Things are coming together...

A quickish update... things really are coming together.

The kitchen has now been completed. True to his word, the Kitchen Guy had a new worktop in the correct stainless steel made up. It arrived on Thursday, and that was the piece that allowed all the last few pieces of the kitchen jigsaw to be assembled. Yesterday, (Friday), the plumber came and did his stuff. He also spent about an hour downstairs in the Keller plumbing in the washer and drier. So, both our kitchen and laundry room are now 100% complete.

Erm, but we have no idea how to use the new appliances 'cos the electrics guy forgot to leave us the instruction manuals. Hmm. However, one expects they'll appear soon enough, so a minor point.

The Curtains and Blinds Guy also turned up yesterday. He put up the somewhat essential blinds in the main bathroom and 'overlooked' bedroom. They're a good solution, and should spare some blushes. He's supposed to turn up again on Monday with the six or seven kilometres of curtain track that'll be needed for the endless glass areas. Ok, one exaggerates, but needless to say, the Curtains and Blinds Guy was a little shocked at the final tally once he'd done a sweep around with a tape measure.

Then there's the Bastelraum parquet situation. Do you recall that the Parquet Guy forgot to reserve the stuff we wanted? And there wouldn't be any more until April? Sheesh! Well, Claudia and I had another look at our samples, and opted for a slightly different parquet, which is definitely available right now. "It also looks much warmer..." says Claudia. Hmm. Anyways, he's also supposed to turn up on Monday, so hopefully he'll get on famously with the Curtains and Blinds Guy.

And those lights? Those endless lights without which our Huf Haus will be a dark place when the sun goes down? Well, I've put up 32 of 'em myself. Another 4 were either done previously, or were done by the Kitchen Guy. A few more to go after we're moved in, plus another 5 for the outside of the gaffe.

I did a fantastic job, even if I say so meself. And only got electrocuted once. Eeek. Good tip for you do-it-yerself electricians out there: put up some sort of provisional light bulb as a visual clue to whether the electric's on or not. And if you do get zapped, don't write it up in yer blog or yer wife'll find out, ("But you told me you knew what you were doing..."). Still, it was all worth it. The house looks far less alien now it doesn't have bare cables poking out of every orifice.

And then there's the landscaping. Now I must say that the only non-Huf supplier who'll consistently provided Huf levels of service has been the landscaping people. They guided us through the various negotiations with the local Gemeinde (local government), helped us sidestep the stupid situation of the Case of the Stolen Land, and generally solved this or that problem as and when it arose. I've a lot to say about the progress outside, but it must wait for another post. However, the punchline is that the general earthworks are now finished, and I couldn't be happier. The landscaper's remaining work could be better termed gardening and joinery.

Progress on all fronts!