Slowly but surely

You might remember that back in February I threw a hissy fit over the state of the area outside my front door and the general state of the garden. Things didn't improve much over the following weeks.

Then on Thursday I got stuck in. I started clearing the area in the yard (which really is a yard as opposed to the garden which is at the back!) that has become overgrown. Now I'm left with a patch of bare earth that I'm not sure what to do with so I've bought one of these mini-greenhouses and I think I might put it there as it catches a lot of afternoon sun. I've planted up two pots with some Margarite to go outside the front door and put some more herbs in the herb bed. I've planted up some other pots with small shrubs and bedding plants which have been dotted about and will give a nice splash of colour.


I've also sown some Dwarf French bean seeds to go with the tomato and chilli-pepper seeds I sowed two weeks ago. They are currently living in our shed which, because it has the freezer and a fridge in it, is warm enough for them, and under the window should be light enough. But with everything else in that shed it's starting to get a bit crowded so fingers crossed the mini-greenhouse will do the job.

Himself has also been off for the last two days and has got stuck in to paving the yard at the side of the house and a smaller area in the garden that was getting very muddy (not that the rest of the garden isn't muddy but this patch is just worse than the rest). He's doing a great job and it makes such a difference already.

I think we are starting to have a home that, on the outside at least, looks like someone might care about it. The inside is a different matter. We have had "weather" over the last few days. One minute sunshine, torrential rain the next. Every time the Lurchers, Brodie or Himself and I walk in, we leave muddy footprints everywhere. There's just nothing I can do about it so, much as it's driving me insane, I need to take a deep breathe, wait for Himself to finish and then clean right through. Cleaning it and then seeing it get all muddy again over and over will just be soul-destroying!

Isn't it just good manners?

I've been doing quite a lot with Freecycle just recently and am amazed at the number of people that just don't bother to reply to your e-mail enquring about whatever it is they're offering. Even a quick "sorry it's gone" would be fine but not to acknowledge your inquiry in any way is just bad manners to my mind.

Rant over.

We spent the weekend at the Cottage and it really does feel like home now. It was quite strange going back to the flat last night. Things are moving on - the fridge freezer arrived on Saturday so that room is nearly complete - just need the cupboard doors put on, a coat of paint and some blinds for the window. The bathroom just needs a coat of paint although OH has been tearing his hair out because the shower door kept leaking. Turns out it's a manky tube of silicon so he's had to strip it all out and start again. He's also been stripping the ceilings. We have two wooden ceilings, both of which need quite a bit of work to bring them to somewhere near decent. Once they're done, the wooden floors have to be stripped and sealed and then everything gets a coat of paint and we're done!

A wordy question. If you can be "inept", why can't you be "ept"? not quite sure why my mind thought of that as I was dropping off last night.

How exciting!

We spent our first night at the cottage last night. Everyone kept asking me if I was excited. Well, no, actually. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to moving in, despite the headaches about where we're going to put everything, but a few people are just being so bloody down about the whole issue of me having the cottage and what's going on there that they've really taken the edge of the whole thing.

For example, there was a kerfuffle about where we put the oil tank. It had to go outside the boundary of the cottage, practicalities dictated that. Someone complained and made things very difficult for a few weeks. Then someone else said they'd heard rumours about the amount of work going on at the cottage had exceeded what had been estimated. Yes it had. Often the way with renovations but we couldn't stop to ask the Directors for permission to carry on with basic work that had to be done, and to which they would have agreed anyway. Then one of them queried whether there actually was any dry rot. OH has only been doing property maintenance work for the last 30 years so he couldn't possibly know dry rot when he sees it could he? Then there are my colleagues who are trying to cause the boss hassle and using my move into the cottage to do it. "Oh", they say to me "you do realise it's not personal don't you?" No I bloody don't and it certainly feels like it's personal.

I'll be so glad when it's someone elses turn.

Betterer

Tonight I decided to go shopping. Perhaps not the best choice you might have thought, given my experiences on Monday. But I headed off to Tesco determined I was not going to get stressed or worked up at all.

