Background

Thursday 21 July 2011

This time next week...

It seems so unlikely, but this time next week we will be packing up in order to move into our new house. Tomorrow the builders will be moving out: the electrician still hasn't quite finished having announced last week that our house was actually dangerous and needed a complete rewire; we also discovered that our garage ceiling was asbestos and so all the builders went home for three days until that had been removed. But despite these last minute glitches the work is mostly on track.
A few pictures to show approximately where we are up to:

The back of the house was originally a boiler house, but has been rebuilt as a utility room with a small loo and shower-room. I don't think much of the door, though. It's really stiff to open and close!

The kitchen now has a ceiling!

The front of the house has had most of the cladding removed, the window replaced with a narrower one the same dimensions as the other bedroom window, and the external walls rebuilt with (nearly) matching brick. The garage, porch and the breeze block wall will have to wait for a couple of years until they are sorted out! Notice we also have an attractive tiled roof.
This will eventually house a wood-burning stove. We have already had it rendered, painted it, and have stone slabs in place.

Most of the rest of the house has also been completed and thanks to Mark, my Mum and Ken's parents, all amazing people, we have several of the rooms painted subject to repainting the holes made by the electricians! Tomorrow the plumber will fit the bathroom, a few odd jobs will be completed and the house will be stripped. Then it's ours.

The next week will, I predict, consist of filling any holes we can find, sanding, cleaning, floor sweeping, and then a lot of painting. At the moment it will be cream throughout with white ceilings (to save making too many decisions. Colour will be added through furniture, curtains, etc.) with oatmeal carpets. Then we will pack boxes, move them 500 yds, unpack them, and make it our home.

Then we rest.

Monday 11 July 2011

A Conversation

Players:
Mum
Angus: eldest son of Mum, 4 years old
Jake: Friend of Angus, also 4 years old.

Setting: Lounge

Boys approach lounge and can be overheard in the hallway.
Jake: See, I told you she was in the lounge ironing.
Boys enter lounge.
Angus: Pause Mum, what are you doing?
Mum: Ironing.
Angus: What's that?
Mum: I am using an iron, it's this (holding up iron). I am using it to iron your Dad's shirt.
Angus: Looking puzzled What are you doing to Dad's shirt?
Mum: I am using the iron the flatten Dad's shirt and take out the creases.
Angus: Why?
Mum: Because it looks better and neater that way.
Angus: Still looking puzzled. Oh. But you don't normally do that.
Mum: No, you're right, but I am doing it today.
Angus: Oh, okay.
Exit boys.
Overheard in corridor.
Angus: I have never seen Mum do that before.
Jake: My mum does it all the time.
Angus: Why?
Jake: I don't know. I think it makes her happy.
Angus: Strange.

Yes Angus, you're right. Ironing is strange.