Week 256: Grinding it down

Monday was a relaxed day that felt like a weekend. Howard and Whitney, fellow nomads that we've met before in Montenegro were driving past Gent and asked if they could stop by to visit. Of course we said yes! We toured Delfine with them, and then met them in the centre of Gent where I got to practice tour guide, we ate chocolates, fritjes and had a wonderful time chatting and having a break from the boat.

Then, those cruisy, easy weeks of the last few weeks left us behind. On Tuesday, with the weather in our favour, we knuckled down and got stuck into the sanding of the sides of Delfine. It's filthy, dirty, and physically exhausting work. But by Friday, we'd done it! Both sides of the coach roof were finished, and we could start priming and adding the between layer.

Karina did most of the heavy lifting here. I was focused on a range of projects inside. Filling and patching holes, working with the builders, and assisting with tasks as needed.

Frederic returned on Monday to complete the electrical and plumbing installations. He fully expected to be finished within a couple of days. He was still there, grinding away until Thursday with an assistant.

It's now at the frustrating point where everything is very close, while nothing is yet quite complete.

A bit of a rundown:

• In the bedrooms, we have everything done, except we need to source and install TVs, and the main lights are missing. There was an issue with the light we'd chosen, it can't be adapted for 24V.
• In the bathrooms, it all works, but it's not quite there. The basins are installed and the drain plumbed in, but the taps are delayed. The toilets are installed and flush, but the seats have not been delivered yet. We went with a temporary mixer (as the shower mixer is delayed until the end of the year), but the shower nozzles are still delayed.
• All the lights are installed in the lounge, but the area above the stairs, which is now boxed in, still needs prep and painting, a power socket installed, and we have to create trim for around the stair hatch.
• The kitchen is close. Except for a missing power socket and an issue with the welds on the seams.
• In the wheelhouse, the front windows are installed. Simon is waiting on a router bit to trim the edges, and then we still have to epoxy and paint the walls and ceiling. We're waiting on Martin to return and complete the last few electrical tasks.
• On the outside, we've chosen the deck colour, paint is delivered, and the painting is underway. Over the next two to three days, all external painting will be completed.
• The stern cabin has a long way to go. The builders have completed the walls around the bathroom, and all the radiators are mounted. I need to fill in either side of the bed, fix the wall behind the bed, patch the ceiling and then we need to patch and paint the whole room. This is the lowest of our priorities.

The focus is very much on "photo ready". Which we will be – we've got a week and a bit left before this to prepare and arrange

The builders returned on Thursday for what's not quite the final time, but it's the final time "for now" until September. They worked hard and completed the most critical of the outstanding items, boxing in the stairs where I ripped it out to fit the AC pipes. With some sanding and preparation on our part, we'll have it painted and ready for the photos. There's still the edging around the hatch to go, but that might have to be skipped in the pictures.

Anthony also finished off the side of the bed and the back of the bathroom wall. At this point, we've now agreed that we'll try to complete the last few items ourselves, while they will return once the stern cabin bathroom door is complete (September) to install that.

We avoided the sanding in the early part of the week by finishing the windlass and choosing the deck colours on the basis that they are needed for the photo. The windlass looks smart with it's blue top, and while there's more we can do to finish it, it's now "good enough" for the photography in the background.

On a social front, we hosted some of our neighbours for drinks on Sunday afternoon. We have a lovely group of people here in our building, and most of us are in a shared WhatsApp group. It's handy to know who you live with, and those of us who could attend had a fun afternoon.

Thursday, we went to Simon's favourite burger joint, "Uncle Babe's", which is conveniently close to our apartment. We had what we thought was the best hamburger since we left the US! A big call, but they were great burgers. So great, we went back again on Friday night. In part, that was because these were the big sanding days, and we were both so tired from the physical work, it was all we could do to function and stay standing.

The Gent Festival has started, and along with it, numerous road closures, including for bicycles. The festival is the headline feature of summer here in Gent. The entire centre is closed down, with stages and acts everywhere, buskers, and people drinking and partying into the night. It comes with good and bad – a lot of locals use this opportunity to shut down and get out of town!

Schools have started their holidays and all the construction-related industries (including our architects, builders, electricians, carpenters and... well, everyone!) are now on leave. We're on our own as far as finishing things for the photo. Which is not necessarily a bad thing! We keep Delfine a lot tidier when it's just us, and we're not spending money on labour :D

We had a minor drama last night on our way home from the boat. With the festival on, the streets are crowded with people. Our road is a bottleneck because it's closed off, so we have to walk our bikes past a barrier gate. The crowds spread out and sprawled across the street. As Karina hopped back on her bike, dodging the crowds, she caught her wheel in the tram tracks and fell off.

I missed it as I was a few metres ahead. I got home and opened the door, expecting her to be behind me. I walked back up the street and she was pushing her bike back with a cut on her head, blood streaming down her face and dripping off her chin! Fortunately, she was okay, but it was a bit of a shock. When we cleaned the cut up, we decided to take her to emergency as it looked deep enough for a couple of stitches.

The hospital, like all our experiences with health care here in Gent, was fast and efficient. Within two minutes of checking in, we were off into triage. The nurse cleaned her cut and agreed that yes, it probably needed stitches, so we were sent off to the doctor. We'd barely sat down, and the doctor was in, checking her over thoroughly. Within an hour and a half, we were out of there again, two stitches, a bandage on a sprained wrist and another on her shoulder, and an X-ray confirming no broken bones. She has a large collection of bruises now, but otherwise is okay. A bit stiff and sore.

As the doctor said, "Every Gentian has an accident on the tram tracks at least once." She can now consider herself a real local. We're very thankful for how fast, efficient and kind they all were. And that there's nothing more serious.

Watch out for those tram tracks!

Until next time,

Tim & Karina