I didn't faff that the car park was full and just calmly parked in the first available spot I came to. I strolled around quietly, oblivious to everyone around me and took time to stop and look at things properly, rather than the smash and grab affair that a visit to Tesco usually consists of. I found myself a nice clock for the new kitchen and bought a new outfit for our staff party tomorrow afternoon. I bought some house magazines to look for inspiration and I bought myself some Christmas flowers. I didn't get wound up when the till I was queuing at broke down nor did I get stressed when it finally got to be my turn and the check-out girl had to sign off for her break.

See how much easier that was!?

And look!!

I nearly have a bathroom


















































And I nearly have a kitchen!

No Red

I decided against a dark colour of tile in the bathroom in the end. The room is small and once we have the antique pine wall cupboard up and the shelves fitted and filled with stuff, the dark tiles will just make the room seem like it's collapsing in on itself.

So, I've chosen these three colours instead:










Now the only decision to be made is what pattern we set them up in. At the moment I'm thinking mainly cream with a double row of alternating terracotta and mustard as a border all the way around the area that's being tiled. I think.

Having decided on which floor tiles I wanted, I bought them too. Then started having palpitations when I got back because I'd seen another tile I thought I might like better. OH is being very patient but kept saying "Angela, I can live with whatever you decide. But, please, MAKE A DECISION!".

Ho hum.

I should be grateful that choosing the colour of wall-tiles is the only problem occupying my mind at the moment......well, that and the fact that I haven't started Christmas shopping yet. Others, I know, have more weighty problems and they are in my thoughts.

Onwards....

I am absolutely pooped, it's 10.45 and we've only just eaten dinner and I'm too full to go to bed.

Still, my kitchen arrived this morning and OH has started building it!! It remains to be seen if MFI have managed to get the delivery right first time! The central heating is installed and we're just waiting for the oil tank to be connected to the boiler to check it all works.

We have to get the bathroom tiled this weekend so the plumbers can come back and fit the shower and the basin....and I still haven't chosen what wall tiles I want. We're having dark grey ceramic tiles on the floor and antique cream (off-white to you and me) paint on the walls. So any suggestions? I'm erring towards a burnt red or terracotta at the moment. The tiles will only be in the shower cubicle so I'm thinking a splash of colour would be rather good! Mother, being like most mothers, can't see the problem with plain old white and when I mention red, she reminds me, with a slight "have you completely lost a grip of your senses" tone of voice, that I have to live with these for a long time. Red is looking more and more attractive!!

Up above the streets and houses.......

.....or, more correctly, up above the Common.

On Tuesday afternoon, the sky turned that really foreboding black, pregnant with the rain that's about to burst forth............oh for heaven's sake, Angela, stop with all the dramatic stuff, you'll never be a writer....

What happened was this.....the sky went black, the sun was shining at the same time, there was a windmill and a rainbow to throw into the mix and, once stirred, you end up with something like this:



















Not too bad considering it was shot with work's little Olympus point and shoot as I didn't have my dSLR with me at the crucial moment and nature won't hang around for you to nip home and pick it up.

I haven't given you a cottage update for a while have I!? "No" you cry, "do tell what's occurring". Quite a lot actually. OH has been ploughing on with what he can before the plumbers arrive on 4th December. Walls have been stripped, filled, rubbed down and given a coat of undercoat to help keep the dust at bay. Fireplace has been made good and the mantle piece fixed into place - that's great that is, it's an old oak fence post that OH has cleaned up and oiled and fixed to the wall so it looks like it's hanging there! Aerial man is coming to put in a new aerial and aerial points next week. The kitchen has been paid for and should arrive on 13th December and the delivery of the sofas has been delayed to 8th December - which suits me just fine. Chimney sweep booked for 2nd December and the new wood-burning stove that arrived last week can then be fitted. So it's all moving on slowly and, fingers crossed, we will be installed in the New Year!

All gone very quiet

Nothing terribly exciting is happening at the moment. OH is cracking on with stuff at the cottage but it's mainly repairing the rotten floor and other little bits and pieces that don't seem to have much to show for them but are important nonetheless. The electrician turned up, went away again and we've only seen him for a day since. To be fair, he's having some health problems and his girlfriend was attacked by a group of hoodies last night.....not a very nice thing to have happen. The cooker and hob have been delivered and seem to be taking up inordinate amounts of room so they are going to keep getting in the way and I dare say I shall be cursed roundly before much longer!

