Snapped.

Not me.  Although, I must be close right?

Yup.  Finally just snapped the little tab right off.

 So... that one is now always going to be in the open position.  Still haven't found out if I can buy any of the plastic bottoms to replace the ones that are gummed up....which is all of them... except two .... must go to the hardware and/or building supply shops soon.  No vehicle now...sold my old van.

Anyway... I am not going to dwell on the annoying... let's just move straight to the totally ridiculous shall we?

On Saturday, the tile setter came to grout the en suite bathroom tile.  Great. And... I  must say he did a great job.  But, in the main bathroom... he was also supposed to remove a few tiles that we had spent a lot of time carefully cutting and placing around an area that was to become a laundry chute at some future time.  However, over the past two years, we changed our minds and just wanted to tile over that area and leave a clean smooth look...and not put anything at all beside the sink. But, like idiots, thought we should let a professional cut out the tiles and repair it...especially if one was already here doing other work in the house.

During the morning, we had to leave to look at some tiles for our kitchen and left him to do his own thing.
Before we left, Mr. BV also gave him a tiny left over bag of the original grout to show him the type and colour we used when we did our own thing.... but, ... disaster, ...  we inadvertently gave him the wrong bag.

We came home to find this.... it looked like a purplish rubber next to brownish/grey grout.... it was even smooth instead of sandy and rough.















....  and he was giving us a bad time about the grout...saying we really need to use grout with sand in it...not sand free grout.  That it didn't look too bad and it was in a dark corner so it might not be too noticeable.   We just looked at each other in shock.  Yes.... we had given him the non sanded grout by mistake.... the type to be used with glass tiles.  And, remember ....this is a professional tile setter.  Why on earth would he use it?  Why?  Arrrgghhhhhh!!@#$%^

The hardware store is 3 minutes from our house.... why wouldn't the guy just hop in his van and go get the right stuff?  He could go right ahead and think we were nuts to hand him some of the wrong stuff or wonder if there was another bag of the right stuff somewhere or, sheeeeesh.... . think whatever he wanted...but, why would he use it?  How many stupid things have to continue to happen... how manytimes do I have to ask the same damn questions over and over and over and ov........ ad infinitum......

He asked if we had found tiles for our kitchen and when we told him we were going to use some reclaimed tiles...he started explaining about different sizes, thickness, etc...and how it would cost more ...etc.... we thanked him for his work and ushered him out the door.

Then.. had to make a decision.... try to dig out the grout immediately before it set ....or leave it til Sunday when it would definitely be set but at least so would the thin set that was holding the tiles in position, as he had just also done that previous to placing the grout.

We decided on tomorrow..... went down into our below ground lodgings ... poured some wine ... resisted the urge to scream into pillows or laugh uncontrollably at why or how we are cursed  .... and instead, ate a lovely meal of tenderloin ... done to perfection in my electric frying pan...on our coffee table ... and watched some Formula One racing ...

Sunday.... we took turns digging out grout.....

And, now.... it looks like this.

My hand and arm were killing me when we hit the bed last night...but, today...it doesn't feel much different than it usually does.

Tomorrow the electrician is coming to hang lights and fix things that are hanging at half mast .... (of course before the final painting is complete) .... I'm not asking.....

......and the guy is coming to measure for silhouette window coverings... which must be pretty straightforward....

I think I heard something about appliances arriving and being set up by perhaps early next week....ooooooohhh ....none too soon for me!

I hope they all heard me say I'm rooting around in my storage area looking for my Christmas tree.......

having warped fun....

You have to laugh at something when you are forced to live in the basement... which is getting more overstuffed by the day with contents from each cupboard that is removed down here as well... for changing over water tanks and furnaces too...and, which was already overstuffed with everything from the main floor of your house...  cooking in an electric frying pan, microwave and BBQ.  Making sure you are dressed in case some plumber or electrician bounces down the steps and charges straight into the laundry room where you do everything .... I did scare one guy by yelling that I was naked  ..hahhaha... ohhhh..... the look on his sweet, innocent face....I'll laugh at that for years and get some mileage in the telling too.  I was fully clothed.  Our laundry room is our 'main' room down here....for cooking, cleaning and it even has a toilet.... thank goodness.  But, some days...plumbing days .... even I have to use the porta potty...now that we have a new one after the other one sprung a leak.  I watched the guy unload it...no wonder they leak.  Two of them fell right off his truck when he was shoving things around.....

Oh, and...our gas/plumbing failed the inspection on Friday.... the poor plumber was shaken and embarrassed, until he found out it was not his work that had failed...but, gas fittings from our last big reno.... 15 years ago.  Great....... we've had a small leak for all those years... but, only under the extreme pressure they use to test the lines.   And..it is higher pressure than anybody used in previous renovations 25 pounds... which is much more than ever is needed or used regularly.  It is not a safety issue ... whew....!  just a "code" issue...as usual.

The damn codes are making me crazy.  Get this one.... there MUST be an electrical outlet within 3 feet of your front door?  HUH??> Why??  nobody can tell me.  But...it's CODE!.... so, we have to put a big ugly electrical outlet ...right in the middle of my beautiful new stone on the wall.  Okay fine then..... I made the stone guy stain the surround gray stoney block black so it blends into the dark stone around it ... , and I am going to buy a black cover or spray paint one black so I can't notice it too....the buggers.  Code.  Pagh!

