Thursday, September 8, 2022

Delivered.


The architect comes, then goes. While he's here he has a cup of coffee and makes notes. The architect has a large shiny black Porsche. He calls Sophie 'Miss Fluffy'. He also suggests that we move out while the works are underway. This won't be anytime soon as planning permission is likely to take at least six months . We had somehow thought the building work might go on around us. We are soon disabused of that notion.

After he's gone a kitchen bin is delivered . Then comes a van bearing candles in case we have power cuts this winter. I have the feeling that it could be very dark here in January if the power is 'rationed'.


The telephone repair man shows up to deal with the 'crackle' on the line. He's a cheery soul and replaces our phone sockets with 'industrial' ones that are ( apparently ) of much better quality. He also disappears for half an hour to the local switching centre and upgrades our line. British Telecom scores 10/10. Even better, he has shortbread , which is shared with Sophie. This takes the BT engineers score to 18/10. If there had been more Sophie would have given him a whopping 20/10.

The big news of the day is the delivery of the bed. The van has driven from Paris to London, spent the night, and then headed north into barbarian country. Why they thought it would take them six hours to get from London to  Scotland is anyone's guess. The British Isles may not be wide but they are long. The bed is due at two and arrives at six thirty. The professional bed assembling takes a further two hours. One bed assembler is Polish, the other Spanish. They take their shoes off each time they enter the house which intrigues Sophie no end. 


This morning Angus is heading into Edinburgh. Sophie is loaded into the back of the car for the journey to the station. There may be a halt on the way home for 'The Font' and the family diva to do some shopping and share a Ginger Snap at the garden centre.


Required 'provisions' for a journey with a PONette.


 

10 comments:

Tigger's Mum said...

Does Sophie take a cup of tea with her ginger biscuits?

Poppy Q said...

I love this pictute of miss Sophie. Lots of trips for her.

WFT Nobby said...

Best of luck with the planning permission....If experience with Highland Council is anything to go by, six months is optimistic.
But otherwise, wow, progress! And shortbread for Sophie!

Jake of Florida said...

Will there be men in dark suits?

Linda said...

Do not, whatever you do, stay in the house while building works are going on. We opted to stay, and apart from the (not inconsiderable) advantage of being cheaper it has nothing to recommend it. The reverse. The charm of living in a building site soon wears off.

Coppa's girl said...

10/10 to the Telecom engineer! Is the shortbread the new Ginger Snaps?
Well, things seem to be moving apace for you now, and a trip to the station for Sophie is a new experience, but sadly no more swishing airport doors.
It will depend upon how invasive your building work will be, if you decide to stay when it's being done. It does mean you can keep a close eye on the work. We lived in our house when it was extended, but we literally had another house tacked on, which rarely interfered with our day-to-day living. The final work was the most disruptive - relocating the access and driveway from the side of the existing house to the side of the new part, and a total re-design of the garden.
Hope the bed is comfortable and lives up to your expectations!

Diary of a Nobody said...

I recommend buying a couple of small camping lights in case of power cuts , I have already sorted ours out in case EDF start rationing.

Maudie said...

The wide open space looks idyllic.

sillygirl said...

Are you still in touch with people in the French Village? I don't want to miss any important happenings with the millionaire and anger management "gentleman" and the excitement of the new owners of your previous abode and knowing when village adornments are put up and finally removed - although I'm sure there will be new things to report at your new residence once you are in the swing of things Scottish.

Gemma's person said...

If the house would work, I would stay. Make a small house in a part that isn't being worked on, if that would work.
I believe more may be accomplished with you on premises. ;)
Also, questions they may have can be found the answer to within minutes.