Starting the Flooring

Suddenly there's a flurry of activity and the nest is moved three times. Somehow the mother manages to keep up with her three fledglings, much to my relief. The nest is now tucked in a blue washing up bowl in the old shed with the corrugated iron roof where the builders have their lunch and slip away to have a fag.

We have a real deadline - the kitchen is being delivered at the end of this week for installation early next. And so the kitchen tiles must be laid and grouted. But the tiling can't start until the beams and stone wall have been sand blasted (hence the need to move the nest). We lose another day to wet weather (sand blasters get clogged in the wet) so the builders switch to marking out the terrace space for the poured concrete.


And finally the tiling starts. The first row tiles are all laid in the same direction, which means they look too regular and modern. But after some waving of hands and a yell to Tod to come to the rescue, the tiler finally understands we want the tiles to look more higgledy-piggledy, as if they are old and used.

We come back this afternoon from Castorama in Agen and the kitchen floor is looking good.


After supper the delivery company phones to ask if they may deliver the kitchen at eight o'clock this Friday evening.

We may just be ready for them.