel somewhat embarrassed to say we live here as it is a far cry from what we are used to in England, but this is how people live here, some are better equipped but some are worse. 

Our door is to the right and our toilet, kitchen and finally shower room runs along this wall.  I am assuming our water pipes are somewhere here and this explains why we didn’t have water for nearly 3 days – the pipes were frozen. While we waited patiently for our “slot” (7:30 to 10:30 morning and night) nothing happened.  In the meantime we used up every piece of cutlery, china, cups, saucepans (I even used the curry encrusted pan twice as I was re-heating leftovers).  We had run out of clean socks and underwear. The toilet was full.  We were dirty and smelly. Well what to do?  Luckily, on the third day with 15 minutes left of the morning slot we had a trickle and then a mild rush.  Overjoyed and thankful, we filled buckets, water bottles and saucepans with water, washed up the dishes and filled the wash bowl with soapy water to soak our smalls.  It looks like we are preparing for nuclear attack!  It is surprising just how much water you do actually use!