Forgot to say

I do have enough time left 'on the clock' to be able to spend Christmas/New Year here, if we so choose, but I am NOT [sorry, couldn't find the HTML for "underline like crazy people do"!] sacrificing that time to be here for builders.

The room won't be finished in time for us to use it this winter: no central heating, yet...

[We're at the point where I'm playing the waiting game.

I'm coping with just the output from the poêle in the evenings, but it's only a matter of time...]

Today is warmer [13°C], but we've had several nights where it's been 5°C, and as the insulation for the bedroom is planned to be in the form of external cladding at some future unspecified date, it will be a stone-walled room with no heating.

Hmm, I've done that one, and am not doing it again unless/until we're on our uppers!

As an aside, apparently T+B are having a nightmare with the job in Cirfontaine...

From what we've heard [building trades grapevine is usually pretty accurate, even if I don't have any sources; sadly M. Hamid is not indiscreet!], plenty is going wrong there too.

Ahh, so much nicer to know you're not alone!

*end bitchiness*