Taps

My taps have arrived and they are each wrapped in their own jersey-cotton drawstring bag....how classy is that!?

Bang flippin' Bang

Last night Wimbledon was under sporadic shelling which rapidly turned into a full-on barrage of explosions. Yes, the fireworks have started in earnest.

I have a love hate relationship with fireworks. I love to see them but I hate them because of the effect they have on Lurcher No.2. Last year he was so scared I honestly thought he was going to have an heart attack he was panting so hard. I use all the natural remedies - Rescue Remedy, Dap diffuser, Valerian drops and, although they help, they certainly don't get rid of his fear completely. Last year we had to get some tranquilisers from the vet and we are having to use them again this year. We've been trying to de-sensitise him with the "Scary Sounds" CD but it's a long haul. This weekend is going to be horrendous.

Cottage up-date: the kitchen, toilet, bathroom sink and associated taps are ordered. The cooker and hob are ordered and I've maxed out the boss's credit card!! A visit to IKEA on Tuesday resulted in the purchase of curtains for the bedroom and several other sundry items that really aren't going to be needed until at least next January...I have my priorities in order you know! I'm also watching a couple of wood-burning stoves on e-bay and tomorrow will hopefully be ordering the fridge freezer.

The only fly in the ointment is that the plumbers aren't arriving until the first week of December, which really does knock everything else back but nothing we can do about that so will have to plan accordingly. Unfortunately my sofas are arriving on 1st December and they're going to be in the way but I have to wait for the manufacturers to ring to see if it's possible to change the delivery date and still get them before Christmas.

Where we are now....

OH ripping up the rotten floor joists




























What was the fireplace (with Lurcher No. 1)



























What's left of the bathroom and kitchen






















































And this is the wooden ceiling! It still needs a lot of work but it will look fantastic when it's done.



























So, what have I been doing whilst OH has been so busy? You may well ask! I have finally sorted out the kitchen, although I am still trying to find someone who will supply the cooker I want cheaper than MFI. Yesterday I trawled through several DIY stores and failed miserably. I also failed miserably to find a bathroom that I like. Why is it so hard to find an old-fashioned loo with a proper handle to flush with? They all seem to have that push button thing like the ones you find in motorway service stations and I think they look horrible. The search continues!

I did, however, manage to buy two sofas today! Yay! An achievement!!

How hard can it be?

How hard can it be to choose a kitchen?

I thought I had it all sorted out but when I saw the kitchens in MFI, I decided I didn't like the one I'd chosen and saw another one that I fell in love with instead. Tuesday evening we had an appointment with the kitchen designer and he completely changed how I thought the kitchen should be laid out. I reluctantly came round to his way of thinking as he is the expert and what he said did make sense.

Problem is, it was the second most expensive kitchen in the shop. But I AM WOMAN so what else did they expect? But, and this is also because I AM WOMAN, I've changed my mind and I don't like it anymore. So there. Pfft.

I've now chosen another one which is very similar but half the price, dropped the Belfast sink (not literally you understand) , the Beech worktop and the tap. Oh now there's a thing. The tap. It was a lovely tap, very graceful and elegant in the way only a tap can be. It was also £180. £180 FOR A BLOODY TAP!!

We have another appointment with the kitchen designer on Sunday to see how that all works. We're also getting the appliances elsewhere because MFI charge silly prices for things. I shall go to Curry's who have much more sensible prices.

Saturday I was supposed to be having a day out as part of my photography evening class but I'm having to knock that on the head because have to go and look at sofas, cookers, hobs and tiles and go somewhere to get an alternative quote for the kitchen, as I have to have two prices. Once was enough, I'm not sure I can go through it twice.

OH has been cracking on though and has stripped out most of the unwanted items - such as the kitchen, bathroom and fireplace. Electrician arrives on Tuesday and hopefully the plumbers won't be too far behind. Which reminds me, I have to choose a bathroom suite.

You will tell me if you get bored hearing about this won't you!?

In other news......oh, there doesn't appear to be any. Apart from Lurcher No. 1 going to the vet to have her anal glands emptied. But you really didn't want to know that did you!?

