Would you believe it's been more than a month since I wrote last? So much for my resolution to make regular postings.
My excuses: moving house (at last!), a temperamental, snail-speed dial-up connection, a server that most of the time cannot access the blog for new posts, and Hossein's absence in London since 21 October, which means that I have to do everything, including helping the children with their homework (not easy since my experience of the Iranian educational system is rudimentary).
Oh, since I wrote last, I have become the proud owner of a PO Box in a central Tehran post office. This is no mean feat: the first time I went to ask, I was told there were more than 2,000 applicants on the waiting list. But I wasn't deterred: next time I went in with Hossein, the Problem-solver, who managed to sort one out for me in a matter of minutes. How? Believe it or not, I still don't know how he managed to sway the very same person who told me about the waiting list. Bless him. And just for the record, the address is Sofia A. Koutlaki, PO Box 15875-1937, Tehran, Iran. So now I can take out subscriptions to my favourite magazines.