The grass is greener on this side of the fence

After a slow start, the week got more interesting. Slow is the norm here - shaking old habits is sometimes not so easy. The weather varied from hot and sunny to thunderstorms that shook the world, so grass installation was a yes / no / maybe situation for the whole week. We finally had a sure date for Saturday, and on Friday were hopeful as that day was warm and dry. We were off to have lunch with several new friends at Paul and Marilyn's rental, all expats, and had a marvellous afternoon of chatting and pizza with a variety of wines and beers. Paul and Marilyn will start building on lot 37 (next door) in a few months. We met Bill and MaryEllen who are building in a neighbouring development called Andromeda, and found common ground once more with backgrounds, dreams, and Bill's entrepreneurial spirit! A careful drive home due to a little too much merriment...
On Saturday, we were told the grass would be delivered later in the afternoon, and sure enough a huge flatbed covered with pallets of grass arrived and was unloaded - to be laid on Sunday, weather permitting. Sunday dawned with light rain and rumblings from above, but Matt and the landscaping crew showed up promptly at 9 am and worked through to 6 pm, preparing the surface and laying the sod. The grass sod is hand cut into squares here, so there is a load of piecing to be done! Matt over-ordered so the sides of the house and part of the back also got sodded. Matt estimates about $5,000 more will complete the back landscaping (not counting the pool and the storage shed).  Today they will return to complete the job and clean up. The effect? Fantastic. Such a difference as you can see!

Matt and his crew look relieved!

While all that hard work was going on, we were invited to Bob and William's place for an early dinner (they start building on lot 57 in about a month), and had yet another interesting time, meeting more expats from Pedasi, chatting and laughing. We are developing a diverse group of pals here, all interesting people with dreams and retirement plans. Luckily, all liquor is so cheap, entertaining is a breeze. No-one gets drunk, but a cold drink goes down very well in the heat! Bob is retired and renting a house in Pedasi, while William continues to commute back and forth for work in the US. They have two cuddly dogs - a silky Yorkie and a West Highland terrier. The Yorkie is smaller than Mitzi and even weighs less!

As for our cats? Cagney has adopted the table top as a position of choice, and Mitzi thinks my basket of throws is cosy!