The Tale of the New (rental) House Part 3

We moved in on 1 August - a Monday with only a bed and a chair in the whole place. Well, that and 2 cats and about 10 pieces of luggage! The plan was for our US shipment of furniture to arrive the next day, which I had tried several times to confirm with my Canadian contact. Tuesday came and went and I was informed they would arrive on Friday, the 5th. So I spent the time cleaning, unpacking a few suitcases and grocery shopping for items that don't require anything . . . no seriously, not a plate, fork or pan available so it was an adventure in creativity. At least we had a fridge for the cider! :)

Furniture did not arrive on Friday and after a long and very frustrating email/phone battle, we finally got our stuff on the 11th. I can't even describe how happy I was. First to have furniture at all, and second to have all of our old favourites from home with us again. And it all fit! A little cozy in some rooms, but we got everything in and it all looks great. The UAE stuff is scheduled to arrive in the next couple of weeks and then we'll have the whole plan come together.

Let's take a tour ...

Nice little kitchen. Actually much bigger than a lot of the places we saw. That's a double-stove!

And this is the washing machine . . . in the kitchen. Very common here. And just a washing machine - no dryer. We'll probably look for a combo unit like we had in Abu Dhabi once the weather makes it harder to hang clothes outside.

Any idea what this is? It's the fridge! And there's a twin freezer on the other side of the kitchen. Strange to have to kneel down to get your food, but we'll get used to it, I'm sure. Not too many big American fridge/freezers here - no room!

Here's the living room (and Rogue for perspective). Electric heater in the fireplace area, which should come in handy in winter. TV will be coming with the UAE shipment so just the stand for now.

And on the other side of the lounge is the dining room (diner). A little cozy, but it all fits. So happy to have our dining hutch (sideboard) back with us . . . and of course all the nice wine glasses!

This room could have been a bedroom, dining room or office. We've decided to make it the office/craft room. And it's the only place the breakfast table fits so I guess it's also the breakfast room. Office desk will be arriving with the UAE shipment.

This is the guest room . . . for guests . . . like you . . who should come visit us. I promise to unpack the rest of the clothes before you arrive!

And the front door - complete with mail slot! Yes, we have mail service again! Complete with daily doses of junk mail. I really did miss getting mail, but completely forgot how annoying all the junk mail is. Thank god there's recycling here too.

And our bedroom. A little cozy with all the big furniture, but very happy to have our bed and mattress back again. Haven't slept this well in years. And what a great window. That wide ledge is perfect for kitties who want to keep an eye on the neighbourhood.

And speaking of windows, here's a shot of the one in the lounge. Notice anything? No screens! How nice that we don't have mosquitoes or other pests that require screens, but how unfortunate for us as both cats can escape if open too wide. Believe me, we know from experience!

So that's the new place. A great neighbourhood as well with friendly folks and really quiet. There's also a nature reserve less than a block away with lots of walking trails and bike paths. It's been a good decision so far.