The last month has been hectic, we have looked at tens of houses and plots of land all over Bahrain, but I can finally and happily say that we have today signed the papers and paid the money for a new house. The very first we have ever owned! This after 14 years of trying to squeeze blood from various stones, it has finally happened.
It’s almost sad that we have to go on holiday rather than start moving! But my plan is that we’re coming back on August 7th, and the BBQ is declared for August 8th, by the pool! Frances and the kids can do the moving part, I’ll just sit around the pool, sipping some amber liquid, smoke a Cuban or two and give instructions! ๐
I haved been thoroughly warned however that I do not post pictures, talk about it, declare its address or anything connected with it under pain of death. That house will remain private! (let’s see how long this lasts!! :))
Oh, it’s in an area that I can never win should I ever consider to represent that area in parliament! That seals it!
Comments
We now own a house!
Congratulations on becoming a homeowner lol or mayhaps that should be a home owned person :)…additionally, thank you for having the courage to post these blogs…
We now own a house!
Congratulations! When’s the house party?
Re: We now own a house!
thanks Meggie, no the kids stay in the same school thankfully, so that’s a plus!
Re: We now own a house!
It’s the other side of the “house” where thobe length and bushy beards don’t go down too well, rather I have to beat myself up silly I guess to be accepted in that neighbourhood!! ๐
But the other criteria are certainly a must…
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How very generous of you Mark! Offering your brother’s back rather than yours!!! But thanks for the offer anyway…
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I know EXACTLY what you’re talking about, and it’s started already… I’m thinking of ripping it down and building it up again in the weekend!!!
Re: We now own a house!
Aug 8th! You’re more than welcome… bring a bottle and your swimming gear!!
We now own a house!
congratulations on the new house, Mahmood, and if your kids are anything like u, they’re not gonna let you sit by the pool and do nothing! ๐
Re: We now own a house!
Congrats. Hey, if could post a pic, that would be cool. I am curious of the style of houses they have in the ME. Are they typically one story or two? Made of wood or stone? Just wondering …
-Aliandra
Types of houses in Bahrain
Try this Aliandra,
http://cluttonsme.neternals.com/GMItemList.asp
It’s all I could think of at quick notice. This is the top end of the market, the middle end is pretty similar but on a smaller scale. The bottom end however is adobe type brick houses in the villages, you wont see them anywhere online!
[i]Hey Mahmood, maybe we should all go out taking photos of the best and the worst of Bahrain? And of course the banal, since that is the norm… a competition is in order methinks?[/i]
Re: Types of houses in Bahrain
woops sorry, it seems that link will not work because you have to enter through one of those ridiculous flash intro’s
so here you go this time
[url]http://cluttonsme.neternals.com/GMFlashIntro.asp[/url]
Congrat’s on the new digs … on a related note …
I got a new (30 year old) car! ๐
[img]http://s91595436.onlinehome.us/cars/sandee_914.jpg[/img]
We now own a house!
So hob nobbing with the big boys huh? Anyone brings some baked cookies as a “welcome to the neighborhood”, DON’t EAT THEM. Well look on the bright side, maybe you can lobby them over the back fence.
Congratulations to you and the family. So happy “one” of your dreams is coming true.
Regards,
Marlene
Re: Congrat’s on the new digs … on a related note …
Sandee,
NICE PORSCHE!! Is that a 74? Used to lots of those around but not many in the past 10 years or so. Buckle up!
We now own a house!
Congratulations mahmood and Francis!
Now dont write of your political chances Mahmood, all you have to do is hike up your thobe a good few feet (the shorter the better, but don’t be obscene) grow a beard, wrap your wife and children up in bin liners and spout a manure truck load of verbal diahorrea (shit, did I spell that right?) and there you go, an instant MP.
Re(1): We now own a house!
Hey, I just might take you up on this offer if I’m around at the time !!
Congrats on the new house and car (especially the car!)
We now own a house!
Mahmood,
Congrtas!!!!! I offer you the strong back of my brother to help you move if you need it!
Ciao!
M
We now own a house!
“It’s almost sad that we have to go on holiday rather than start moving!”
Oh, poor thing you HAVE TO GO on a holiday. I feel for you really.
We now own a house!
Congratulations on your new home, and I hope the move goes smoothly for you all.
Will the children have to change schools? (Though with holidays coming up they are probably too excited to care about school right now.)
Also, I think it is wise to avoid posting any pictures that could make the house identifiable, especially from the outside. In any case, it’s your happy smiling faces that we want to see.
Meggie
We now own a house!
Congratulations, Mahmood!
I remember the feeling of pure bliss when my wife and I were finally able to purchase our first home. There are many milestones in the journey of life, and you just passed one. I wish you and your family much joy, success and prosperity in your new home (Inshalla)!
– Steve in Boston –
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thank you very much Steve! It’ll take a few months of NOT paying rent for the fact that we own a house really sink in.. that would be a wonderful feeling.
Yup – ’74 2.0L … no air bag – seatbelts, for sure!
๐
We now own a house!
Cpngratulations!
Now that you own your own homw, you will soon have a deep insight into the meaning of “kibitzer”.
We now own a house!
I bought my first house 2 years ago. I remember when I first moved in I hardly had any furniture (apartment dweller) and started going all over looking for furniture. Out of the woodwork pops some family I hadn’t seen for awhile who had some “family heirlooms” in their storage, etc. Then my mom was constantly bringing “this little thing” or “that little thing” that she picked up somewhere.
Pretty soon I had to politely, but firmly decline any offers. Now I am FULLY furnished. LOL
You all are going to love your home, I’m sure. What kind of landscaping do you have?
We now own a house!
Sorry…I am Kathleen from previous posts.