Had some more fun at some neighbours expense again yesterday.  I'm not sure what part of "gutted" people have absolutely not been understanding...but, when they walk in......I guess they finally get it.  They must think I exaggerate.

Jaws drop.... there is audible gasping....  eyes widen in horror...  at the mess my lovely, once pristine hardwood is in....  yeh, they finally get it then.......

Oh, sure, there was some protection put down...almost grudgingly .....in only some places..... and they regularly assure us they never usually put down anything....

it didn't help anyway.... there is always an idiot handy to undo whatever was done to protect something isn't there? .....

I've also been assured the hardwood guy is a magician.  Well, even a magician couldn't just wave a wand and fix this....he will have to take out about 16 pieces of Chicasaw to feather in the mess made with a skill saw whose user obviously had no skills whatsoever ..... the guard supposedly 'failed'.... hmmmm...somebody is lucky his foot wasn't in the way of that runaway.....

...see??   told ya.....gutted..... yep...nothing but empty....with some new drywall now...and the first coat of tape and mud.....

..mud, slop... you name it .....

sure it has to be refinished...but really?..... couldn't we have made things a bit easier on the poor hardwood guy?  I wonder if he is ever shocked by the before and after.  When he came to estimate the refinishing it sure as he** didn't look like this.

Yes, we did widen doorways......

.. and enlarge closets......

.. and of course, change kitchen cabinets....

...... but, really?? ..........

Tell all Thursday...

Yesterday's "wordless" is indeed a mushroom omelette. It just happened that for some reason it looked too perfect when I tipped it onto the toast... almost like a piece of fabric with mushrooms printed on it. So...had to take a photo. The slice of the yellow tomato...is the last tomato of the season...those yellows are different in flavour and so sweet. Must try a few more of those next year.

We brought in the pepper plants last night ...good thing too!














Heavy white frost on the rooftops this morning... -4C... brrrr.. Last Wednesday it was +32C.... where else but here does it drop 30 degrees in a few days? The golf course employees had a good laugh at Veronica and the Old Guys showing up to golf when it was barely +5C at 10:30 a.m. yesterday. They were freezing and had on their parka type jackets. I myself had on 5 layers ... (6 if you count the heavily padded bra) cotton camisole, long sleeved turtle neck, light long sleeve zip riding shirt, lightly padded vest and fleece jacket. And... another fleece parka liner popped over top til I took my first tee shot. It was cloudy and the wind was gusting when we took off...but, the clouds cleared and the wind settled a bit....so by the time we got to the 6th hole...it was not too bad. However, we were all pretty cold by then.... so elected to quit after the 9 and didn't bother going around the small course a second time. We sat in the warm clubhouse instead and had hot coffee and peeled off layers as we warmed up. I shot my best 9 of the season.... woohoooo.... hope I can hold the good thoughts til May now....and have a better beginning right out of the chute. I actually figured out a few things with my swing last week ... with Mr. BV's help .... and had a couple dandy drives. That's all it takes... a couple of great ones and you keep going back.... I know lots of folks hate golf and/or are just not interested. I love it. What a strange and wonderful game.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, today I should have been offline already. The carpet installers should be here floating the floor and getting rid of the old carpet... perhaps even getting to the underlay ....but, no...... nobody is here. Why? Because our carpet is still in transit......

"Hi there...my name is John and I work for the carpet company." (very British accent...so much so that I couldn't really get half of what he said til my ears adjusted to the voice...)

"uhm.....that's nice....when will you be here? "

"That's what I'm calling about".

"your carpet's not 'ere..."

"Where is it then John?"

"It's in Richmond"

"Richmond, Virginia?? ((shriek?....)) ('cuz it is coming from the U.S.) ..... or Richmond B.C. ??.... (in CAnada at least)"

"Oh ..hahhahahahh ..... Richmond B. C....."

"not very funny really ... John"....

"no....I know.... but, we'll have to rebook....and blah, blah, blah.... " (I didn't hear much or understand much after the rebook part........ I just saw red and my hearing went all blurry)

.....

The upshot of it is....we wait til somebody tracks things down....re-organizes an installer and we wait.....to see what they manage..........

I should have been totally ready for this..... it is no different than any of the other renovation stuff we have been through. But.... somehow hope springs eternal...... can you believe it? ...even after 23+ years of dealing with sales and tradespeople. You would think I'd learn not to bother giving anybody credit for anything or expecting anything at all from anybody....

Somehow, I'm not even totally furious either.... maybe I'm used to all the bullshit. But, I am disappointed. We worked our butts off to be ready for the appointed date. All the painting and fixing and moving out of furniture is complete. We have three empty rooms down here....and extra chairs, cushions, tables, lamps, rolled rugs, DVD holders, some cabinetry and huge tote bins strewn all over upstairs....until after the carpeting is put down. The couch, pool table rails and slabs and tv are on the landing and in the entrance to the laundry room... can't move around them...... and, now....... .........we ..........wait........ la la la.... la la la... la lala la la......