Ceiling Lights

Since I got back on Wednesday, I haven't yet seen a notable progress with the bathroom...the builders are still working on the tiling.

One progress in the last 3 days has been the fixing of the ceiling lights. And I have to say that this really made my week.

The ceiling lights, especially the chandelier was going to be the center piece of this flat...and once installed, I knew this made this flat my true home.

Chandelier was something I always wanted to have since I was a little girl. I also knew that in order to have a chandelier, one cannot live in a rented property where the lighting position can't be changed and where ceiling heights are too low. In my mind, chandelier represented an ideal home that's truly mine.

This particular chandelier came from Istanbul. When I visited there in May, I came across an area where there were close to 100 shops selling lights, one next to the other. The place was close to my hotel, so I walked over and browsed through 20 shops or so...not intending to buy one, as the thoughts of bringing back the heavy ceiling light seemed ridiculous. Then, I encountered this chandelier. I instantly fell in love with it. It was more than what I budgeted, and the risk of breaking it on the way to London was there, but I could not stay away.

I negotiated with the proprietor through one customer who I've initially mistaken as a shopkeeper. He helped me with the translation for close to 2 hours while it gets packed and paid (he was with his newly-wedded wife purchasing several lights for their new home.) The proprietor was adamant about not going below certain price, noting that the chandelier was made of real crystal. It took him over one hour to pack, and I ended up with a bulky and heavy box weighing over 10kg.

I had to pay 80 pounds to bring this back to London as an extra luggage. I thought I was out of my mind while I was on my way home. The only remedy then was what the proprietor told me, that there was another customer coming in the next day from London to pick up the ceiling lights that looked three times as bulkier and heavier than mine.

Now that I see my chandelier, I think it was all worth it. It is the heart and soul of my new home. I love the way the lights are reflected in the ceiling, and how the crystal balls look as though they are large raindrops falling to the ground. It is a classic, yet modern piece (Victorians would not have made the chandelier this way).

As for the construction, I doubt it will complete by the end of Tuesday...tiling in the kitchen is not yet done, bathroom tiling is still not complete, and bathroom furnitures are not fixed. End of the week sounds more realistic.

I really need to move soon...my rented home is now raided by the agents and the viewers. The viewing started at 10AM, and ended at 5:30PM on Saturday...with 4 viewings conducted without advance notice. Since agents have keys to the flat, I've been constantly looking out for someone coming in unnoticed. I hate this so much that I stayed away from home on Saturday until 6PM.

Two more weeks of patience...just two more weeks until I settled down.