Not quite plain sailing...

Alrighty. Builders, electricians, plumbers all doing well, when kept apart. The new floor is down & looks fantastic - thanks Brian, Big Shout to you! The kitchen units have arrived & Big E has done a super job putting them in, so it's all looking good, but I haven't got any appliances, damn it!

The deal is done, the money is paid, but the appliances are nowhere to be seen - another unforseen consequence of wanting the best, so, it seems. Demand is high so availability is low, & I need to wait for a boat to get here from Germany. Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

All this means that our date of May 1st is well & truly out the window. Big E has another job to start, in Scotland, so if the installation isn't done by next week I'm stuffed until the end of May.

Fingers & all other appendages crossed that the boat isn't a slow one from China...

The Sparks are Flying

So, Jules is in. Martin the Plumber is in. Big E the builder is in. They are all flying along & it seems to be going so well, except when it rains (which is often) & they all need to be in the room together. Then they are like cats in a sack. Oh well.

Kitchen units are ordered - Big E did tell me they would take ages, but a quick web check showed everything being in stock. Boy is that misleading. It may all be in stock, but that doesn't mean you can get a delivery within 2 weeks. I can't even get an appointment for a phone call to arrange delivery for 2 weeks! That means I am going to lose at least a week, maybe 2 or 3. And Big E really is insufferable when he is right. Smug git.

I am also getting a bit worried about my deal for the appliances. It is a great deal, for great ovens & hobs, but I haven't had confirmation of delivery or final cost yet. I suppose the kitchen delay gives me (& them) a bit more time to sort this out, but all the same, it's a worry.

Anyway - I can't do much on site while the boys are in there so I've been tasting & testing more stuff.

I have met a chap called Charles Carey who has been importing olive oil for 25 years now. He & I spent a very enjoyable morning tasting all sorts of different olive oils from all over the world. I am pleased to report that I am turning out to be quite the connoisseur - my inexperienced palate picking up nearly as much as Charles'.

I whittled his vast selection down to a far more manageable 8 or 9 and, samples in hand, headed back to Hertfordshire. After a lot more testing & tasting, both with & without food, I have picked 5 that I think are good enough to go in the shop. Not that the others weren't also good, just not good enough. Subjective I know, but there you are. It's my baby & I'll decide what is good enough. Oh, the power!

So, now we have 6 oils, from Greece, Italy, Spain, South Africa & Morocco, which I think are the best of their kind. And 1 which could be the best in the world.

I've also found some nice pasta & antipasti which look promising - updates as soon as my waistline can cope with the task. God I love this job.

Not much news on the sales front - hits to our site are going up, but no one is buying yet. Still, we have a couple of ads going in to Good Food & Olive Magazines next month which should boost traffic a bit more. Hopefully I will have worked out how to create coupon codes for the webshop by then so we can give a pre launch discount.

I am also being interviewed by the local paper next week. That's a bit nerve wracking because it's a new experience for me, but hopefully I will make a good impression and she will give us a good write up. Next stop News at Ten!