Hi blog :)

We had our builder round over the weekend to talk about conservatories and workshops....whoopity whoop whoop! 

He's talking about Jan for work, if price is right :)

Mike has decided on a log cabin for his workshop, so will do that himself and hopefully soon, as his old shed is leaking quite badly and winter is coming!

We are waiting for a quote then plans back from Dean the builder. We will need planning permission as the conservatory will be wider than the house and join onto our sheds, so the outside party loo will become an inside party loo :))

We've also asked Dean to dig the garden out in front of the conservatory and build a retaining wall. This will become an eating/patio area.........fab-u-lous, darling! (def watching roo much Strictly!)

And all this could be done before next Easter....Yay! Egg hunt at ours, then :D

We also have a beautifully smooth white painted lounge ceiling with a pretty ceiling rose in the middle :)

Back soon, with pics, when I can xxx

Today's News.....

First News Item: I came in from work this lunch time to find the dining room coved! There is no stopping Michael! :)

Second News Item: Mike has received the contract for the sale of his flat and is completing it as I type :)

Third News Item: This silly blog is telling me I have no more space for pictures....AGAIN! *sigh*   It'll be a typed blog until it lets me post again.......

TTFN XXX

Plastered again!

Hi Blog

Not a lot to report.....after a lovely weekend with Mike's sister Liz and her partner Chris (spent pottering around antique shops, car booting and dog walking), we have had the plasterer back today and so we now have smooth kitchen walls ready for paper and a de-artexed lounge ceiling! Woooo! Looking good :)

Once the plaster is dry, we will be papering, painting and tiling along the back of the work surface.....then it will be time to look at fitting a log burner :))) It may even be in in time for Christmas! :D

Bye for now xxx

Patchwork trellis! :)

Gosh....Ali Pali will be shocked.....posting again already! :)) But it is only a quicky.....

In between rain showers, today, Mike has put some trellis up in the garden....

It will mean we can sit at the end of the garden and watch the sunsets without being overlooked by the neighbours :)

And it divides the garden up a little, helping to make different areas or 'rooms' as they like to call them on all the gardening programs! T'will be bloomin' loverly covered in some sort of flowering something...not sure what yet :)

While Mike has been working his little socks off, I have been resting my silly back. When Sal and Caroline came to visit, I found a load of knitted patchwork squares in a charity shop and thought they would make a lovely blanket so I bought them and they have sat in their bag ever since! Today was the day I got them out and sorted them.....this is the pattern half of them made, there are more to go around the edge once these are sewn together. Then I will crochet a border and 'hey presto' a blankie for the winter :))

Back to my sewing now!

See you soon xxx

The Story of our Kitchen so far.....in Pictures :)

I think I have them in the correct order!

worktops in mid oil!

Loverly Larder!

Start of the tiling

Scardy dogs! Not sure if they can walk on the new tiles!

This little light fitting will go in the dining room, once it has had a wee tart up!

Mike's sister, Liz and her partner, Chris are parking their Motorhome on our drive next Wednesday for a few days catch up......really looking forward to it but won't be getting much decorating done!

A week Tuesday, the plasterer is back to finish the kitchen walls and smooth the lounge ceiling. No doubt there will be a heap of mess again! Shocking! ;) But once he's done and the plaster is dry then we will have edgings, coving, lining paper, paint, wallpaper and wall tiles to fit, hang and spread. Unsure what to do for window dressings......

Mike's flat is under offer and the sale appears to be going smoothly.....completion could be within 6 weeks! We will have work to do over there; furniture/sheds/garage to clear....hopefully the kitchen will be finished before then......bar the fireplace and solid fuel burner!

We have had a fab weekend! We have celebrated 4 birthdays and driven down to see Hannah.....Mike has done most of the driving and hard work as I have had a stupidly painful back :(

Now I am able to post pictures on here again, I will try to keep up with what's going on :) 

It must be bed time....very tired..should sleep well after such a busy weekend!

