Another busy day...

I shouldn't really be the one writing this post as all of the 'doing' has been done by Stuart and co. and I've been sat at the computer all day. In fact, I haven't even left the house (beyond the garden) since Sunday. However, if I don't write this, I'm not sure there'll be any update at all tonight, as Stuart is still in the apartment tiling (at gone 9pm) so I will do my best!

I got up - headache free for the first time in three days! - and went to get on the turbo trainer. The sky was cloudy, but thankfully this morning it didn't rain on me. It turns out that turbo trainers don't like getting wet. For one, the wheel slips so it doesn't really work all that well, but as I found out this morning, things get a bit rusty and stiff...! Nothing a bit of WD40 won't fix though.

Anyway, exercise done, I came back in to find everyone still in bed - a couple of late nights and busy, busy days starting to mount up, I think. By the time I had showered though, Stuart was up and Sheila was up not long after.

My day from there on in consisted of sitting in front of a computer, so I shan't bore you with any more of that!

Kerys and Ben rose (Kerys with some prodding, I believe) at about 10, and they all set to work again. Stuart soon needed some bits and pieces from Obi, so the four of them hopped in the car for the exciting trip to the local DIY store. It's actually a nice drive, with pretty scenery to look at and quite interesting when doing it for the first time (not so much when you've been there and back as many times as we have!). They also paid a visit to the garden shop that we'd been to the other weekend - we had a €50 voucher that was due to expire today, and didn't want it to go to waste!

They returned laden with beautiful flowers, shrubs and pots:

By this time it was way past lunch time, so we all took a break and had a similar lunch to yesterday's on the patio.

After lunch, Stuart headed to the apartment to do some tiling, while Kerys, Ben and Sheila started work on painting our garden furniture. The black paint has been chipping off for some time, and we decided that we would re-paint it in a white shade - the idea being that it shouldn't get SO hot in the sun that you can't touch it! That's the theory anyway.

Sheila also mowed our lawn in between brush strokes - oh and did I mention she's done all the washing up for us again today?! She will certainly need a holiday to get over this one! I really hope that next week will be more relaxing.

Ben soon got bored of the painting lark and when Stuart announced that he needed to go BACK to Obi because the tile cutter he brought over from the UK had given up the ghost, Ben decided that was far more interesting than watching paint dry.

Stuart decided to combine the trip to Obi with a trip to Ikea in Pisa again. He just can't stay away from that place!!! In fact, what happened is that he discovered there were no clips with the sink that we bought at the weekend (who even knew that sinks needed clipping to the worktop? I certainly didn't). It seemed such a ridiculous effort to have to go all the way to Pisa for some poxy clips, but there was no other way, and he needed them so that he could get on with plumbing the sink in.

Sheila and Kerys sweated it out on the patio painting (first coat) two chairs - which are starting to look really good!

I eventually threw the towel in with my office work, but then headed to the other office for some more work on our guest information pack.

Stuart and Ben eventually returned from Pisa at around 7.40pm - apparently Ikea didn't have any spare sink clips but could order some ... for delivery next week. When Stuart explained that next week would be too late, they simply suggested he buy a new sink. Yes, really! So that is what he ended up having to do (having first checked that the clips were in the box!). Evidently we can get a refund if we trog all the way back to Ikea with the clipless sink and the receipt.

So once back from their mammoth trek, Ben and Stuart continued to work on the tiling in the apartment kitchen - it needs to be finished so that the adhesive can dry overnight, hence why they are still toiling away at 9.30pm. I can smell the BBQ, which is thankfully being tended by Sheila and Kerys while I bash this report out, so it might be time for me to head down and see how they are getting on.

With any luck, normal blog service will resume tomorrow, with a first-hand report, although with lots of work still to do, and a car, a printer and a mattress to collect, who knows!