Frustrating

St Robert

Just to please daughter 3.

I was going to not blog today as it has been such a frustrating day and I didn't want to share it with you all.

However thanks to Liz.....

We started off with a phone call from the pool company to confirm that we hadn't actually ordered a part we thought we had - they told us the extra cost and we declined.

Talking to the pool company is a little like phoning a solicitor or accountant. Every time you do so it costs you another chunk of money. So this time we didn't spend it.

Instead we went to the shop for another gas bottle top-up and some vegetables. We took Millie Mehari as she hasn't had much use during the winter. When we got back we found two men in the garden. J-J and Martin from the pool company.

They didn't demand money with menaces but had come to check that the heater and pump were running well. They had rolled back the security cover just enough to allow them access to the filtration system and confirmed that the pump was not working properly. We left them to it (having made them a cuppa - J-J takes tea, weak, black, no sugar) and started to attend to other outside matters, tidying up the mess they have left.

Eventually they left the pump and heater running and said 'If the temperature doesn't change between now and 2pm, call the office, we will come back again' (in English, heavy French accents).

Jon began to re-route and bury the water supply they have fitted to the chalet and pool area. I popped in to check the time and start lunch and when I went out again Jon was struggling with the pool cover. A big gust of wind had lifted it and, where it wasn't secured to the pump end, it had shifted off the pool and landed off centre.

The security cover weighs around 130 kg.

We struggled it back as far as we could. Rolled back the other end to give it some weight and went indoors to avoid the huge downpour which had just started.

Jon by now is not a happy bunny. I won't repeat exactly what he said about the, apparently fatherless, weather, but he was extremely fed up.

We had lunch, the sun came out again. I went to check the heater and pump and found that I couldn't read the display - the rain had obviously got in to the system and stopped the LCD from working.

I phoned the pool company. 'We will be zere before alf past zreee' said J-J.

Martin was there before alf past two. (Yes, pronounce alf with the L in it).

He fiddled about a bit. Changed the LCD, fiddled about some more. Called the heater manufacturer and pronounced that the heater is, in fact, working fine.

It is. Lucky for Martin (who said as he was leaving that he hopes he doesn't have to come and see us again - but did say that it was only because he wants our pool to be working now).

Jon continued with the water supply. I started cleaning the pool.

It began to rain. Heavily. We went indoors.

The sun came out. I continued cleaning the pool, Jon started to set up the edging for the parking area.

It began to rain. Heavily. We went indoors.

You get the picture.

Finally, I have almost finished cleaning the pool. It will take another couple of hours tomorrow and maybe Friday too but there is a lot of sand in there from the rainfall the other week. It will be fine by Saturday. Jon did get the edging for the parking area laid down and we have measured up the amount of castines we need for there and the paths.

Tomorrow's weather forecast says no rain. Fat chance. Watch this space.