CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE :
In the early days of the adventures of Dany the Perky Busy Bee, I told you about our gruelling quest for the Holy Grail, I mean, our Breton house-hunting.
I guess I also told you that we were so picky about homes that in less than no time we had become the local real estate agents' worst nightmares.
Were we too exacting or too stuck with ou ' must-haves 'priorities ?
I really don't know ...
Anyway, after touring more than two dozen houses, what should have been a fun,leisure -time activity turned into a messy,time-consuming and seemingly endless expedition !
We were about to give up , and agreed that that day's click on our favourite real estate website would be the ultimate one.
And there it was, spreading on the screen : our dream home !
Even before scrolling through the photos in the slideshow, we already knew it was the place we had been looking for !
To be really up to our expectations, our home, sweet home needed renovating, but never mind, it screamed potential !
After dealing with dodgy craftsmen and outrageous estimâtes, we were lucky enough to be introduced to a reliable and experienced contractor.
It took him no time to pull down some partitions, take up the old stained tiled floor, and dig the foundations for an extension.
Works were making good progress and we were thrilled to bits !
How naive of us !!
We had skipped the fact that being 500 kms away, we couldn't keep a close eye on the project, but that had not escaped our so-called trustworthy guy ...
Relatives and friends sent to spy on him couldn't do anything but tell us the works looked at a standstill !
At that rate, timelines agreed beforehand were doomed to be delayed indefinitely !
His ' don't sweat it and take it easy ' and his ever-changing explanations on the phone did not cheer us up at all, quite the contrary .
So, to prevent our renovation from becoming a 'never-again ' experience, and to protect our sanity, as well, we decided we would come to our home-to-be every fortnight to check the progress of the works.
On the way back from our third ' inspection ', we had to admit that living in a dirty construction zone with drywall dust on our pillows, deafening hammer-drillers instead of the gentle buzzer of our alarm-clock, and water turned off at 8am sharp , all that stuff did not make us happy campers !
If we wanted to keep a clear head and control, we couldn't skimp on sleep !
Then, for our fourth round of inspection, we booked in a nearby hotel, and as it was Spring time, we asked for a room with terrace and seaview.
After breathing rubbles dust, coating, plaster and cement, our lungs did deserve a good breath of fresh sea air, didn't they ?
While Dearhubby was discussing about the number of plugs and their places with the electricians, I was just looking forward to being a few hours older and slipping into a comfy bed !
At 10.30 pm , after a quick and light dinner, and a cold shower (two ingredients for a better sleep), I was lying in bed , ready to sleep like a log !
Hardly had we switched off the light when I started sneezing !
The rubbles dust side effects ? Well, our building site was not that dusty, so what ?
After turning and tossing, I suddenly realized my head was on a puffy feather pillow, and feathers and me have never been in good terms...
So, I got rid of the pillow, turned on the left side, knees pulled up high and chin tucked into my chest, my favourite position to sleep tight and have pleasant dreams(for example, moving in our new house the day after ! ).
Heck, what was that muffled noise ? Was I cursed for ever ?
I was about to whistle to stop Dearhubby's snores, when a glance at him stopped me dead !
My favourite works foreman was sleeping silently !
The air-conditionning, then ? In Spring, in Brittany ? Forget about it !
Jeez, I had been craving for some restorative sleep in a cosy room with a seaview, and there I was, sitting in my bed, eyes wide open and doomed to spend a sleepless night !
Hang on a sec ! A room with a seaview ? You know what it means in Brittany ? A room overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and ...its backlash !
What was advertised in the glossy leaflet of the hotel as a romantic lullaby turned my night into a night in hell !
The next morning after a brain-boosting breakfast (to recover from lost sleep), I rushed to the nearby chemist to get earplugs !
Don't get me wrong ! It was not to turn a deaf ear to our contractor's smooth talk, but just to listen to the sound of silence the next night !
That's all for this week, folks !
Don't worry, I won't bend your ears anymore with the twists and turns of our renovation adventures ! You have heard enough of that !
Have a nice week and don't forget : be perky !!
FOR SHARING WITH WHOEVER YOU WANT TO !
