And some people make life easier...

As I wrote previously, there are people who make life difficult, and those who make life easier. Last weekend was Ken's birthday. He had intended to spend a lot of the day doing work in our new house. I thought that this was a not a good way to spend a birthday, and with the two smalls trying to help, this could also have turned into a frustrating and not so productive day.

Out went a "Save Ken's Birthday" email to a few friends, and we ended up having a mostly productive and far more enjoyable day. Sadly I didn't get around to taking any pictures as I was too busy doing things, but I really should have. I loved the sight of the Walmsleys, a scouting family Ken knows with three girls aged between ten and three, lined up in one room all stripping wallpaper, and Ken's dad enthusiastically tracking down and removing extraneous wires; Angus trying to use the steam wallpaper stripper and Isla still trying to work out how to rip paper off a wall, interspersed by turning around in circles until she fell over; and Ken's mum arriving with a birthday cake topped by a small Mallard steam engine - wherever did she find one of those!? The day was ended by a typical British barbeque - in other words, damp.

By the end of the day, all the wallpaper had been removed, all holes in walls filled, all bar one room had been washed and all fixtures and fittings were removed from the walls. We are still to tackle the disgusting oven which still has the greasy bowl in it, but the house is starting to feel more like ours now. The builders have put up the frame to the roof and taken down the internal ceiling prior to raising the height. There are cabbages, beetroot and broccoli growing in the new veg patch and the children's swings have been put up in the garden. Only a bit of sanding and some painting to go now... Okay, rather a lot of painting.

Thank you so much to all of you who helped to make Ken's day far more fun.

Sorting the drains in the back yard - are you meant to blog about drains? Since when did they become interesting?!

Foundations laid - where the yellow bucket and stepladders are, will be a shower, with a sink and loo around the corner. Along the other wall will be washing machine, tumble drier, etc.



The new roof is on and this was followed by them taking out the existing roof. Fortunately they covered it all in plastic as it rained hard last night. I went down this morning and we haven't had any water ingress. Phew.
Yes, this really is a cement mixer, jack hammer and angle grinder parked in our hallway...

This will be lovely lounge. This will be lovely lounge. This will.... If I keep saying it, it may happen one day. Just not yet.