The top photo shows the view we will take each week to show any progress.
These are the palms we planted at the end of the plot well away from the building site. If you double click on the photos they become full screen.

Now for this weeks bulletin…

This week started with 5 days of non-stop rain with everyone who had paid vast amounts for an Easter break confined to their hotel rooms. However, we are now back to normal with the NE Trades re-established and temperatures back into the eighties.

The roller coaster ride on the house build has started in earnest. After last weeks hiccough of losing the foreman/carpenter, this weeks major setback was that Mr Brown the builder/contractor decided after 3 days that he had too much work on, and that he was already so stressed he felt that he shouldn’t continue with our project. We had a meeting on the boat to discuss ways of moving forward and it was decided that Jeff would become the contractor and be responsible for the men’s wages, insurance, finding and employing sub-contractors etc, etc. Ideal work for an ex General Duties officer in the RAF!!! Kenrick would see to the daily running of the project and will also decide on what materials will be needed and when they should be delivered. Mr Brown will continue to buy and transport the materials to the site and we shall pay him for his time and costs.

Its not perfect as it means Jeff will have a lot to do and in effect has come out of retirement to build a house. Our idea of being able to sail away when we fancy seems unlikely now until the project is finished at the end of the year – we hope!! On the positive side, the site crew work fast and efficiently and girls, let me tell you, the rippling six packs of these young men are certainly worth the odd glance. Jeff, on the other hand, has been working along side them this week, bending and cutting steel rods and then wiring columns together ready for the concrete casting next week. His hands are ripped to pieces and his back is aching. Next week the digging of footings begins so I expect he will have a new set of skills/injuries by then.

The bureaucratic side of things has moved on a pace, our drawings have been stamped and signed and are now on site in case an inspector should come by, and our land application has at last been signed by the Cabinet Secretary and is now in the process of being registered in the Land Registry Office. We are told that is the final bit of paperwork and then we are all legal. The process has been long - about seven and a half months - but at least we didn’t wait for the last bit of paper before we started the building process.

There seems to be an increasing amount of interest in buying land here at the moment. Some friends we met a month ago are flying back today for a 4 day stay just to look at what’s available and hopefully make an offer if anything suitable comes up.

On a lighter note it has only just come to my attention that we are living in a country that doesn’t “do” Easter – not an egg in site!! No chocolate bunnies, no chocolate eggs, no cream eggs, nothing! What’s a girl to do? Back to the fresh fruit and pina colladas I suppose.