Mi casa es ............bloody ace!

Hola Bloggers,

Just moved into the new house in San Telmo and it is sooooooooooooo amazing. I have been running round it taking photos. Its so nice. You go through the gate from the street into a courtyard where various´ doors open on to and where there are big plants and trees (as its open air. There is a series of three sets of french doors to my house - all with shutters. The downstairs floor is the lounge, dining kitchen area and it is so inviting. The Kitchen is all very white and chrome and modern and as kitchens and bathrooms should be in my book (have you read my book?). The walls are exposed brick, the window frames are exposed original pine and the floor is stone - throught the whole house. Amazing.

Upstairs is a very large double bedroom and mosaic shower room. You reach upstairs via a turet, again with exposed brick and original pine and massive windows. Go up another floor and you reach the main bedroom and study and bathroom. The shower is mosaic and big enough to fit about 8 people in (I might see just how many I can fit in after Jose has left .......joke!).

The best bit of all is the top floor. Its open air and has lantern lights all around it, its private - with wicker walls and plants and has a bar, bbq, fridge and BATH! It is indeed a bath - its not a modern fancy jacuuzi .... its like a stone bath (maybe a horse´s feeding thing originally) but tiled and all made wonderful with both hot and cold taps. It really is something else. I´m so happy. I don´t want to sleep for the next week - so that I have more time here. I can´t wait to show it to Jose - who arrives at 6.45 tomorrow morning. I want to show it to all of you. You are all cordially invited over any time this week - if you can make it.

The girl who rented it to me is really sweet as well. Its her boyfrined´s house and when he gets a tenant he goes and lives with her. She is very cool looking and studies design of parks and sells pure honey (She has offered to brig some round for me - there is a whole list of different types that I can choose from apparantly) .

San Telmo was originally an individual republic. I think its kind of where Buenos Aires started. Its very different to Palermo (where I lived before). Its much more south american here - its poorer and more bohemian and more real. Less European. Not sure what is going on across the street at the moment - I suspect it is some sort of giving out of food to the less fortunate among us. You wouldn´t see that in Palermo.

Oh a strange thing has happened. Well a theft has happened and there isn´t really anything strange about that ......its how it has managed to happen that is strange. I left 810 pesos on the table in my old flat last saturday afternoon (for Brad, my flat mate, to pay the rent). I then left the place and went to the country side. Anna our other flat mate came in later that day and added her money to it and then left the place on Sunday. Anna returned on Tuesday and the money was not there anymore, nor the long letter I had written to Brad. Anna was not surprised because Brad should have arrrived back from Columbia on the Sunday and taken the money. Except he didn´t. Anna left on Wednesday to go back to Sweeden. I got back later that day and, on realising that Brad had not returned from Columbia, assumed that Anna had put the money in a cupboard somewhere safe. So, I wasn´t worried - about the money - rather suspected that Brad had been gunned down in Columbia but that is another preocupation of my mind that we don´t need to get into.

I have finally got in touch with Anna by email to ask where she put the money .............and we have realised that it has vamooshed! Who could have taken it? The keys had been downstairs with the porter but it is more than his job is worth to enter a flat so I really don´t think he is to blame. I grilled him as to who rang our buzzer on the days in question and on perusal of the log book we have deduced that a woman (I have the name but won´t disclose it) went up to the door at 11.30 and left at 11.35. Maybe she had keys - maybe she nipped in and took the money? But who is this mysterious woman? I suspect that when I tell Brad the name it will be one of his chicks - and that avenue will be closed off. Hmmm. Very strange. I am just waiting to see what Brad is going to say about this and whether he is going to make me pay twice! If so I might offer to split the difference and say I´ll pay half again. Afterall if he had arrived back when arranged then the mystery might not have occured. Hmmm very strange.

Right I am going to go back over the road and prance around my new house and play joss Stone very loudly and I might even try out the roof top open air bath. So there.

S xxxxx