Cock-a- doodle-do I see you!

We had the house blessed a few weeks back and I started writing to tell you all about it. Not to mention to whack some stuff on the Blog and keep that ill-tempered brother of mine at bay. Just kidding Barry! So today I am finishing those words.

Let’s face it people, I suffer from the myriad of keyboard allergies that are out there or is it that there are so many other things that need to be done at any given point in time that trying to keep up any sort of communication network with friends bows and finally snaps under the weight of the worldly burdens we are meant to bear. Add to that the countless hours that I toil away in front of this electronic alter and I think I have a solid enough case against writing. Or perhaps it is because I am too lazy to write. I will have to ponder these...

Deep enough for you? Wade on in, the waters fine!!!!!

Enough!! Here is something to read which I hope you will enjoy. A brief window in to a world slightly left from our own. Again I have to emphasis that this is chronically out of order and I have taken the liberty of writing the finish in a present tense so it reads as if I wrote it on the day, which I did do for most of it!

Life here is getting pretty standard. I am listening to the cockerels in the lane cockedoodeldooing. The priest who owns all this land owns them. His wife (she would have to be the ex as they can’t keep them once they cross the path to priesthood) and/or sister are setting up at present for the house blessing of this our new home. Tomorrow is Galungan a major Hindu festival; our staff will have two days off. One for the festival and Thursday is apparently the day to visit relatives; last night & tonight is full moon. All in all it is a very good day to have ones house blessed. We don’t want those pesky evil spirits hanging around do we?

Quiet Chucky!! Between the dog barking at the old ladies setting up for the ceremony and the aforesaid roosters the only other noise is the hum of the fans in my Mac. Although we are only a hundred metres from the main road we might as well be a world away. Nothing seems to penetrate. How good is that!

The new house is full of our things and more like a home than next door ever was. We are making our mark, perhaps we are also over the tire kicking phase of our time here making a commitment to live here and immersing in it rather than floating on top akin to a sun pinkened holiday bloated body adrift in the Black Sea. For all the European readers out there, a little eastern block anecdote to make you feel right at home.

Here we cringe when we come across the archetypal Aussie family. Dad and son have Bintang T’shirts or singlets, the wife and daughter have platted hair, painted nails, perhaps they all have fake tattoos. One or more sport a burn from a scooters exhaust pipe. They are all over weight. They are my kinsmen. The great unwashed. To them a trip to Bali is going overseas. Gosh, just writing this makes me proud and humble all at the same time.

Time to pause here and photograph the proceedings outside. More later. 9:50am

Well a couple of photos and much chatter, from the two women who were the advance ceremony team, later we still await the arrival of the priest. He only lives next door. Perhaps he is busy off doing other ceremonies. Special days mean they are in high demand. Waiting is something that the Balinese do very well. They wait for things to happen on an hourly basis not just daily. Explains the whole concept of rubber time, which I read yesterday, is a direct translation of ‘jam karet’, meaning that things in life are supposed to happen in a very relaxed fashion. I suppose that is why to this ‘time is money’ bule (foreigner) the Balinese just seem to cruise along in the day-to-day lives.

I also read that the Indonesians rank as one of the most relaxed countries in the world with regard to time. Second only to Mexico. I know which I prefer to live in at this point though! I must wonder how that correlates to number of heart attacks. I will once again see what is happening on the ceremony front. 10:23am

11:14am well it’s over. Some flowers rice and water. I think there was vinegar in there as well. Still wearing my sarong, it’s comfortable on a warm day like today... Sorry too much information I know. The house is awash with petals and water. Mixed in are scuffmarks from the ladies grubby feet as they went around blessing the various rooms of the house with splashes of water and petals. The down side of walking around bare foot is they do not remain pristine during the day. It was a moving experience. Though again we played the waiting game.

The Priest, Pak Nuymen, who lives next door and is the son of the landlord, Pak Made, came in with his dish full of tools. Two women prior to his arrival set everything up; a third joined them mid ceremony. He took up position and started chanting in a low murmur. The women for their part didn’t let up on the nattering that they had started when they first arrived. There was no quiet reverence. It was a tad weird. On he chanted and on they nattered with our pembantu, Komang, joining in. Made made a little fire in the yard from two bricks and some bamboo. It was this little fire that would transport the evil spirits away after the cleansing. The smoke caught the rays of sunlight penetrating the thick foliage we have on that side of the house and I could almost see them being dragged off. For our part we really weren’t quite sure what to do or even where to sit. Taking signals from Made, our gardener, we waited for the ritual of kowtowing that was the climax of the ceremony. We each drank, ate rice and stuck some to our foreheads. I even got a nice flower behind my ear. And then he was gone. I could almost hear him say, “I came, I prayed, I kicked the spirits butts!” As I said, almost.

So there you have it. Try that at home! Life here is definitely tinged (Ok liberal dash) with the exotic though I have a sneaking suspicion that too much exposure will undoubtedly dilute this and make it the norm. For now I have work that has gathered in my inbox that needs attending to.



I will leave you of some shots of the new home, our Teak bed that rides on these antique feet from an old house, an Ano design of course and complicated as all hell and the refurbished bathrooms that are swimming in terrazzo.

Peace!