Manu, being Italian has all manner of relatives and near relatives in and around the construction business. His Zio Gino is a house painter, Gino's longtime partner is a master plasterer, there are distant in-laws who manufacture windows, and most importantly there is his Zio Peter, who is a plumber. If we're to have any hope at all of finishing the first floor near our targeted budget, we absolutely need dear Peter to give us...
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Monday, 20 July 2009
Hurry up and wait
Although the first phase of renovations was little more than two years ago, we had already forgotten the amount of down time there is in the remodelling process. Even before allotting a job, the various trades have to be briefed (which depending on the size of the job can take up to an hour and a half) then it generally takes at least...
Sunday, 5 July 2009
Poetry in motion
The flowers, candles and cards have been taken away and the shrine is no longer. But like the unease of The Small Street's residents, the melted candle wax is still stubbornly sticking to the sidewalk as a reminder of that terrible event. As if to counteract this bad Juju, our neighbors, each in their own way have been making an extra special...