This weeks problems have been all about granite. We had ordered granite many months earlier so at this stage it was just a matter of getting it delivered to the house and popping it onto the awaiting kitchen units. Not that easy I’m afraid. It needed some adjustments as two pieces were too long and also the island had a space for a hob rather than a slot cut away for the range cooker. Not a problem, just get the nice folks at the stone cutting place to do the necessary and shrink the island a little. It wasn’t until the granite man did a site visit and let the cat out of the bag that the granite we had was quite severely damaged and he wouldn’t be able to fix it. We got onto our suppliers who very quickly and without fuss said choose some more from the granite man (at twice the cost of her Chinese stuff) and she would pay for it. We went and chose some great stone, that would fit in with red walls, white cedar and brown floors and were actually secretly pleased about the damage as we were going to get a better quality granite in a nicer colour. Hopes were dashed two days later when we were told that the granite we had chosen had already been sold, so it was another journey and another choice which the jury is still out on. It was to be cut and positioned this week but alas our original supplier has been tardy with handing over the cheque and the granite man, not unreasonably, is unwilling to fit it without money up front. Trying to track down our supplier has been difficult and time consuming so we will pay the deposit and hopefully be able to retrieve some of the money from her.

In the meantime all the pool innards are plumbed and wired in, as is our beautiful yellow generator. I visited the pump room today for a personal demonstration of this new baby in action and can report that it starts and has some very nice lights and numbers that blink and twinkle in a very satisfactory manner.

The cabinets in the kitchen are just about done, just the final sanding before I get to treat them with a clear wood sealant. The shelves and TV area are also in the final stages of completion, just needing some cupboard doors and sanding. The carpentry in both areas has been outstanding and has really enhanced the room.

Outside, Sextus has continued to paint the walls a pale yellow and put white on the ceiling and pillars. He has turned out to be a better painter than the so-called professional one that left us high and dry.

Excavating and landscaping of the garden has had to stop as the weather was unkind once again and we need it to dry out before he can continue, which has held up the concreting of the drive, as the excavator needs to finish and get out before anything is laid. We also need six doors…

Living in the Caribbean eventually makes you quite laid back as you don’t expect things to happen as you planned and get used to hanging around and being happy when it does happen.