Home Sweet Home

It seems way too long since my last blog post.  Since I last wrote we've had half term which we spent in Vietnam (blogs to follow on that subject - still mustering my thoughts on a fantastic trip) and had an exhausting week back at work.

On our arrival back in Brunei we discovered that our shipping had finally arrived from the UK.  Yes, that's our shipping that we packed up in July...  all 37 boxes of it!

We were almost dreading its arrival as we had got very used to our house as it was.  It looked very chic and minimalist - far from our usual style.  It's amazing how quickly you get used to living with a very small amount of 'stuff', and you quickly realise you really don't need very much.

However, once we started unpacking it all got quite exciting to see our belongings once again.

... although our speed in unpacking was equally motivated by the need to clear a path through the heap of boxes that were covering the floor!

Rob unpacked the things in the lounge, while I tackled the kitchen boxes (no gender stereotyping here then).  Although I've found it strangely liberating to be without my cookbooks - there's been a lot of 'intuitive', making it up as we go along-style cooking here - I was delighted to be reunited with Nigella, the first books to go onto the shelf.

It made me laugh that I had packed my Elvis cookbook!  Still, you never know when you'll need to cook an Elvis-themed meal (right Sarah?!)

I was pleased we'd had the forethought to pack all our Asian cookbooks.  It'll be much easier to buy all the ingredients we need for them here.

   
We bought some fantastic fairy-lights in Vietnam and have strung them up in the pondok (a sort of garden-room which has netting for windows so you can be inside/outside at the same time - perfect for enjoying the sunset without the mosquitoes!)  They look lovely.

It's taken many hours, but now the house finally feels like home.  The concrete walls proved a challenge, but we've managed to get lots of pictures up - it's like a black-and-white photo gallery, with a couple of mine hanging alongside our two Tom Wilson originals! 

Phew!  We're just trying not to think about the fact that we'll have to pack it all up again in 18 months time...