Re(3): We now own a house!
Ah if only your new house was here in England. I could take Frances around the mill shops, to choose the fabrics, then run the curtains up for you on the machine….
By measuring up carefully, and choosing large remnants at the mill shop, I was able to do all the curtains in this house for less than รฦรขโฌลกรโรยฃ60, and that includes matching chair covers in the kitchen.
Right now Mr Whetstone is busy converting our loft into a den for me. He installs windows, decorates walls, fits carpets, and installs electrics. If you enjoy this sort of thing, it becomes a labour of love and when it’s finished, you get a real buzz out of it. Plus you have saved yourself money.
Off topic- but you will have to keep an eye on Gnasher and Phoebe, in case they get out of the new house and embark on an “incredible journey” back to the old house.
Meggie
Re(1): We now own a house!
Even better, this will now take root in the children’s minds. They will aspire to be home owners one day too. They will say “My Dad didn’t pay rent, and I’m not either.” And in years to come you and Frances will have the satisfaction of knowing that their priorities are right.
Meggie
Re(1): Congrat’s on the new digs … on a related note …
Babe, that is SuhWEET!
Now the house is done, guess what my next project would be…
Re(4): We now own a house!
Ah Meggie, I wish I were like Mr. Whetstone, but for as long as I can remember, the DIY stuff NEVER switched me on! I might pretend once in a while that I am (to re-affirm my maleness?) but that extends only to going out and buying power tools and kits which I might use once (if I’m lucky) but I would rather pay for the stuff I want done, and be an watch the guys doing the job with an eagle eye and correct them if need be, but if I pick up a tool, I would never be able to do 20% of what those guys are doing.
We have a saying in Bahrain: “Sell back the bread to the baker even if he eats half of it” meaning give everyone their rightful due and let the professional do the work! I’m that kind of guy. I would happily pay a bit extra, as long as I am sure that the guy I’m paying is doing a professional job to my specifications or higher. I do get quite pissed off if the guy I’m dealing with is a moron though, I have no patience for those.
Frances has always said that she could do the curtains and furniture by herself, and she’s good at it. She even has a sewing machine! I just cannot accept it. I respect her and awful lot and have complete confidence that she can do the curtains etc, but I am also a very impatient being. I give the order, put down the pre-payment and expect the work to be done yesterday!
And I also hold the people responsible. If they screw up, then they go to hell. My version that is and you don’t want to be there I can tell you!
We now own a house!
Mabrook Mahmood ..
Smart move – buying the house now. Prices ae going up and up .. no enough land, and huge demand from Saudi ..
Anyways – hope the moving process aint so hectic – you might want make a few dutch brownies and pass them on to your neighbours to settle them in!!!
JJ
We now own a house!
maybe you can post pics of the neighborhood kitties like The Religious Policeman did? Would your wife object to that??
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yeah that’s a VERY good idea, especially as we’re staying in Amsterdam on the way back!! Brownies it is! ๐
Re: We now own a house!
Thanks for the ideas Kathleen. The only heirlooms I’m taking into the house are some of my dad’s original paintings, those have always taken the pride of place in whatever house we stayed at, and they’re one of the things that made it “home”.
The furniture is certainly a problem! We’ll probably shift most of what we have currently into the new house and slowly replace them as and when we can…
But the real problem is not the furniture, it’s the drapes and curtains. That house has about a million windows and french doors, that will be the expenditure. I told Frances that what we can do for the first year is just cover the bloody things with newspapers until we can afford the bloody curtains! ๐
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Oh I hope so!
The one downside from moving from a compound where we have been now for 8 years into a private house is space. In the compound it’s all detached houses, big gardens and the whole compound is open for the kids to go cycling, walking, etc.
In a private house (although we do have a big garden) it still surrounded with high walls and the kids might not be too happy about going on their bikes amidst the cars hurtling around outside!
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You got it in one my friend! I was just dreaming!!
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Oh yeah, that’s the BIG one! Now I have to replace that with another one to work towards. Still, in Bahrain, having a place of your own is one of the most important things. That’s such a load off my back. Now I can concentrate on other things…
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All the cats in our neighbourhood learnt early on not to come near our house. With two stupid dogs, they “get it” very very quickly. But I’ll take some pictures of the camels and sheep grazing nearby!
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Never buy your own curtains! Buy a sewing machine instead, and then you can make your own soft furnishings at a fraction of the cost. I have had my trusty machine for thirty years now, and it has saved me a whole mint of money.
Meggie
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hmmmmm Cosmic Muffins…. mmmmmmmmmm
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You don’t want a new second husband Meggie do you? I’ve got me own house you know!!
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Thanks
I’ve crossed so many red lines with what I wrote and will continue to write that it would have transcended health issues long ago in the not too distant past!
I feel confident enough in doing so unlike our friends in other Gulf states or the Arab world in general that I even use my real name rather than an alias.
This is a huge change from the past, and this time there will be no stopping this freedom of speech movement. Sure it’s not complete, but I have no doubt that it will only get better.
Re: We now own a house!
Congrats on the new house! What will you be barbecuing at your first party?
On a more serious note…It seems Bahrain enjoys a lot more freedom then our blogger friend in SA. Is it possible to go-over-the-line with what you write on your blogs?
Re: We now own a house!
mabrook mahmood. we look forward to the bbq!!! . its even colder here than where you are, and a bbq sounds great. and u have your own pool too. i hope you use it more than we use ours!! in the summer, its like SOUP, which defeats the whole point of having a swim.
apparently they’re having electric blackouts for like an hour every morning back in Bhrn and are waking up in sweats. enjoy the rest of your holiday, luv to francis & the kids, luv from glasgow (u no who)