As some of you may know, the building I am living in is undergoing a little building work!
This work started early in December last year and is still ongoing. I am beginning to feel beseiged!
They started on the roof where there is already a small studio apartment, and they decided to build a second studio apartment and divide the large roof terrace into two.
At the same time, the privately owned flat next door to me was scheduled to undergo renovation. This actually meant knocking down all of the internal and external walls, and completely starting from scratch. The only thing virtually left standing was the cement and steel supports.
Within a few days, the family who live directly in front of me started to build a new home, the unfinished building at the side of me decided it wanted finishing, and the camels kicked up such a fuss they never shut up!
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| My gloop of cement |
Today, some 2 months down the line, the roof now has 2 unfinished, but still being worked on, one bedroom apartments, there is a domed studio being built on top of those........ the flat next door is still little more than a shell (with the odd hole where they actually knocked through our joining wall)....... the building in front of me is now a 3 floor apartment block (unfinished) and they are still working on the building at the side of me.
Everyday, the banging starts at around 7.30am until after sunset, it reverberates around me from all angles. My adjoining wall to the flat next door is shaking and rattling on a daily basis, and why is it when they hook up the big electric winch to haul the bricks and cement up to the higher floors, they insist on doing it at 7am outside my bedroom window!
The landings and stairways are constantly covered in dust and concrete, my floors need washing EVERY day! And I have given up trying to keep the balcony clean!
But despite all the noise, banging, dust and grime, I can still look at the River Nile and Luxor Temple from my balcony. A minute's walk brings me to this amazing river and even though it is driving me crazy at the moment, I can sit it out and wait for my peace to return...... Inshallah! And just to remind you, this is a great picture of sunrise one day last week as I waited outside Luxor temple for my ride to pick me up! Wonderful morning!
And just for good measure, this is my new, young gamoosa (water buffalo) who lives under my balcony and who smiles at me every morning to say good morning. She is gorgeous and has one brown eye and one blue eye!
Can I live with the noise? Yes I can, when I have all this on my doorstep!
