A little calm in the midst of chaos

We cannot believe just how disorganised we are at the moment.  It seems like there is no order, no plan and everything is everywhere.  For two people who usually pride themselves in a degree of organisation, we are astounded at the lack of it!  I think we have worked so hard on trying to get the new house into shape that we ran out of steam when it came to packing up the old place.  So it was a huge relief when we had a visit from someone who has restored more than a bit of order to our lives.  

We now have lots of boxes packed up and moved, a large pile of goods ready for the charity shop, furniture flat-packed ready for moving and calmness (or something vaguely near to it) has been restored.  Thankyou, dear daughter!!

The main job this weekend has been emptying the loft.  Not a task we were looking forward to.  How have we acquired so much stuff?  Why have we kept so much stuff?  Did we really think we might need it some day?  It was quite frightening really.  However, with the three of us working as a finely-tuned team, we had that loft cleared far quicker than I thought we would.  We will have a concerted effort at reducing what we store when we have more time and space (ie at the new house) but it has been a salutary reminder of the burden of keeping stuff for the sake of it.  

Now we have the kitchen installed, with just a few bits still to finish off, we have moved everything from this kitchen into the new one.  We will, no doubt, spend the next few days trying to find things again; it was all put away in any cupboard with no real plan.  Never mind, it will give us something to do for a while!

Tomorrow is looking like a busy day.  The builders are coming back to put the finishing touches to the kitchen (we have remembered to replenish the tea-bags and sugar!) and the carpet fitters are coming to fit the bedrooms and bathroom.  There is the last of the packing to do and making sure the removal men have a clean run through the flat.  

We did have a brief break in the packing (and related stress) on Saturday when we walked to the beach to watch the yachts on the final leg of the annual Round the Island Race.  Sadly although the weather was very warm and sunny there wasn't much breeze for sailing, and as the yachts came along past Ryde many of them seemed to have stopped!   It must have been very frustrating for them, having set out in good spirits early in the morning for a days' racing, only to end up becalmed on the way home.  We found out later that many yachts 'retired' and motored back to Cowes.  Can't really blame them.

Of cars and garages and kitchens

I've spent far more time in the car these past couple of days than I would have liked, especially as the weather has been very warm indeed.  Yesterday was a 'fetching and carrying' day, but much longer than expected due to an over-run appointment.  And the traffic!  Good grief, it seemed like the whole island had taken to the road.  However, we have finally decided on a carpet (and got a very good deal, thankfully) and we are even in a position to have three rooms carpeted on Monday.  It will mean a bit more of moving everything around again, but it will be worth it to have the luxury of carpets.  

We had a little 'incident' last week when someone backed into our car - an accident, and no-one hurt at all.  Just a bit frustrating.  Whilst the car has been at the body-shop being repaired, we have been given a courtesy car.  Useful for running around but not really ideal for tip-runs!  Today I took it back as ours was ready for collection, and on the way to the garage, would you believe it, someone (else) ran into the back of me.  I have had more dealings with car-body repair shops in the past few days than in many, many years.  I have to say that they were very nice about the whole episode - as they quite rightly pointed out, the courtesy car was going back to the right place to be repaired!  

House-wise, we have great progress.  The central heating is completely installed and, having been tested this week, has now been signed off and handed over to us.  We are really pleased with the work that had been done and feel that the extra expenditure on new radiators was worth it.  The kitchen is now looking like a kitchen, albeit after a few hiccups with pipework and sockets, positioning the sink and compromising on tiles.  The whole process has been a very big learning curve for N and I.  There are questions to be asked and decisions and/or choices to be made all the way through.  We have learned that a 'simple' request - "we'd like this here" - often means a series of compromises because of some existing feature, or the design of the units, or the need to deal with cables etc etc.  It has been an eye-opener; interesting but actually quite wearing.  However, watching the kitchen come together is really exciting and we are delighted with it.  

In between all the running around we've been doing, N and I are spending some time cleaning windows and window frames.  They were a bit grimy, to be honest, from when the house was left empty and now with a hefty dose of building work going on.  I can cope with a bit of dirt, but I'd prefer it to be  our dirt!  It's been time well spent, and the frames have come up well.

