Soft under foot My new, lovely, stripey stair carpet it finally installed.  I fear it will take all my sensibility not to spend tonight walking up and down it bare foot and squeeling with delight.It looks soooooo good.  Spareroom booked for 6th January and then that will be two carpets down.  Only my bedroom to go then.  Oh boy, it's beginning to look like a home instead of a building site.  At least upstairs is!

20.12.07 17:51 Permalink / comment

Christmas Wishes The stair carpet is booked for 20 December.  That's four weeks away.  It was booked tentatively as a means to inspire me into action. Nothing like a deadline to focus the mind.  And raise the stress levels.   M came down Friday and worked whilst I worked at work (if you follow) after which we dashed to the DIY store to buy supplies (I've settled for the aptly named "orangery" on the walls) and then scoffed down a special treat of Fish and Chips *yummy* Well we did deserve a treat.  Fed and watered, I commenced the grand task of painting the hall and stairs at 8pm.  Somewhere near midnight me and M finally downed tools out of exhaustion and dragged ourselves to bed.  I got the long straw Saturday, housesitting for SGs delivery whilst M was left to the hard graft.  When said delivery finally arrived an hour later than the allocated two hour slot, me and M collectively ploughed on until we were once again dead on our feet.  SG came to our rescue and treated us to dinner, which was much was appreciated and needed.  It was a while before me and M stopped shaking and were able to converse, rather than just sit in a catatonic exhaustion. It took a while but the house if finally settling into a bit of colour amidst the creams whites.  There's still a lot to do, and not a lot of time.  Time will tell, as they say.  I can always re-schedule.  But how nice would it be to have a new carpet for Christmas.

21.11.07 17:39 Permalink / comment

Operation "project"... ...is back on and making an impact.  Deconstruction has once again commenced. BigBoy and Little-but-podgy-Poppet have been incarcerated in the spareroom.  The furniture has been redistributed around the house and one half of the downstairs, and the floorboards removed to reveal nice solid timber joists *sigh of releif* I am still somewhat guilt ridden, however, at just how lovely 90% of the original floorboards were.  Pretty much perfect!  "Yes, dad I should have taken up all the carpet first.  But as you said, the ones we'd looked at were all pretty mancky".  But it still would have cost a fair amount to replace the odd one here and there and one hell of a mess sanding it all level.  Well that's what I keep telling myself.  So now my lovely back yard is piled high with high quality victorian floorboards that I now feel I should keep and use upstairs in the bedrooms instead of carpet.  Time, cost, mess.... Hmmmm?

15.10.07 18:11 Permalink / comment

Pig in Mud The garden is DONE!  Oh yes!  As much rubble as my enthusiams and physical exertion could manage has been removed.  The beds have been planted, and further trips to the tip removed remaining "unwanted" items and crap.  All plants have been given a home, bar two which is pretty good going.  Alas there is no more room for more, despite my continued desire to "buy, buy, buy".  There is a bit more sorting to do, but for the most it is done.  And now I can potter and tidy to my hearts content. Most of all BigBoy and LittlePoppet are happycats, sitting on their new benches, walking along walls and being my shadow whenever I'm out there.  It is the most excellent 'chasing-bouncy-ball' environment for LP (oh how it bounces and skids) and BB just keeps throwing himself down in gaye decedance in the sunshine.  Of course it's rained for the past two days, but they still seem to keep running in and out.  It's just as novel for them as it is me. What happy three we are.

15.8.07 12:27 Permalink / comment

No longer just a back yard... .. but a brand, spanking new room outdoors!  Oh yes.  The transformation has been completed and what was a dark, dingy and claustraphobic patch has been turned into city chic.  And it seems to have grown in size.  That might be due to the removal of all the crap that had accumulated over 12 months of building?  But I'd rather put it down to some clever designing on my part!  To say it was stressful would be an understatement - the week lost to failed deliveries, the second lost to forecast bad weather (they didnt turn up because it was going to rain - ok it had been torrential but the weathermen got it wrong for 3 days and it didn't!).  But the icing on the cake this week was coming home and the excitement being dashed when I realised the paving had been laid upside down.  Oh yes! But all the trauma, tears and stress are forgotten now. I'm off to the garden centre to do some serious retail therapy.  Now all I have to deal with is the stroppy (justifiably) neighbours having to deal with BB and LP using their gardens as lavatories *ahem*

4.8.07 09:10 Permalink / comment

The garden of my dreams... .. because it isn't being BUILT at the present time.  Sussex has had the steady 40mm of rain that was forecast for this lovely county today.  On top of the 60mm that fell in two hours on Friday.  There is no point rushing home to see the progess on the brick walls, as there will be none (my builder doesnt seem to like getting wet).  Another day of incarceration for BB and LP.  They seem resigned to their fate now though perhaps made easier by their lack of desire to go out in the rain.  They probably appreciate the laziness of using the cat tray and not having to get their little paws and undercarriages wet.

23.7.07 18:07 Permalink / comment

Incarcerated Poor Big Boy and Little Poppet had been needlessly locked in the spareroom all last week whilst the builder was SUPPOSED to turn up to do the garden but didn't. This week has not been so wasted and each day I've tentatively looked out the window to see what progress has been made.  I didn't think they'd come yesterday until I walked into the garden to see a lovely new brick wall.  But... it was at least two courses higher than I thought it should be.  How could I tell him.  Luckily the builder, merely having followed MY plan, agreed and so my lovely new wall is going to be shortened.  Best to do it now! The forecast is not encouraging but hopefully progress will continue over the next few weeks.  In the meantime my tiny chic city garden is looking like a bomb site with hardly enough room to swing a cat!  Probably what BB and LP are thinking looking out the window.

19.7.07 13:37 Permalink / 1 Comment / comment

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