One of the challenges we’d begun to organize on Spanish Venture Part 1 was to get a quote for fitting shower screens, one to our upstairs/guest bathroom and another to our downstairs/main shower room. Upon our return this time, the plumber who’d provided the quote was anxious to get the job done, as were we – we’ve hitherto been showering in a shower tray with no screens around it, in effect using the bathroom as a wet room, which means a sizeable mopping up job afterwards. As promised, the plumber turned up between 8:00 AM and 8:30 AM and set about his work.
Flushed with the success of fixing my first dragonfly to the wall of Casa Libélule, I started today by fixing another one. This one had been a Christmas present purchased in Oxford by Francine. Since it’s eyes do not meet on top of its head, I decided it most resembled a Gomphus and christened this one Gomphus oxfordiensis. G. oxfordiensis proved a little more difficult to secure, requiring two holes to be drilled instead of one. I wanted to position him high up, too, which meant borrowing a pair of steps from a friend on our urbanization. He’s up, though, and looks very good, albeit less colourful than his friend.
As the plumber banged away downstairs, the doorbell rang again, this time announcing the arrival of a very exciting visitor. We were now going to be surveyed for Internet access. Yay! How cut off one now feels when disconnected from the Internet. The service offered by this company is a radio connection to a mast across the valley so we need no landline into the house. By English standards the service is slow but we are neither trying to stream videos nor to indulge in any Internet gaming, both of which would require a faster connection than the basic 2Mb on offer. If it proves less than adequate, we can upgrade to 4Mb. We’ve also abandoned the idea of a PAYG installation. This is largely because the installation charge of PAYG is 299 whereas the installation charge for an 18-month contract is on 69 and the monthly charges are also halved. so, 18 months full time connection will cost less than, say, 4 months of PAYG over an 18-month period. Neither will we have to mess about getting the connection (de)activated. Bottom line, we should be installed and connected on Tuesday next week. Exciting stuff!
After the Internet site survey and while the plumber continued drilling and banging fitting our main shower screen down below, I set about opening another two cardboard boxes from my 16-box 3D jigsaw to assemble the TV unit, even though we are not, as yet anticipating having a TV. Let’s face it, the TV programmes in England are crap. Over here in Spain, you can get hooked in to the same English TV which is still crap and, to make matters worse, is an hour later, Spain being an hour ahead of UK time.
Long story short: all was going well with my TV unit until I realized that I’d assembled a vital piece the wrong way around – an unfinished raw edge of chipboard was showing at the front. Unfortunately, the piece was symmetrical and would go in equally well either way around. I muttered something unrepeatable and began taking it apart again, the act of which split a couple of flaps of chipboard away. I muttered something else unrepeatable, this time slightly louder, and paused for breath and to take stock. Francine was out shopping [now there’s a surprise] and I needed the car to go and get some clamps so I could glue everything back together again. Eventually Francine turned up and I high-tailed it down to Tot Util, a.k.a. Totties, for a few cheap clamps. [Aside: coincidentally, there happens to be a very appealing young piece of totty in Totties, and she speaks very good English.] The unit is now glued and essentially finished. Must concentrate harder.
14 down, 2 to go.
Reading about the totty in Tot Util, I strongly suspect several more DIY problems will occur in the next few days. Excellent news on the Internet.
Indeed. Rarely have I enjoyed visits to DIY stores so much.