New home

This is my new home! I've been offered a teacher's house by one of my headmasters, and since it's almost free, I'm going to be leaving my lovely home in town just as soon as I can get an indoor bathroom built...

Yes, that's my current bathroom.

And the kitchen.

But the outside is gorgeous, and I have an enormous mango tree in my garden. The Year 6 students have already started making plans for sleepovers, and I've already started making plans for how to tell my boss that letting your students stay in your house appears to be a part of Malaysian culture. The teachers I work with at the school have already offered to come over for afternoon tea every day, and the teachers living in the next house along have mentioned how pleased they are that I have a car to take them to town in. The school gardeners are building me a compost heap and planting me a bamboo hedge, even though they grumble that bamboo is a forest plant and not a garden shrub - they accept that orang putihs are weird, and that's the end of it.

Also, I have two bedrooms now, so should you want to visit, and I know you will want to see this beautiful cottage in real life, please do make an appointment - I'm free anytime next year to give you a guided tour.

Also, two little kittens will be joining me - my friend rescued them from her neighbour, but as she's allergic, I have offered, under great duress, to take them in. Great duress I tell you. She's bringing a bottle of wine tomorrow evening, to make up for delivering the kittens at the same time.

Don't expect lots of cute photos of little grey cats lurking in the mango tree any time soon... honestly...