Progress!

HOUSE: BAD TRAFFIC NOISE, GOOD PAINTING, LESS CONCRETE, MORE TILES
I get up at 7 before the workers arrive. The room where I sleep is facing the street and I realise that we need to do something about the traffic noise in the room (those fucking trimmed mopeds), probably isolating the window and putting in new silencing glass.
I drive to Halifax in Santa Ponsa after breakfast for a chat with our banker about the forthcoming mortgage extension. At purchase, they lend up to 70% of the estimated value. For extensions, they lower the level to 60%, which of course is a bit of a problem for us. We agree on the need to find someone that values the house highly (Spanish people can be very practical).
I meet Damián in the house at 2 PM. There must be ten people working there today. I arrive a bit early and check up on how the painters are doing. The walls look really nice in daylight, but one can see where we made drawings on the walls earlier. The electricity cables need another layer of paint too. I point it out to them, they’re really nice about it and start fixing it right away.
Damian arrives and we talk our way through the house. The concrete floor on the 3rd floor looks great. We’ll leave it raw for now, maybe we put a wax on it later. However, we start debating on whether we should still do the concrete floor in the passage on the ground floor as well. We agree that we HAVE bought too many tiles (WAY too many) and we can just as well use them as try to get the shop to take them back. Damian agrees to make some pattern designs. For the kitchen, however, we stick to the concrete to get the visual link with the concrete in the garden.
Things are looking good, I’m very happy.

ISLAND: FREE SOLLER WLAN, GOOD BEACH LUNCH, MINI-RETREAT AT ESPLENDIDO
I can’t shower in the house, but washing myself in the garden with the water hose is nice, feels like camping. I go to the square for breakfast and work (there’s still a good open wireless at the south end of the square). After the bank, I drive to Port Soller for a swim and a great 3-course lunch (€9) at Es Passeig on the beach. After meeting Damian, I go back down to the beach to spend the afternoon at the shady deck of Hotel Esplendido. I enjoy everything here: the style, the setting, the view, the service, the food – and the WLAN, of course. Like a mini-retreat. In the evening, we get pizza at the place beside the church (Pizzeria Mon on c/ Luna is far better).