Oh my God!
When I bought the apartment, it came fully furnished. It wasn’t to my taste but it served me well until I could start adding my own touches. The one thing I decided to change was the sofa, I went to a local shop and purchased a sofa bed and 2 chairs. I decided on a turquoise colour and it looked very nice, but it was very uncomfortable. I found this out quite soon, it was hard and the seating area not very wide, so when I made the decision to try life here full time, I made enquiries about bring over 2 leather sofas that I had bought a year previously. They were expensive and the cost of transporting them outweighed the loss I would make if I sold them second hand. The 3 seater was big, and the guy that owned the company transporting my things came and looked. I have, in the apartment a turn in the stairs, if I am going up to the second floor this is not a problem as I have a high ceiling, but getting up from ground level to the 1st floor the ceiling height is greatly reduced. I voiced my concerns, getting them into my London house was a mission, but he was confident that I would get them in as Turkish doors are wider apparently.
Fast forward to Wednesday evening, I received a call to say my things were an hour away. MHTTB had already primed his friends and they were going to come over to the apartment and help get the furniture (2 chests of drawers, a dressing table, 6 packing cases and the said sofas) into the apartment. It arrived, the boxes were battered but Turkish customs can get over enthusiastic, I was just grateful I hadn’t had to pay import duty on things I had brought over. I have heard some real horror stories and one woman commented, when I told her my things were waiting for customs clearance, good luck with that. I was a bit too scared to ask her to elaborate.
Slowly slowly the things came up the stairs, my heart was pounding as they attempted to bring up the sofas, I could hear a lot of grunting and huffing and puffing, my brother in law came bounding up the stairs and took the door off to the living room. All to no avail. The front door wasn’t wide enough (bearing in mind the 2 seater had got through the English front door, which is supposed to be narrower). As the transport company had other things to deliver, they made the decision to leave the sofas on the patio in the apartment below. It was large and covered and there was no rain due and the owners weren’t in residence. MHTTB assured me that Thursday a lot more people were coming over and we would get the sofas up into the apartment. The only thing that concerned him, were ‘bandits’. His word for thieves, but I wasn’t too concerned, they’d have had to have at least 12 men of super human strength to shift them, they are big and very very heavy.
Thursday morning came along with 4 men, on went the Turkish tea, they pondered and measured and then decided that the only way to get them in was via the balcony. Problem was, my balcony doesn’t cover the whole roof below, so there is about 4ft of roof protruding all around below my balcony, I have sliding patio doors with a plastic stopper in the middle, followed by a mosquito screen and a heavy iron grill that protects me from ‘bandits’. Along came 2 more men, who proceeded to disassemble the patio doors, remove the mosquito screen, which strangely was the easiest job and then use a metal grinder to remove the grill. My stress levels were through the roof. A friend of ours recovers cars so we knew he had a hoist, MHTTB called him, he came over to take a look then asked me why I wanted my sofas! A question I was beginning to ask myself!!! Anyway, no problem he said, once the window is out give me a call and I will come over.
