Things aren't exactly going swimmingly....

St Patrick's Day should be a time for drinking and celebrating with friends; to get the shillelagh out, to unpack the shamrock and have a rollicking good time.

I however, am not celebrating, but rather slightly worrying about what's happening in my flat.

It's 5 days til kitchen installation, and this is what it looks like now:

Kitchen - Friday 16 March 2013

Eek! Slightly worse than last week! And there are other problems, discovered last night.

My lovely, yet usually somewhat slow workers, moved on apace this week, and put the floor down in the bedroom in a few hours....and also in the living room, which adjoins the kitchen.

It looked good to me....I was really happy, the sun was shining in...

Floor in the bedroom....looking good...

...until my friend Carsten came round last night! He often lays floors and was surprised at how quickly it had been done... about 4 or 5 hours (for the bedroom) and probably the same for the living room. But he examined it with an expert's view and discovered that the screws that had been used were too short and thin, and it now needs to be screwed from the top too, meaning drilling two holes every 80 cm across EACH board, or it will be squeaking within months, and will probably bow, he says.... oh sh*t!

Not only that.... we also discovered that there was a small 'step' between the kitchen and the living room, which should not have been there. The workman told me that they would eliminate this, but they haven't!!! So they are gonna have to take it all up again (in the living room) and rectify it. They are not going to be happy, and I hate complaining about things unless I have to (which I will then absolutely do!), but this is really crucial, as my soon-to-be installed tiny breakfast bar nearly reaches the living room area, and I am planning to put a stool there, and as it stands at the moment, the stool will wobble all over the shop if it isn't fixed....gonna be lots more work taking it up and doing it again properly, and more delays, but it has to be done!!! Oh no!!!

The ceiling in the living room also looks pretty terrible, and has to be either renewed or given about 3 layers of plaster.

New tenants have been found for my current rented flat, and I have to be out of here by the end of April.... hope dies last....there's plenty of time, actually, but the builders have about 5 other jobs on, so I'm more than a little anxious. Tell me it'll be okay, someone?????

Happy St Patrick's Day one and all. Update to follow!