I can hear cicadas

As those of you who read my ''pile of stones' missives will know, we hit a big, juddering halt some weeks ago when the paperwork to the electricity provider (state owned ENEL) went astray and our application to be connected to the grid fell into the big, bureaucratic hole/quagmire/ether so well known to those who live there.

I have never felt that old adage - 'so close and yet so far' - more viscerally.

By the time it all began to unravel, all four trulli had been de-constructed and painstakingly re-built and are now crowned with the most splendid little pinnacles and a newly refashioned chimney I adore.

We have the brand new, vault-ceilinged lamia snuggled up against the old cone structures and topped by a splendid roof terrace to look at the sea while inside, little niches and stone ledges and a tiny fireplace we didn't know existed have re-appeared. Our power plugs (even USB ones) are wired in and the plumbing is done, the floors have been poured and stone steps re-fashioned. Literally hundreds of tonnes of rock has been re-distributed around the terraces to rebuild dry stone walls and create new spaces for people to walk - and a pool for those hot summer Puglia days is ready to be lined and filled.

But without power, you cannot run pool pumps, nor pump water from the cistern into the loos and sinks. No alarm to protect the place, no way of securing fixtures like showers, toilets, stoves. With August around the corner - and knowing that Italy, like France, shuts down in that month - our dream of spending a few nights there in this, the very first year was fading fast.

Today however, a phone call from Mimmo the Magician which revealed that his weekly harassment of the power company has borne fruit: we have power as of today!

Okay, it is only a temporary 'worksite' connection and we have been warned it might be months before we are provided with a residential box (and they finally come to remove the pole that is abutted right against the trulli and which has already been disconnected.)

However we will have the kilowatts needed to test and run everything.
EVVIVA!
It also means the place will be liveable even if works continue around us next month. I was with my friend Marieke this morning when the call came and he heard her excited shriek along with mine!

Here is a gratuitous picture of Marieke's happy sink this morning, full of our shopping when the call came through!

I've learned a few things in the past month or two which are worth sharing:

1. A positive outlook is imperative on a project like this. (And absolutely nothing, not delay, not frustration - indeed, absolutely no hiccup matters compared to your health and that of your loved ones... )

2. You need balls of steel. (See a previous post, I knew this already but this year cements it).

3. If you can find a builder who you trust enough to make decisions on the spot, sign them up immediately. I cannot count the number of times that Mimmo has encountered a problem and has worked to resolve it,  preferring to give me good news after he's fixed the issue rather than moaning and warning of the sky falling in.
As an example, below you can see three little steps.....unplanned, necessary for rooftop adventures, Mimmo's improvisation and symbolic of his out of the box thinking.

Johan Zetterberg, aka the charming Swede, who founded the specialist real estate agency, Casa Puglia and sold us what was dubbed 'Trullo Bella vista' at the time now works exclusively with Mimmo. They are a great team.

Ultimately, one is an outsider with a love of Puglia (but an understanding of foreigners' need for efficiency and navigation through the bewildering Italian systems) and a Pugliese who is passionate about his region's architectural vernacular and wants to see these splendid and still under valued structures rebuilt and given new life. (Mimmo Collucci shows his work off on Facebook - make friends check it out!)

(And if you want to share a laugh, check this video out - this is the two of them hammering the power company to GIVE US ELECTRICITY PLEEEAASE. Only face-to-face pressure works in Italy in some places. And I say this as an Italian ...)

Last point while I'm here. 4. While we worked from an architects' plans obviously, when it comes to a restoration project of this magnitude (i.e. a reconstruction), you cannot work rigidly to paper drawings alone. You do not know what you will find and you need someone with the vision to stay within planning approvals - or seek smart amendments - but who can resolve issues the architects cannot foresee pre-deconstruction.

I am beyond excited that in a week and a half, we will set out with Sherlock (of course) and a van full of my crazy finds to work a bit on it ourselves and 'live' Trullo Mar' e Stelle for the first time. Allegra will fly down a few days later to join us once we actually have mattresses! The other kids, hopefully, will see it in uni holiday breaks asap ....

I did initially post a video of Johan's most recent missive from the site last week, one he filmed to try to keep up our spirits about there being no power but Robert asked me to take it down. He said it felt too much like opening a Christmas present days early!

What I can share is that I could hear the cicadas in the background and that made my heart sing. (And here is the pool waiting to be dressed and filled with H20!

Thank you Johan.

BRING ON THE SUMMER! WOOOOHOOOOOOO!