5pm the patio window was finally removed, by that time, Byram had had to go out on a call, but he had arranged for someone to come over with the hoist. They arrived and finally my sofas started their upward journey, over the balcony and through the hole in the wall. There was dust everywhere, nothing was in its right place, but there in all their glory were my 2 sofas!!! Of course it cost me money, but considering Berhat had been there nearly all day, 300tl (including the cost to the angle grinder man, and his return today to put the grill back) and 200tl for use of the hoist, I think it was a very reasonable additional cost. I love the fact that NOTHING was too much trouble. Some how, some way those sofas were going to be put in this apartment. There was no head shaking and tutting, no workmen cashing in on my misfortune, just honest, hard working people only too happy to help. I am so grateful to those people. The window went back by about 7.30. The Turkish family opposite were loving it. They usually have their shutter down by 5pm but, at 8pm it was still up. Was it worth it? Definitely! It feels like home, in fact, I got a bit emotional once I had sat my bum down on the (oh so soft) sofas, I placed a blanket on the seat my English cat used to sit (who sadly had to be prematurely euthanised after I left him with my sister due to illness)
Anyway, this morning the apartment looked like world war 3, darling MHTTB decided to call a friend and ask them over for breakfast! All in all it was very successful. It certainly made me clear up a lot quicker and tonight, I can plonk my bum on my troublesome sofa
Fast forward to Wednesday evening, I received a call to say my things were an hour away. MHTTB had already primed his friends and they were going to come over to the apartment and help get the furniture (2 chests of drawers, a dressing table, 6 packing cases and the said sofas) into the apartment. It arrived, the boxes were battered but Turkish customs can get over enthusiastic, I was just grateful I hadn’t had to pay import duty on things I had brought over. I have heard some real horror stories and one woman commented, when I told her my things were waiting for customs clearance, good luck with that. I was a bit too scared to ask her to elaborate.
Slowly slowly the things came up the stairs, my heart was pounding as they attempted to bring up the sofas, I could hear a lot of grunting and huffing and puffing, my brother in law came bounding up the stairs and took the door off to the living room. All to no avail. The front door wasn’t wide enough (bearing in mind the 2 seater had got through the English front door, which is supposed to be narrower). As the transport company had other things to deliver, they made the decision to leave the sofas on the patio in the apartment below. It was large and covered and there was no rain due and the owners weren’t in residence. MHTTB assured me that Thursday a lot more people were coming over and we would get the sofas up into the apartment. The only thing that concerned him, were ‘bandits’. His word for thieves, but I wasn’t too concerned, they’d have had to have at least 12 men of super human strength to shift them, they are big and very very heavy.
Thursday morning came along with 4 men, on went the Turkish tea, they pondered and measured and then decided that the only way to get them in was via the balcony. Problem was, my balcony doesn’t cover the whole roof below, so there is about 4ft of roof protruding all around below my balcony, I have sliding patio doors with a plastic stopper in the middle, followed by a mosquito screen and a heavy iron grill that protects me from ‘bandits’. Along came 2 more men, who proceeded to disassemble the patio doors, remove the mosquito screen, which strangely was the easiest job and then use a metal grinder to remove the grill. My stress levels were through the roof. A friend of ours recovers cars so we knew he had a hoist, MHTTB called him, he came over to take a look then asked me why I wanted my sofas! A question I was beginning to ask myself!!! Anyway, no problem he said, once the window is out give me a call and I will come over.
5pm the patio window was finally removed, by that time, Byram had had to go out on a call, but he had arranged for someone to come over with the hoist. They arrived and finally my sofas started their upward journey, over the balcony and through the hole in the wall. There was dust everywhere, nothing was in its right place, but there in all their glory were my 2 sofas!!! Of course it cost me money, but considering Berhat had been there nearly all day, 300tl (including the cost to the angle grinder man, and his return today to put the grill back) and 200tl for use of the hoist, I think it was a very reasonable additional cost. I love the fact that NOTHING was too much trouble. Some how, some way those sofas were going to be put in this apartment. There was no head shaking and tutting, no workmen cashing in on my misfortune, just honest, hard working people only too happy to help. I am so grateful to those people. The window went back by about 7.30. The Turkish family opposite were loving it. They usually have their shutter down by 5pm but, at 8pm it was still up. Was it worth it? Definitely! It feels like home, in fact, I got a bit emotional once I had sat my bum down on the (oh so soft) sofas, I placed a blanket on the seat my English cat used to sit (who sadly had to be prematurely euthanised after I left him with my sister due to illness)
Anyway, this morning the apartment looked like world war 3, darling MHTTB decided to call a friend and ask them over for breakfast! All in all it was very successful. It certainly made me clear up a lot quicker and tonight, I can plonk my bum on my troublesome sofa
Comments
Post a Comment