Diary notes published from my phone :)

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22.8.12
John, the plasterer, plastered today. We only found him yesterday and he has done a fab job today! Will be back tomorrow and Friday to finish the fiddly bits. Mike has just about got all the units ready for fitting and I have been testing paints on the doors. Very heavy oak worktops arrived today and dishwasher (shhh...girls don't know!) arrives tomorrow. Lots of work to come but going to look great in no time :))



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23.8.12
What a busy, busy day! Eleven doors and four drawer fronts are painted and will be distressed before bed (but not as much as me!) The plasterer has plastered more walls and will be back tomorrow to finish. The dishwasher has arrived and is safely tucked up in Mike's shed out of sight from the girls who firmly believe we are the meanest of mean and are not putting one in :) And.....dah dah ddaaahhhh! We've ordered the range cooker! Yay upon yayzers!! Cannot wait to get cooking :)))

Mike has had the big guns out chasing walls for wires and drilling holes for taps, amongst other things....(he's well into this plumbing mallarky now!) He's spent a lot of time contacting trades and trying to plan fitting the kitchen around builders, plasterers, electricians and worktop fitters (we have a solid oak worktop going in that is soooo heavy Mike will need someone to help with the fitting)

The house is in complete uproar again and will be for the next couple of weeks :(( But it will be worth it :))



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24.8.12
Woodworm is worse than we thought..mike looking at replacing the whole dining room floor :(( Cooker coming wednesday..sparky coming thursday....sink being taken out tomorrow...probs no kitchen for a couple of weeks. Floor needs to be sorted before island units can be fitted. Oh joy! Doors and drawers have had first coat of wax and plasterer has finished....looks lovely! :))



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25.8.12
Been a tough day, I won't lie......

Much debate over floorboards, decision now made and they will be delivered Tues. Kris turned up with his trusty tool kit and helped Mike remove the sink and start the cabinet fitting...didn't get far; drain and gas pipe in the way behind the old sink unit! But we have yet another plan, it will be sorted. Mike re-plumbed the outside tap so we have somewhere to fill the kettle..most important :) And it rained and rained; most units and all painted doors, inside and dry now. Bodies and brains aching, we will sleep like logs....



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26.8.12
Today has been a better day...what a difference a bit of sunshine makes :)

We have been counting our blessings as we dried everything out! 3 wash loads done and dried AND the first kitchen cupboard fitted, fixed, on the wall and filled with mugs! Second coat of wax on half the doors....no room to lay the rest out so will do them once these are dry and polished. Slight problem with the dishwasher....can't make it work! Just a little inconvenient as we now don't have a sink! Ah well, camping bowl under the marque it is then....will just imagine we are holidaying in the south of France :D We're feeling more sorted and way less stressed. Glass of wine, telly, bed and we'll be ready for another day.....car boots tomorrow for a bit of light relief :)))



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27.8.12
This morning, we took time out to wander around Moss End car boot and garden centre....managed to miss the rain and pick up some bargains (thank you Sandra and Claudia!) including a couple of shrubs and perennials for the garden...end of season stuff...always the best way to buy as they were cheap and will look fab next year :))

This afternoon, Mike has cleaned and scrubbed and made sure the freezer and dishwasher that came with our second hand kitchen are working well before he ebays them! And he has prepared the door for what will be our larder...looks brill :) I have been waxing and painting and planting..... Now, microwave meal and alcohol whilst watching the pipes and drums to finish off the day... phew... :))

Wondering whether to add a bit of colour to the glass in the door in the pic....watcha reckon??



