We Shall Not Be Moved!

In response to your messages I would like to clarify that we aren’t selling the house.  Well not anytime soon anyway.  It was on my bucket list of the things I want to do before I die and I don’t intend to kick the bucket just yet, although there are no guarantees in this life.  We will certainly be here for a while yet, at least to finish the job and as we all know a builder never finishes his own house.

Snowed In and Snowed Under

Got snowed in chez Old Bones on Bikes

Most days on site are good days but I had a day last week when I felt overwhelmed by the whole thing.  Waking with a migraine was a bad start to the day.  The LGB didn’t help when he popped in to say he had found a breakage amongst the paraphernalia stored in the garage; my lovely Tiffany lampshade. (I’m still convinced the LGB was cack-handed when he was getting the box down.) The postmistress left a notice that a registered letter was awaiting collection at the post office.  Registered letters never bring good news and this one was from ERDF to say they are cutting off our temporary electricity supply on January 31.  We have started to move some of our worldly goods from the garage to the house to avoid another winter in storage. Our bedsit and kitchen, which were as neat as our circumstances would allow are now a jumble of boxes and black bags.  We rounded off the evening with a delightful couple of hours in a freezing launderette and to top it all off there’s a moose loose aboot this hoose!  For my French friends, we have a mouse in the house.  Tomorrow is another day.

Ring, ring, ring, ring.

‘Hello.’ says I.

‘Hi, how are you?’ says my little friend.

‘Fine, but cold.’ says I.

‘Ooohh, I haven’t been out yet’ says she.

‘Nor have I.’ says I ‘It’s only three degrees in the house!’

Three Degrees is a good name for a Motown singing troupe but not a good temperature for a house.  Mind you it was an improvement on the night before when I was in the shower and the LGB called out that it was one and a half degrees in the kitchen! The shower is in the kitchen!  Brass monkeys!

After terrific wind that took some ridge tiles off the roof, rain, sleet and snow, Monday brought us a lovely sunny day.  It was actually warmer outside than inside and I even basked for a while in the sunshine cleaning an electricity box!  Simple pleasures.

Hopefully we have sorted the electricity supply but only time will tell.  I never quite trust anything we do/sort/arrange here until it comes to fruition.  I am not blaming anyone but things get lost in translation.  The lady at the electricity company said they are sending out a technician and I am not too sure why. She mentioned ‘coupe’ which is cut, so you will understand my trepidation.   As she had been shouting at the couple ahead of us I didn’t want the same treatment because I may have just crumbled into a blubbering heap beneath her desk, so rather than ask again for clarification I just smiled and said ‘merci’.  Quite what I was thanking her for I don’t know, for not bawling at me perhaps. 

Meanwhile work continues with wires looping hither and thither, conduit being pulled through holes and plugs and switches being fixed onto walls. 

The upstairs rooms are taking shape with all four bedrooms and the bathrooms having been plaster boarded on one side of the metal partitions.  The bath has been positioned in every conceivable place in the main bathroom, bar the ceiling, to determine the best place for it.  As usual there has been a complete turnabout in where the shower, toilet, basin and bath will go. 

If I pass you in the street and I am walking funny and looking a bit boss eyed it is because I have everything crossed in the hope that I haven’t got my wires crossed and the electric supply will stay connected.