Our sink has arrived! Woo hoo!

Back to work after the Ferragosto holiday today.

I was perplexed to see Concenzo and his helper in deep concentration over a tube of water. Each had an end of the tube at different sides of the room, while the middle of the tube hung toward the floor. They explained the concept of the "water level" to me - if you hold a tube of water in a "U" shape, the water will be at the same height at both ends. So, on our very uneven earth floor, the tube allowed them to mark the same height all round the room.

Apart from the joy of having a level floor, it's useful because our cantina was previously as short at 2.5m in places. If in future we want to make this official living space, it needs to meet the regulation height of 2.7m. I'm keen to keep the space as flexible as possible, so the boys have had to dig. Luckily, the ancient foundations were only made of rubble and earth, so after they got through the modern cement with the pneumatic drill, the going was easier.

A nice surprise for our first day back at work - the sink finally arrived! And it's gorgeous! Apart from Paypal holding onto my cash for a week and slowing things down, I'm pleased with the Ebay sink-buying experience. Now we're just holding out for taps and a shower, which should arrive in a couple of days. If these all go well, I'll march ahead and get the u-bend (which don't seem to be u-shaped in the modern world, instead, it looks rather sleek), and see about a plug.

In my enthusiasm for a minimal sink and minimal, wall-fitted taps, I didn't think of how the plug would work. Plugs in shops don't seem to have chains anymore. Most seem to be popped up using a lever at the back of the taps, but our tap maker clearly didn't think this was necessary. Will have to do a bit of web research and see what else is out there!

Meanwhile Roscoe has taken an interest in the bedroom. By "an interest" I mean, he's vetoing my ideas. If it seems early to be planning bedroom layout, it's because we need to decide fairly soon where we want lights and light switches.

Given that the room is fairly large (about 5 x 3 m) I had hoped to have an open-plan wardrobe (to avoid the frustration of doors left open by a forgetful boyfriend), ideally screened off in its own dressing area with a muslin-type flat curtain (to avoid the stress of boyfriend's mess being visible). It was a perfect design for co-habitational bliss. Until Roscoe said flat "no" to muslin curtains (no matter how stylishly done). His suggestion is rice paper sliding doors, such as the Iki model offered by www.urushi.it. Seems a bit oriental for an Italian casa d'epoca. May have to think on this for a while.

Any ideas, please post below!