I'm trying not to think too much about the packing which needs to be done very quickly, or the dress which is still in pieces.  It will all come together (quite literally, I hope) and everything will be ready in time.  

Fingers crossed.

A new kitchen

Great excitement yesterday when the kitchen finally arrived.  Having been told that we would be the first delivery of the day, then the last delivery, of course it arrived at lunch-time *sigh*.  Ah well.  The units are now in the lounge whilst the kitchen floor is being replaced - some of the boards were showing signs of a washing machine leak in the past.  We have learned that it is better to spend a little bit extra now, rather than have problems later on and regret not doing something now.

The kitchen has been replastered, covering up a multitude of sins (and holes).  Electric sockets have been re-sited, and the plumbing for sink and washing machine sorted.  What we are finding is really difficult is the constant questions and answer sessions - what do you want to do with this; where do you want that; what are we going to do about this; have you given any thought to that?  And so on.  So many little decisions to be made and we don't know the current legislation or regulations that we are supposed to be adhering to.  It's very baffling.

Anyway, the kitchen units are beginning to be lined up but we now have a problem with a seized stopcock for the outside tap, right in the corner of the kitchen.  It's jammed.  It needs sorting because it sticks out too far.  We need the plumber back again.

And so it continues.

One box at a time

This week should see the contracted work complete ie central heating and kitchen.  Then it will just be down to the two of us to continue painting and decorating.  Over the weekend we have done the odd jobs that needed to be finished to allow the workmen to get on with their work this week - the towel-rail wall in the bathroom painted (so the door frame had to be undercoated first); the kitchen walls given a coat of diluted PVA in preparation for the plastering.  N has also ploughed on with lining paper in the middle room and I have tried to tidy and sweep up - a losing battle I think!

We've also begun the task of packing up the flat, a job we have been avoiding.  But the time has come where we can't put it off any longer, as we have settled on a moving date.  So we are starting getting stuff out of the loft.  Gosh, why do people have so much stuff in lofts and attics?  It's not as though there's really a huge amount that can be 'disposed' of, although we will do our best to move some things on if we can.  It's just the accumulation over the years of bits and pieces that 'need' to be kept for various reasons.  

Yesterday we were treated to another display by the Red Arrows, we think it must have been at the IW Festival.  They are the most spectacular, breath-taking display team in the world (that's a completely unbiased opinion!) and N managed to get a few photos of some of their formations.  The wing tips seem to be almost touching.  It was terrific.

Is there an end in sight?

Most people decorate one room at a time.  Next time, I think that's what we'll do.  Not try to tackle a whole house all at the same time.  And with a silly time-frame, just to make things interesting.  We're not ones to shirk from a challenge but this is becoming quite challenging now =:o

Anyway, enough of the whinge, time to focus on where we've got to.  Little bedroom, done.  Main bedroom, just a little bit of emulsion and one wall to paper.  Guest room, all woodwork painted and lining paper started.  Bathroom, sealing coat of emulsion on all new plaster.  So lots of progress made.  We hope to finish all those rooms, painting and papering, by the end of the weekend.  The house is looking so much brighter and fresher with white ceilings and woodwork.

Some preparatory work has started in the kitchen in readiness for the units to be installed next week.  It's all a bit of a juggling act, getting the order of work sorted, and it's beginning to take it's toll.  So many questions, decisions, details to sort out, and we're both pretty tired.  This is when you begin to realise how dependent you are on 'experts'.  And new legislation regarding building work and electrics is a minefield - what work do we need paperwork and certification for?  It's seriously overloading our weary brains.

However, we chose to put ourselves into this situation and we will work our way through it.  We are having a half-day tomorrow, simply because we are so tired we are beginning to make silly mistakes - twice I have opened the wrong tin of paint and only just stopped myself painting a wall the wrong colour. 

This weekend the Island is expecting around 50,000 visitors to enjoy the IW Festival, and hopefully the weather will stay dry for all those camping.  It's a party atmosphere over the weekend but along with many other locals, we will avoid the area, and the traffic disruption!

