The DIY monkey strikes again! 29.01.13

The DIY monkey strikes again! 29.01.13

Yet more shopping again today, we are going to lay the floor in the new bathroom before we fit any of the furniture this will make life much easier.

We decide to put lino down as this floor is the only one in the house that has concrete, this was laid long before we arrived and was in place for the old bath. I have also been informed that I am showing my age by calling it lino, it is actually cushioned flooring (yeah right give it a posh name, it is still lino!)

We look at the lino’s which seem to be much thicker than it is in the UK and much better quality, we also think it is much cheaper, until we find out that the price we are looking at is per square meter and not per linear metre. Time to reassess our choice, as neither of us really like the lino any way and we’re not a big fan of laminate, we look at real wood. This turns out to be not only the nicest choice but also the cheapest option!!!!! We can’t believe it will cost less to have a real wood floor rather than a lino covered floor.

As we have driven to a few shops to check stock and prices we decide to see if we can locate the box of heating pipe that we lost the week before.

I ask at the customer service desk to find out that the advisor does not speak English at all and my French is not up to that kind of standard yet, john is at the checkout so I try with this person, who also does not speak English other than hello. I continue with some French and a lot of hand signals, we get across we were there last week and bought a shower but lost a box, they thought it was part of the shower, so I look like an idiot saying non, le cabin de douche c’est bonne, d’accord, tres bien and giving lots of thumbs up and trying to get across that the box is nothing to do with the shower, but I do not know the word for missing or lost or left, visions of the monkey are coming to mind, as this is the same circumstances in reverse. We eventually have four staff with us, as they would not give up and let us go, between us we manage as one person suddenly clicks and shouts ah, l’anglais something something something le carton. They had actually got the box and had left it in the back of the store, when we go to get it the store man speaks excellent English and recognises us. We still can’t understand why none of the staff didn’t think to go and get him in the first place, but maybe they were trying to improve their English, as I now know my French, may not be perfect but it is definitely getting better.

We do our weekly food shop and John points out he would like to try some different meals for a change, I tell him to buy what he wants but I only know how to make so many meals, so he may not get fed! (Those who know me well, will know that cooking is not a strong point)

We have loads of food and spend an age unpacking the car, I look at it and think I really can’t be bothered and we get showered and head out for dinner. The weather is dreadful, its cold and raining hard and when we get to the restaurant its shut, as is every other one in the town, bugger, back to the house cold and wet and we still have to cook, I do miss the ease of take away food to be found in Manchester, but I am still losing weight, currently losing the weight I put back on during the 8 weeks we spent back in Manchester (which was actually put on due to the ease of take away’s!).

We also have a brain wave in the car about the layout of the house, we are planning 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, but wonder if the house may be better as just 3 bedrooms, this would mean converting the 2 first floor bedrooms into one big bedroom, which would mean a big ensuite. We consider this and think it may be better; the room would have two amazing windows. I pop into the estate agent and ask them for some advice and she agrees. Currently people are asking to view 2 or 3 bedroom houses is in this area, I was slightly worried that as the house had originally been a 5 bedroom house, would we be lowering the value, but as the estate agent pointed out, nobody wanted it when it was 5 bedrooms. Losing another bedroom would also not affect the B&B idea as we had only ever intended to have 2 rooms.

But now I am getting a little bit ahead of myself as we still haven’t finished the rooms we were working on.

Top Tips

1. Do not be afraid to try and question things in shops, if you try hard enough people will help
2. Be prepared to change your idea's and make sure you speak to people, more isn't necessarily more