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28.8.12
No dishwasher until next bleepin' Tuesday!!! Ggrrrrrr....it isn't working; baumatic have to send an engineer out; can't get one here until next Tuesday; if he deems it faulty, then....and only then...will it be replaced. Until then, we continue with the hose, camping bowl and kettle in the marquee :/

On a more positive note, Mike has fitted the door for the larder....just waiting for a top coat and a latch.....then new shelves inside, see the back of the builders and mess...and I can fill it :D

And...another positive note...Ali Pally has visited for a look round, to play with the dogs and sit in the garden for a chat...lovely! Thank you for our Tit boxes! We will find a place in one of our bushes for them to nestle and await the results next spring :))

Our floorboard delivery never materialised.....another ggrrrr...more phone calls tomorrow!

Now, it must be nearly time for bed. :))



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29.8.12
Builders..windows...floorboards....cooker....all arrived today, at about the same time! Add to that inquisitive dogs and rain and, hey presto! Mayhem!! :))

Mike hid in the lounge for most of the day with the dogs and his laptop and I escaped to Festival Place with Steph for a spot of retail therapy :D

We now have a cute little kitchen window where the door used to be and a new window in our shower so, once that area is tiled, the bathroom will be completed! Yay! :)))

Tomorrow, we are off to the big smoke to see Stomp and leaving Steph in charge of builders...is that wise? I'm sure it is! We should come home to another new kitchen window and a back door (in a different place) Then upwards and onwards towards a new kichen! Looking forward to that :)))

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30.8.12

Up early to manouvre and cover as much of the kitchen as we could before Dean and Charlie arrived to crash about the place, knocking walls down and taking windows out.

Escaped to Stomp...hope to come home to new door and gas pipes removed.....thanks a bundle, Steph, for staying home and taking care of everything. It's been such a treat to escape!

Now..sitting five rows from the front waiting for the show to begin......

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31.8.12

Notes from today.....new door is great, new cooker arrived ('tis loverly!) Sparky came to wire it in, finish sockets and put downlighters in the kitchen. Mike painted the ceiling. Caroline came to visit and brought Japonese Anemone roots...thank you Caroline :))

Most of the trades have been paid, rest will be sorted next week....

We are looking forward to getting on with the kitchen at our own pace....just the worktop fitter to call in when we're ready for him.

Now taxi service and bed. :)

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2.10.12

Lovely new sink, trying out it's new position :))

Mike has spent a long, long time, today, sorting out the plumbing for the sink and dishwasher and rejigging the cabinets so that it will fit!

Yesterday, I planted Caroline's Anemones and Izzy and Harry helped Mike to hang Ali's Tit baskets :)) We are all now excitedly awaiting flowers and inhabitants!

Back to work tomorrow.....I will enjoy coming home each day to discover what Mike's been working on! Pictures will follow :)

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3.10.12

Came home from first day back at work to find three cabinets fitted, the back room cleared ready for woodworm offensive, a parcel addressed to me and Mike had worked his magic on the dishwasher........it's working! Yay!!

The parcel turned out to be our new whistling kettle; the picture is of the view of the room as we come in the back door......it's coming together nicely :)))

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4.10.12

Came home tonight to half a floor missing and a very tired man.....those floorboards took some getting up! The wood that is left has been anti-woodworm coated. We will be up early tomorrow to go to Wickes for stain/varnish and joist supports as the little blighters have chewed through some of the original joists! May see some new flooring down tomorrow :))

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15.10.12

Just hugged Hannah byebye in Bournemouth....Uni life calls! Now, back to kitchen updates :))

Found this on my phone this morning.....my intentions were good! :))

PS this is the pile of woodworm infested floorboards waiting for bonfire night.....should be a good one!!

I will be back with more and pics later today (Ali).....promise! :D

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Bye for now!

Sooo, bloggy, it's been a very, very long time but, since I'm laid up with the worst back I've had in a very long time, there's not a lot else I can do bar one finger type on my phone! (And be a passenger on the ride down to see Hannah, later...can't wait!)

Not sure how far we'd got.......I'll start with woodworm infested floors....in pictures! :)

The mammoth task begins...

First few of the gorgeous new boards..looking good :)

Staining started...

On the last run!

Almost there!!

Woodworm infested boards

Ready for bonfire night!! :D