Hi Darlings!

Hi darlings,

Well......... 2 months later we can honestly say we are 'sort of settled' in Bali!
We have our RETIREMENT visas!!!! Robert has a tax code! I don't! I guess there is something to be said for being merely a housewife. Ha:) As if! We have a lovely ayi who comes 6 days a week and costs roughly half we paid ayi Chen for 3 times a week!
We miss all our friends and Ginger a lot...... we are looking for Ginger 2, but it is really difficult to replace 'perfection'. Woof
I have applied to some magazines, and, although I say it myself, they liked my work!!! but am suffering from 'let's do nothing today syndrome', or 'every day is the weekend' sort of thing, but keep promising myself I will do it tomorrow.
There are 2 Carrefours here. Both are like our ones were 5 years ago. ie have got virtually nothing, and there is an embargo on most imported foods which is bloody annoying. However, all is not lost, there are 2 delis like City Shop who have most things so we can survive!
We have had various pieces of furniture made, but they are really slow, and sometimes not well made like the directors chairs we received yesterday that collapsed when Darling Robert sat on them! Also getting fabric here is a nightmare. We wanted very simple blue and white stripes for garden furniture. Can we find it. No..... everything is bizzy, bizzy, bizzy.
There are millions of Australians here, which is fine, but, as yet we haven't really found any 'real friends', certainly nothing like the ones we left behind in Shanghai.
On the other hand, the weather is perfect, we have a lovely apartment which is slowly coming together ( really slowly)! the wine is drinkable, cigarettes cheap and the beaches are lovely.
DR has joined the Rotary Club. Yes! it's good for him, especially as he loves helping and doing charity work, he also meets a lot of people there. I have been once or twice to lunches and have met some pretty cool people.
DR has bought a funny, cool BRIGHT ORANGE safari jeep circa 1975! in which we rattle around the island searching for more treasures.
We took delivery of our 34 boxes shipped from Shanghai a couple of days ago. Why, oh why do things go missing? I mean, who's going to wear my gorgeous Shanghai Tang jacket and watch old DVDs such as 'Gone with the Wind' and 'The Sound of Music" for goodness sake?
We have planted a 'jungle' on our deck and have created a tiny dining area for candlelit dinners
which we enjoy overlooking the moonlit swimming pool...............