Monday - the pool project is restarted...

It was an early start for John and I today. We were hopeful that at long last the whole sorry story of our pool refurbishment would finally be put to bed.  We were not entirely sure what time Zinadine Zidane was going to arrive with his 'team' (this is not his name but it is something similar and this is how we remember him).  We erred on the side of caution,  sensibly as it turned out, and were up around 7.30am and about three minutes to eight in walked the very affable Mr Zidane with the 'team' which included Zyad who had previously worked with Bassam when our wall was being built.  He was quick Marek a bollocking for arriving after 8.00pm although only by a few minutes - pulling his leg asking him why he was late!

We are putting our faith into Zinadine and his 'team' to deliver us the pool that we had envisaged last year before the sorry saga of Bodge-it and Scarper.  To be fair they will be picking up a partially finished job and as John says you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and at the moment this is the sowiest sow's ear you will seen in a long while.  Zinadine approved our choice of tiles and said he thought it would all look great when it was finished by Friday - BY FRIDAY - was he having a laugh?  It had taken Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid weeks to create the mess that they had created - still I guess he knows what he is talking about - he should do - he is currently working on a mulit-million euro development down near Banana Bay still he did say he does big jobs and small jobs but I guess this is probably the smallest job he has taken on in a very very long time.

Before I went off to art at Sheila's I started on the vegetable gravy that is to accompany the lamb for the main course of Jane's special 70th birthday meal - I seem to have got things a bit more under control but am panicking as I so want things to be perfect for Jane and I am up against it!!!  We keep a close look on the weather and it seems to be improving a little so fingers crossed it wont spoil things too much.  I have got my trusty list and keep adding to it as I think of things.  I will feel so much better once we have been on Thursday and set up the dining room yurt.

I left the men hard at it - they remained like that all day working, working, working - such a refreshing change from the other two who loafed and moaned, moaned and loafed.

I am so glad I cleaned my windows last week - still hopefully this will be the last of the dust and as they asked for a broom straight away It looks like they will clean up after themselves - now there's a novelty!!!

I can see why there is such a short timescale as by the time I got back from Sheila's stage one was completed the walls of the pool were prepped and they had been waterproofed and meshed and waterproofed and tanked and smoothed and you name it!!!

I am sure having had such a glorious day was a bonus as things seemed to dry and 'go off' super quick which is good news as it is unlikely that the cats will be able to leave their mark overnight although we did see a little evidence of that when Diana came to have a look before we went off to Belly Dancing.

So this is state which they left the pool last night when they had finished - look how clean and tidy the site looks, this is such a contrast to the project previously.  We have a good feeling about this now.  Tomorrow the 'team' will include the tiler - then we will really begin to see things move along.  John is keeping an eye on it all but doesn't feel he needs to be as concerned as he was before.

I will just finish off with a photograph of my latest picture which is of a small boy picking up pebbles on the beach.  Again I am enjoying this subject matter and think it will be a nice picture when it is finished - I think I will stick to this theme for a while.  Sheila is getting on well with her picture of the Greek woman - I will take a picture next week so you can have a look.

BTW thanks to everyone who voted for my photo of the lady cutting vines in Kathikas - it has won a prize - just waiting to hear what!