In these parts this is normal behaviour but it's infuriating. Fact is, the house is a year behind schedule and this is very hard for friends and family from overseas to understand. Fact is too, builders in these parts have work enough for years ahead and there aren't enough of them. Why so much work? 

The earthquake which struck Assisi three years back did a certain amount of damage here too and money from Brussels has poured in to the area and into builders' pockets. So they hop from site to site with anything up to five jobs on the go at one time. Touching story isn't it?

That was the reasonable, rational part of me talking.

The emotional part has promised never to ever get involved in re-building ever again. Anywhere.

Simply too stressful.

As I was hopping around the fire, some other builders I know popped by and assured me that waiting so long is really quite a positive thing. The longer you wait, they said, the more delighted you'll be when you're in and it's finished. I can only imagine that this is one of the verbal strategies they use when threatened with death or serious injury. We are like lawyers they said, we take on as much work at a time as possible, you never know what we're up too, you can never get hold of us and we charge a fortune. At this I had to smile, took a swig of wine and threw another beam on the increasingly huge fire, which I must say, was affording me some little satisfaction.

All the electricity and plumbing points have been fitted and the walls have been plastered (first coat).

All doors and windows have arrived and are being put in.

If I can get hold of the plumber and the electrician and then can find a team of builders to put in the floor tiles then I'll be able to say I'm getting close to moving in.

I will, sure I will.

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