I am begining to get eye strain from using this computer. Not, as you would imagine, from staring too much at the screen, but from actually trying to see the screen. But it’s okay; my eyesight isn’t failing (well, no more than usual anyway), it’s simply that we haven’t much screen left to look at.
Let me explain.
We have always been computer addicts, so much so that we each have our own pc; mine a desktop and my husband’s a laptop. In fact, so keen were we to keep up with the net, that we converted the tiny room in our house into a computer room for my desktop pc. And one day I might just be able to use it in here.
When we moved out here, we packed my computer and monitor and put it in storage with the rest of our belongings that we were unable to carry in the motorhome, ready for the removal company we had hired to ship the lot out to Spain and deliver it to us when our house was ready. I mentioned in a previous entry that our storage goods were delivered before our house was finished and were piled in our second bedroom, untouched for several weeks. We did, however, check the number of boxes against the storage inventory and all appeared correct. What we were unable to check, however, were the contents of the boxes. We had absolutely no room to do so at the time.
Before our ‘project manager’ upped and left us high and dry with his work unfinished and us having to fork out a lot of money just to get the work done, we had had a few euros to spare. The idea being that we put some by for emergencies, some for general living expenses, and some for spending on little things that we just fancied buying because we could. In those days we had browsed furniture shops, bric-a-brac shops and (more according to my husband’s tastes) electrical shops. Looking at new sound systems has never been my idea of fun, but I did take a liking to a new, flat screen monitor. It would have looked great in our computer room, on our new computer desk. I did have an old, perfectly good 17 inch monitor waiting in storage, but it was bulky and just not as ’state of the art’ as this particular model. The monitor was also on ’special offer’. 129 Euros; a good price in relation to those sold in the UK at that time.
But, despite my assertion that “I would really like that; it is an ideal size for our computer room,” my ‘hints’ fell on deaf ears, as my husband was thinking at that moment more along the lines of a new flat screen tv …… so I let the subject drop ……
Around the same time, one of our dogs, bored from being confined in our motorhome, decided to do a ‘circuit’ of the place, leaping from bed to chair to any other object she could land on. She landed full weight on my husband’s laptop which was sitting in its usual place on the raised floor of the cab. Well, the laptop still worked ok …… but it had these funny little spidery black lines running across one corner …… Needless to say, my husband was not amused. Not only was the screen damaged irreparably, but he could not find anywhere in the area where he could get a replacement. But never mind, we could still see the screen …… if we scrolled down a little …… and in any case, we would soon have our other pc unpacked, together with the old, but serviceable monitor.
Well, time went on, the ‘project manager’ did a runner, but we finished the house enough to move in. We were by this time, however, very short of funds. But never mind, soon we would have my pc up and running. We had already found the pc box, stowed under a pile of box of ornaments (luckily it was strongly packed) …… but where was the box with the monitor in?
We searched all the boxes, piling objects on the floor, on the balcony outside, and wherever else we could find room, but we never found the monitor. Neither could we find our box of lovingly-copied music videos, a box full of commercial music videos, a large mirror (probably broken in transit), numerous ornaments (the more expensive ones of course), and other items we haven’t discovered missing yet. The strange thing was, we had all the boxes we had checked into storage …… it was just that some of the items we had stored in those boxes were missing ….. strange ……
Of course, the removals company claimed that they were not liable for missing items, as they had delivered the boxes and items as per the inventory taken. They suggested contacting the storage company, but they too said they were not liable, but had we checked with our insurers? Yeah sure. No insurance company is going to pay out on items which went into a number of boxes, boxes were counted at both ends, but some items from those boxes are missing …… and we didn’t find out until weeks after they were delivered. I think not.
I could, at this point, further speculate on the whereabouts of the missing items, but knowing our luck we would be sued for libel and we can’t afford that. So it’s just another thing we put down to a lack of vigilance on our part; not keeping tabs on our goods at all times (but when your goods are in the UK and then onboard ship and you are in Spain, that’s a pretty difficult proposition), and basically our ‘ironic luck’.
Ironic because the very thing we had decided not to replace but to wait for was the main item that went missing. And now, of course we cannot afford that ’state of the art’ flat screen model that I liked so much.
But never mind, it’s the beginning of the month and we have a little spare cash. We saw a cheaper flat screen monitor only last week that we could just about afford. So today, my husband went down to the shop to purchase one. Sold out of course and no more in for several months. The only monitors available now are at least twice the price of the original model that I took a liking to and definitely out of our price range.
And to cap it all, the ’spider lines’ on the lap top have these days turned into tarantula boot prints. In fact, in order to see anything on the screen these days you have to scroll right down and then turn your head at a strange angle, at the same time squinting to see through the smudges. I must admit that the ‘design’ we now have on the laptop screen is quite pretty; almost a work of art …… but it’s no damn good for looking through!
