What a busy few days!

Well! Phew! And Golly Gosh! What a lot we've done! :))


I have yet to resolve to photo issue.......so I will bullet point then, hopefully, add pics once it's sorted :))

• Mike has nearly finished sanding and varnishing the bannister.....it has been stripped of it's multi-layered paint job and is now a rich, warm shade of oak: just one more sand down and one more coat of varnish and it will be GORGEOUS!!

• I have taken the very dark, stained and faded covers from the steamer chair cushions and recovered the foam in a bright, summer garden fabric...sooooo much better! Also made a lovely bright tablecloth for the outside table :)

• Mike has fitted the kitchen extractor fan in a casing he made so that it will hang next to the ceiling beam over the cooker island, once it's fitted.

• He's also fitted all the joists in the kitchen so, as soon as sparky has connected the fan and the plumber has moved yet another pipe, Mike will be able to plaster board it and call the plasterer out...Yaysers! :))

• Builders have been out to check out moving the back door....we await their quotes with bated breath......if it's within our budget, they say they could do it over a weekend very soon; this will mean the electrician can finish  downstairs sockets and sign the consumer board off so we will be al done with rewiring the inside of the house! Just a tad excited to get this done ...... :)

• I have blitzed Hannah's room while she's been away...looks like new! :))

• We are waiting to hear from Alan the sparky re the kitchen fan and his son the plumber re the moving of the pipe.....Monday tomorrow, so should hear something! If not, we have other numbers! :)

• In between the torrential downpours, Mike has weeded and tidied most of the front garden as his daughter and her husband (Tracey and Keith) are visiting next week end......it will be the first time they've seen the house, so want to make a good impression (sure they will love it, anyway...and just cannot wait for a jolly good catch up! Wine at the ready!)

• AND the best bit of news of all.......I found a used solid oak kitchen on Gumtree, 5 mins drive from here. Went to look at it today and it is perfect, it will fit with units to spare, will look brill painted cream, comes with appliances, the guy said he can store it for a few weeks until we're ready and....best of all.....he wanted £200 for it! Yay indeedy! This will mean we should be able to afford the lovely range cooker that I have found...... :D So, Mike will go and help remove it next week and the chap said he will help to deliver a couple of weeks after......and I am soooooo excited for the kitchen to be coming together!! Woooohoooooo!!!

Right, Bloggy, I think that is about it for now....

Back soon xxxxx

Oh dear, Bloggyblog :(

It seems I still can't add pictures, I will have to look into this further but for now I will type a pictureless blog.......maybe you will all have to come and visit to see what's been going on! :))


Ok.....Steph, Hannah and me have been carbooting; selling, that is, to help the girls raise money for their holidays (but I couldn't resist a few purchases! A large, gorgeously ornate frame, a quirky shaped watering can, a heavy iron and wood coat hook hanger from the pier, a wooden love sign, some china plates and a brass chestnut roaster....all for the magnificent sum of £6!! Can't beat a bargain!)


And from those china plates and some that I already had, Mike has made a vintage looking three tier cake stand! It looks positively lovely! It's very difficult to drill the holes in the plates (we did lose one) but practise will make perfect :)


I have finished one long piece of bunting ready for the summer parties. There's enough triangles made for another two strings but work has taken over...soooooo busy! And there are so many other things to do here; curtains for our bedroom and lounge ones to alter, covers for the garden loungers, gardening (we wish the rain would stop!) planning and cooking and cleaning and dog walking and sleeping (when my mind lets me...buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzzzzzzzz) to name but a few..........


Mike borrowed Harley's hedge trimmer and attacked the hedges, only got as far as the longest, highest back garden hedge before rain stopped play and Harley needed his tool back.......we think we will have to invest in one as we have sooooo many hedges to trim!


Mike has also laid some flags and levelled the ground under our metal arch seat. He's dug around the edges and we've moved some plants around. Once they are established it will look very nice indeey (the rain is helping....haven't had to water anything in while it takes root!)


We have had the electrician in to finish the downstairs lighting and fit a new consumer board, now waiting for quotes to move the back door so we can start on the kitchen and sparky can come back and fit all the downstairs sockets.....then inside electrics and plumbing will be done, the kitchen ceiling can go up and the plasterer can finish off..... YAY!!!


We will still have the kitchen to fit and a whole lot of decorating to do, but that's the fun bit :))


Mike has managed to find an ex display extractor for the kitchen at a knock down price, this will have to be fitted when he plasterboards the ceiling so that the plasterer can include it as it will just come down from the ceiling above the cooker island...gosh, this would be easier to explain with pictures! Hope I'm not boring you!


A plumber has given us an extortionate quote to have the outside loo fixed, this is because we actually want to turn it into a shower room, in the future, and so need more plumbing out there...but it's not worth a temporary fix unless Kris can do something (keeping fingers crossed) so that it can be used at summer BBQs :)


There is still little interest in the flat, quite a few people have been to view but the housing market is flat and those that are interested still have properties to sell. Two more viewings planned for this weekend, so we'll have to wait and see.......


We are still very much enjoying the bathroom and having changes of mind over conservatories and workshops......you will have to watch this space to see what we end up with :) Really hope I will be able to post pictures by then!


Other news: Steph learnt today that she has achieved a FIRST CLASS HONOURS DEGREE! Very, very proud of her. Hannah is enjoying a week in Kavos, taking her mind off waiting for A level results and I now have a colleague to work alongside in the Family Centre; sharing the load will sure help my work/life balance!


Oh...one last thing....our new Suntan apple tree grew a solitary apple, but I had to pick it off as it needs to put its strength into roots and branches and not fruit....very sad to remove it; I'm sure it would have been tasty! The slugs have eaten most of my Gourd seedlings and something nicked all the redcurrants before I got the netting on...grrrrrrr....just not cut out to be checking the garden everyday! Well, maybe I would if the sun was shining ;)


Well....I've rattled on enough, sure I must have bored you to tears....but I enjoyed getting it all out and onto paper, so to speak :))


Take care, Y'all


Back soon :)


xxxxxx