Week 235: Patching continues
Lots of progress in patching holes inside and starting work on the wheelhouse.
It's been one of those weeks where you think, "Oh, not much has changed", but when you look back, you realise there's been a lot of progress on various things.
Just in time for the warmer weather (it hit 16C here on Friday), Bart, the heating specialist, returned to continue work on the radiators, and we now know why the thermostat wasn't switching off. We resolved that, but we now don't have hot water in the boiler (not a major issue), and we await another part. We have a handle on what needs to happen here, and there are solutions, so it's happening. But, of course, it feels slower than I'd like.
The glaziers returned and patched some spots in the silicon for us, stopping those leaks. With the rain on Thursday, I've found one more that needs resolving, and then, I think (barring some unusual weather condition that blows the water upside down from the south or something) we're on top of them all. I do feel like I've said this before, however.
On Wednesday morning, I collected my National ID card, which makes me an official Belgian resident, and then started a range of other processes (now I can register easily with a local doctor, for example).
Kristof, our building project manager, returned to Delfine to meet with several suppliers. We had a busy day with him checking and measuring a range of things, particularly the stern cabin, which we've now mapped out in detail and locked in the position of walls.
Morning tea in the wheelhouse. Kristof and the stair builder, Jasper, through the hatch where the stairs will go.
We had a floor specialist come by to assess resurfacing the parquetry floor. That's no problem, which is excellent news. Then, the company that will construct the stairs came and took a 3D scan and measured various things carefully in preparation for building those.
There are a million and one small things that need to be done to complete Delfine, BUT at a grand level, it's starting to feel more manageable. If I zoom out to a high enough level, I can now keep it in my head, even if the individual processes get very involved. Many of them are now "automatic" in that they are handed off to the builders, and our day-to-day decisions are more occasional. We've passed a few humps.
It been all about patching holes in the roof this week and getting a bit of primer on to check how it's all going.
The next series of decisions is generally more operational. We've ordered curtains and blinds (because they take 8 weeks to arrive). We've ordered beds (3 months!). We're working on licensing (serving alcohol, food safety, etc.). We've had our first meeting with a potential chef. We're re-checking what we must do to complete our boat safety and commercial operation certificates.
The electricians were back working on the console, good progress although still another day left in it. The new varnished edge came up really well. We're much happier with how it looks. The solar panels are being mounted and tested, then we'll take the racks away so we can paint.
I was thrilled to receive a "full request" for the Goblins & Guidebooks manuscript as I continued writing queries (letters to agencies) and hunting for an agent. This is the next milestone on the journey to traditional publishing and means that at least my submission was interesting enough to warrant reading more. The whole process is slow, but after a few rejections, it was fantastic to see someone take an interest!
It's all slowly coming together. Bit by bit,
Until next time,
Tim & Karina