(wish it still looked like this!)
So as I type this entry I am constantly moving the ‘window’ about, scrolling down to see exactly what I have typed, and generally cursing destructive dogs and incompetent removal men.
But what I am cursing most of all is my (unusual) reluctance to push for something while I had the chance of getting it, together with the knowledge that this is just another example of our usual ‘ironic luck’.
Of Kitchens, Washing Machines and Cowboy Builders
August 8, 2007
Today was washing day. I put the first wash load in the machine, pressed the button, and away I went to get on with something more interesting. But not for long. The washing machine had stopped and the red light was flashing. Okay, it was probably just the filter that needed cleaning. No problem there then …. except …. Our washing machine is housed in an alcove, specially designed for the washing machine and water heater and it fits in there very tightly.
As I’ve said before, our house is pretty small. The house we bought consisted of a living room,with a very small room off (now our ‘computer room), one bedroom and a very wide, steep staircase. 
(it looks a little better now..)
The previous owners had built on a kitchen and bathroom, but these had been ramshackle contraptions, so they were knocked down to provide space for an extension.
(you can see why we knocked it down …)
Our new extension consists of a new kitchen and bathroom, and a lobby at the top of the stairs leading to a new second bedroom. Stairs also lead from the lobby to our new roof terrace above the second bedroom. Because there wasn’t a great deal of ground space for the extension and we wanted an extra double bedroom, both the kitchen and the bathroom had to be on the ground floor. This meant that we would end up either with a small kitchen or a small bathroom. As neither of us enjoy cooking that much, we opted for a reasonable sized bathroom and a galley-style kitchen. The original design of the extension was mine. I wanted to provide as much extra space as possible, but had been thwarted in making a simple design which just extended full-width from the original house because the roof of the church next door overhangs our property; hence the lobby which actually has part of the church roof in its ceiling (but the less said about that the better …).
The builder-come-project manager we hired agreed that my design would work and gave us a price which we agreed was fair. But he also had a few ideas of his own.
“I know you have decided upon a small kitchen,” he said, “but what about all those appliances you need space for?”
Well, we had already decided that the fridge-freezer was to go in the ‘alcove’ between our house and our neighbour’s, but we did still have to find room for the washing machine and cooker, but our design had incorporated them into the workspace in the kitchen.
“I’ve got a better idea.” Said our project manager. “I can design a small extension at the back of your kitchen that takes up a little bathroom space, but makes another alcove – this one for your washing machine and water heater.”
“Hmmm,” said my husband, “that’s all very well, but how do I get the washing machine out if I want to repair it?”
“Hadn’t thought of that one.” Said the project manager. “But let me make the alcove and we can fit the kichen around it, making sure that you have plenty of space.”
“Hmmm,” said my husband again, “…. if you are sure this is going to work …”
“Of course it will. Leave it to me. It’s gonna look great!”
The ‘kitchen’ that was then built consisted of nothing but a sink unit, oven housing, and two floor units either side (one of which is fully taken up with our gas bottle), plus two wall units. Well, we could just about get at the washing machine, but as to kitchen storage space, forget it!
When our project manager disappeared before completion (but that’s a story for another time …), leaving us to finish some pretty hard jobs on the house, after ranting a little and despairing a little longer, we took stock of what still had to be done. It turned out that with a bit of forethought, hard graft, and inventive use of paint, filler and chipboard, we could do most of the work ourselves and make the house liveable in (if not quite the ‘palatial place in the sun’ we had had in mind …). We virtually rebuilt the kitchen, installing cupboards everywhere there was space to put them. We even have ‘African scenes’ which I have painted on two of our wall cupboards – we may not have a window, but we can still ‘be somewhere else’ when we are stood at the kitchen sink! We also came up with the idea of a cupboard on wheels, that fits between the washing machine and the sink unit, which we pull out every time we use the washing machine; a little awkward, but it works. All in all, we did very well with that kitchen and we were proud of our work.
But the fact that the washing machine is still in a pretty inaccessible alcove still remained. Especially today when the thing broke down.
It took over two hours, with lots of pushing, pulling, straining, and a fair amount of cursing to get the washing machine out of the alcove, the filter cleaned, the machine tested, and then back into that same alcove. Okay, the washing machine works again now, but the idea of getting the thing out on a regular basis to clean the filter doesn’t exactly fill our hearts with joy.
The moral of this story is, if you move to Spain and buy a property and you have a good design in mind to renovate it, don’t be swayed to change your design by a ‘project manager’ who doesn’t know his kitchens from his elbow.
And Mr ‘Project Manager’, if you are browsing the web looking for posts from your area, as I know you do, and you read this post, then you will know exactly who I am talking about.
Nuff said!
