Plumbing the depths

We went to the house this morning to check that the builder knew which walls are to be soundproofed.  We have decided to do the living room, not so that we can blast out AC/DC but more so we cannot hear next door’s daughter practising the flute.  And guess what: the electrician wasn’t there and the plumber was only there until lunch time.  This is holding up the builder and I have dropped hints with our friend (where he also has to do work) that ours came first!

I think we may have decided on a log burning stove (or narrowed it down to two).  We found a shop close by that is the agent for Jotul  and Scan.  These are both Danish.   The lady in the shop was very pleasant and seemed pretty knowledgeable and the price was reasonable.  The advantage to buying local is that she then can supply any extra parts or attachments.  When we were in Bristol we saw a stove by Dovre. They are Belgian and the nearest agent is in Modena.  They did ring though and sent through pictures and information straightaway.  They have discounted the price too which is great news until we then noticed that we were liable for the cost of transportation – from Belgium, dependent on the weight.  Seeing as the stove is cast iron this could be considerable, I am thinking.

Only other news is that we have collected the first batch of lights.  We have also ordered another set for the stairs, landings and bathrooms which should arrive soon.  This is quite exciting and it was nice that Susanna in the lighting shop commented on our choice, and also our knowledge of the designs and companies.  She complained that most Italians end up choosing the same old styles.  I said that I found that hard to believe as the most famous lighting designers are mainly Italian.  Have to say though, that if all you have to do all day is trawl through the Interwebz, then you will become a bit of an expert on the subject of the day.  Today it is stoves and flue pipes; tomorrow who knows?

Tomorrow is Women’s Day and all the restaurants will probably be booked up, so we decided to eat out this evening at Bruno Coppetta’s.  We had a great meal of fillet steak, home-made crisps and a mixed green salad followed by a saffron pannacotta and coffee.  Jamie went for the grilled chicken with beans and a local version of creme brulee, called Crema Catalana.  Moved on to Saltapicchio for a digestif of grappa and then home.