Because the construction work was taking so long to get going I decided to get the tiling done on the rear patio before the weather turned too bad.
Of course that caused the rain to start but, fortunately, it did not ruin the work.
We purchased all the materials some time ago hoping that the outside rendering would be completed before laying the tiles. However, with the start date for the work being pushed back further and further, the best option seemed to be just to get it done.
My first attempt at exterior tiling is not the greatest work and there are some uneven joints as well as wandering lines - the garden wall is not as straight as was hoped.
I did plan to place tiles vertically along the front edge of the step but, as it turns out, we managed to order exactly the correct area for the work. For a change, I had no tiles left over.
Now that the weather has changed to rain and storms for the next week or so, the grouting will have to wait until we can get a couple of dry days but in the meantime perhaps we can ask Luís to clean it all off with his pressure washer.
The next stage of the plan is to get some granite slabs to place on the wall as coping - we will have a large granite order to place for the internal construction after the staircase is built so can add that at the same time.