Dates and builders

Today was a very important morning. I met with Dave, the Builder to discuss last minutes bits and bobs and to decide on a start date.

Most of my questions (which were actually Mirinda’s) were things to be taken up with the various sub-contractors at a later date – boiler? Talk to the plumber. Lights? Talk to the electrician. Actually, there’s a heap of tiling to do, so if Mitchie is feeling at a loose end…

And then the all important question. When will it all start? Dave reckons it will probably be on Monday week. The brickies will bring in their sand, cement and blocks, stack them out the back and start working on the foundations then outside walls. Sadly, I’ll be in Marrakesh, but Mirinda will be here to make sure they know what they’re doing.

The biggest impact on me is that I now have to abandon all other tasks and concentrate on getting the side passage completely clear. At the moment, they would be struggling to get anything wider than Carmen down the side. And I only have until next week to do it.

I managed to empty another plastic storage box before having to call a halt to hostilities for Date Night.

As I reached Starbucks at Canary Wharf, my phone alerted me to the fact that Mirinda’s ferry would be arriving in 20 minutes so, rather than heading for the flat, I set off down to the dock.

Poor Mirinda is working very hard at the moment, and for far longer hours than she’s used to, so she was pretty exhausted when we met. She started to tick off a list of possible restaurants but then, interrupting herself, she suggested pizza. Clearly, this would always be my choice so we headed off to find Pizza Express.

It’s quite well hidden in Cabot’s Place but not well enough to trick us for too long and we were soon settled at a table overlooking Sweaty Betty which, for reasons known only to them, seemed to be hosting an after work yoga evening.

The pizza, naturally, was delicious, as was the tiramisu and Peroni. Life doesn’t get much better.

I left a very sleepy Mirinda and headed back home. The poodles loved their dinner almost as much as I did.