Sometimes...

Sometimes even gold shoes don't work!

As well as building the house we are doing some renovation work on our town flat in order to rent it out.

I have been waiting for 3 hours for my Kosovan workmen to arrive this morning. I really trusted these guys which makes it worse. I flit from feelings of great irritation - to worry - did the mafia come and take them out for badly laying tiles in the big bosses house!?

They often seem to need payment of large wads of cash without forewarning - to buy 'a big machine'... let's hope it's the sort of machine that evens out mosaic bathroom wall tiles and not one that makes 'rat-tat-tat' sounds...

I found them independantly to do the plasterboard ceilings in our house (the architect had planned wooden ceilings!)  The architect assured me that EVERYONE had wooden ceilings (though I have yet to see it anywhere other than in a chalet). We decided however to go and check it out in a demo house as all modifications to the original house plans cost us an extra 10%*!

The feeling when we walked into the room was one of great oppression. Like the sky was falling down. I'm not sure what feng-shui would say about the perceived weight of wood above but I can tell you it felt all wrong! The only time you want wood closing you in from above is at the very end of your life making your way down an aisle!... and even then I'd rather be turned into a diamond and be set in a tiara...

(*more on architects fee's later when I have more time to rant.)