Day 30/Friday meeting

I got 'overtaken by events' on Friday: we had our meeting, and then made a hasty getaway to go and eat in Chatillon. By the time we got home I didn't feel like firing up the computer, and then Saturday as it was another glorious day we went to Chaumont, again not wanting to sit & write a blog when we got home.

Yesterday, it was packing up to come back to London which took priority (and then coming back to London, obviously)!

So, Friday meeting: I think Jean-Marie abandoned the idea of the "pre-reception" meeting pretty quickly - he listed the trades, and started with the plasterboarding; trying to get that as a 100% finished.

Erm, no, the gaine technique is not done, and there is a third coat of plaster to be put on the walls/ceiling everywhere!

OK, and the plasterboarding is the most complete.

M. Mekki was naughty [David & I are wondering if the lateness/randomness of T+B is getting to him and M. Luparello?]; I'd sent a mail thanking them for getting the sill done before the August break [as I said, we're quick enough to contact them if there's a problem, and with the sill I know it put them under additional pressure and we do appreciate that M. Baty can now come late August to take his measurements rather than waiting until the first full week in September is over]. I'd received a mail from both M. Mekki and M. Luparello saying 'thank you for your thank you'.

End of subject, except someone was stirring it on Friday, I think!

M. Mekki mentioned the mail, and how they really appreciate it, blah blah blah. I just looked him in the eye, and said "I think you're causing trouble" [in English]. He blushed, so I don't think I was wrong, but carried on anyway. I said "I'm watching you", and then he let it drop. I don't think J-M picked up that he was on the receiving end of a dig, but M. Mekki knows that we know. And moreover I know his English is a lot better than he lets on!

Anyway, back to the meeting: it degenerated pretty quickly into listing what needs to be done to finish, and putting dates to various jobs/trades.

J-M asked if we'd been talking with M. Waeber; no, that's your job, you are the project manager. If we were in charge I would have walked to the other end of the village & chatted with him [well, listened!], but as we didn't know until Friday morning when he could come [w/c 20 Sept, apparently] there seemed no point in seeing him to say "no, we don't know when you can start the tiling".

So with all that's left to do we're now looking at the carpenters finishing some time the first week in October! Hopefully, by then M. Baty will have been and gone...

J-M did like my changes to the upstairs plan, and promised he and Nicolas will draw up accurate drawings and make that alteration; I will be watching them like a hawk, so have every faith it will happen!

I was "de-mob happy", and couldn't wait to escape on my "holiday", so we said goodbye to M. Jamel & left him to it.

In his defence, he left everywhere nice and tidy. I hope he has a good time back in Morocco, and that his friends/family back there can chat with him in the same way that seems impossible in France.