Piccies!

The Cottage



Just the bit in the foreground is mine - up to the second chimneys. Most of the brambles you can see there will be cleared to have somewhere to put the oil tank and for parking.

The back, with the lovely porched area...still with original quarry tiles.

The delightful kitchen and bathroom!!





OH got up the ladder to see how difficult it would be to strip off the artex in the lounge this morning. Turns out it won't be difficult at all as it has been artexed on lining paper so it just peels off. And the really good bit!? Underneath the artex and paper is the original wooden ceiling! *Aoj jumps up and down with delight!*

Chinese Whispers

The men where I work are a worse than a bunch of old women, they really are. They gossip away to each other with every telling becoming more embellished until no-one knows what the original rumour was or where it started and the whole thing is blown out of proportion. Personalities are trying to wind each other up because they think it's fun and, in some cases, because they can.

The latest round of gossip has, however, started to descend into slander about someone who isn't the slightest bit involved in the situation. They can gossip about me as much as they like as long as the gossip has some basis in truth but slandering other people is out of order. Words have been had and lets hope this stops right now.

And, yes, this is all about the cottage. *sighs*

Edited to add: Now they haven't got the guts to hold their hands up and say "fair cop, guv". They're all passing the blame onto OH now. Go figure that one out!

And on it goes....

Yesterday was the turn of the electrician. And, yes, JG, I have arranged for double powerpoints to go everywhere! I will have more powerpoints than, at the moment, I can possibly think of a use for but, as is the way with many things, you expand to fill so I have no doubt they will get used! There will also be powerpoints outside! The three main rooms will also all have a BT point and an aerial socket. Apart from the kitchen. No room and as at least one phone will be a walkabout, I see no need to take up valuable space with unnecessary stuff.

I also need to give some thought to curtains, something I've not had to do before as our current accomodation has shutters. Because the cottage is small, I can't decide whether to have the same curtains in each room, or vary it a bit. The colour scheme throughout will be the same, and probably somewhere between off-white and clotted cream (but not Magnolia!). At the moment I'm thinking about a deep blue or racing green, in velvet would be nice but I suspect cost will be prohibitive....but then if I speak nicely to my Aunt, who is an amazing seamstress, she might just make them for me which will be a big help as far as cost is concerned!

I'm not having carpets. Half the cottage has wooden floors and although the boards are new-ish, and currently a mess, the hope is that they can be cleaned up and stained. The rest of the floors in the hall kitchen and bathroom have been screeded.....but it looks like they have been screeded over the original quarry tiles and OH is going to have a go at chipping away the screed in the hope that we can reclaim the tiles.

The place also has a bit of history. There are currently two cottages on the site but they have been created from what was the Ladies CLubhouse for the Royal Wimbledon Golf Course, although much has changed and the RWGC no longer play on Wimbledon Common.

This picture shows the Ladies standing in what is partially my back garden and partially next doors.

All systems go....

I have spent the last 18 months anticipating the day I would get my hands on the keys to the cottage and I have been giving a lot of thought to what sort of look I want to give the place. I knew it needed a lot of work doing to it but nothing prepares you for the day you actually get the keys and are told "let's get started". That day arrived yesterday and the Big Boss (who's authorising payment for all this) is "keen to get on with things".

So the last 24 hours have passed in a complete blur of plumbers, kitchens, bathrooms.

My head is spinning with technical discussions about boilers and whether a combi-boiler (which is what I want) will work properly because there is a water pressure problem in the area. Apparently it should if have acold water tank in the attic and fit a pump to keep up the flow to the boiler....but a builder "wot does plumbing" told me that and not the plumbers which is a incy bit worrying! But hey, if it works, I'm game.

I've had to try and think about where I want the radiators, powerpoints, telephone points, radiators, aerial sockets, the layout of the kitchen and whether we want to move the door (we do), where is the oil tank going to go and how much of the bushes should be cleared to create parking. What needs to be cleared in the garden and which bits of fence need replacing or repairing.

Although I have chosen which kitchen I want.....Kelmscott Oak...mind you, I haven't looked at the price yet. But given the size of the kitchen I could have the walls lined with gold leaf and it wouldn't break the bank.

What fun this is!!