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Chris has been getting along very well with the renovation of Denis' apartment upstairs, so this morning it was time to collect the tiles for the bathroom and shower which had been sitting at Caro Price since Debrah found them and bought them a few weeks ago.

Fortunately, the sun shone, in complete contrast to yesterday's wierdness, and so I was able to put the roof down with a view to spreading the weight around - it was only 16sqm but that is still a lot of weight for my car. The man at Caro Price looked at me as if I was mad (something I have got used to over the past year or so) but I insisted it would be OK and so we loaded half in the boot and half on the back seat.

When Chris got to work he was amazed to find that I had already been to the tile shop and back again - and that his (and my) first job was to carry the tiles up two flights of stairs - what a way to start the day. It being far too early in the morning for Christian to be surfaced, we had to do without the extra welcome pair of hands. Sixteen boxes equals eight times each up and down the stairs and we were both covered in sweat and struggling for breath when we had finished - as good as any gym workout in my view and no doubt I will feel it in my calves and my back tomorrow.

Alas the Audi did not come out of the ordeal undamaged either - the newly fitted exhaust brackets had sheared and the rear of the exhaust pipe was once more hanging free - not sure if the tile trip had caused that or if they were just defective anyway, but it meant another temporary repair using wire until I can get back to the garage and complain.

I couldn't get there today because I needed the car to drop Christian at the airport and then to go to the supermarket to stock up on drinks and tinned goods and then to Tridome for some more bits for Chris and finally back again to Tridome to collect Debrah and all the required stuff for window boxes.

Yes. We have put window boxes (my new children, Chris called them) along the front of the apartments. This evening Debrah and I potted up the geraniums and the like and hung each one from the metal balustrade at each window along the street-facing side of the building - and very lovely they look too.

Next stop - tubs and pots in the courtyard - it's only a matter of time.