Decorating at last

Finally we feel we are getting somewhere with the house.  The plumber and his mate have finished the installation of the bathroom and although it still needs painting and final touches, we are pleased with it.  We have reclaimed a couple of rooms that were commandeered for tools (oh so many) by the workmen and it's good to have a couple of days to ourselves before work starts on the kitchen.  Yesterday began with a bit of a scramble to find an electrician able to provide the all-important piece of paper for moving the cooker point; again, it was the problem of getting the various bits of work completed in the right order but we are there, I think (and sincerely hope!)

Yesterday we finished decorating our first room.  Such a sense of achievement and satisfaction.  One down - and several more to go but we are on the way.  Today we had a concerted effort with paint and paper.  We have applied a base coat of emulsion to some of the new plaster in the bathroom, just to help the 'proper' paint to adhere better as new plaster is so porous.  All the woodwork in the main bedroom has now been topcoated, and N has begun papering - that is really exciting.  I have painted the ceiling and coving in the dining room.

The house is looking so much lighter and brighter with fresh white paint around.  It does make such a difference.

Tomorrow we will tackle more sanding.  It's the worst job, especially in this heat, but it has to be done and it's easier when it's just the two of us there.  We will take it in turn to do the door frames in the hallway and with a bit of luck we can get the job done by lunch time.  Once the dust has settled we can begin vacuuming.  The dust filter on the vacuum has been cleaned more times in the past three weeks than in the last three years!

It is nice to have a loo again.  I suppose we really ought to put the bathroom door back on ;-o

Normal service resumed

I haven't mentioned the weather recently, but the temperatures are creeping up.  Blue skies and warm sunshine, with just an occasional shower (and thunderstorm) are becoming the norm.  We try to eat lunch outside if we can; it makes a break from working indoors and the sun feels good on our aching backs!

The bathroom is now almost fitted with the exception of the shower.  For the first time in over two weeks we have a working toilet.  I cannot tell you what a joy that is.  We might be able to have a cuppa during the day now ;-)  Tomorrow the bathroom should be finished and ready for us to do the finishing decorating touches - painting (once the plaster has dried out completely), mirror and cabinet etc.  

We have had a day of sanding in the hallway and stripping the remainder of the wallpaper in the kitchen, as per our revised list.  We've made good progress.  A chat with the builder re the kitchen, another shopping trip for two tiles (and several other odds and ends), the delivery of a 'welcome to your new home pack' (more of that tomorrow) and two more trips to the tip.  The amenity site we use, run by the local council, does try to encourage people to recycle as much as possible, and we do our best by recycling metal, wood (that can't be used for anything else), cardboard, rubble/building waste and green waste.  The information board at the site indicates that up to 75% of the waste is recycled which is something.  I think people are becoming more aware of the need to recycle as much as possible rather than dump everything in landfill sites.  We try to do our bit.

We bumped into an ex-colleague on our travels today, and like us, he has found that it is quite possible to have a good life on a reduced income - and still be perfectly happy.  Cutting your cloth and living within your means.  Money, it seems, does not necessarily equate to happiness.  Well, fancy that. 

Just the two of us ...

We took things easy over the weekend, only working at the house both mornings rather than all day.  Bizarrely we seem to have achieved more in less time; I suspect there is a moral in that somewhere.

The little bedroom - the one that is earmarked as a work/sewing room - is almost finished - Yay!!  It was surprising just how much we got done when it was just the two of us working in the house.  We decided to make it the room we tried our decorating plan out on - how do the bare walls paint; how many coats of undercoat does the woodwork need; do the windowsills look better in satin or gloss?  Well, now we have tried all those things out we know that:

• It was very difficult to remove all the old paste from the plaster walls; consequently the paint appears to have absorbed in patches.  It's OK, but we think we will use lining paper in other rooms and paint over that.  Hopefully the coverage will be better.
• The woodwork, after sanding, benefits from an undercoat before being given a topcoat.
• The windowsills look better in gloss, but the skirting, doorframes and battens will have a satin finish.

A bit of fiddling around, maybe, but we're much more confident that the rest of the decorating will (fingers crossed) be a little more straightforward.

We have had to re-jig the plan of work yet again.  We are learning that nothing is set in stone when doing up a house, and that plans change with the tides and we have to adapt accordingly.  So rather than fight against the dust and mess we will add to it and spend the next two days, while the bathroom is being finished, sanding all the woodwork in the hallway.  There is a lot to be sanded down and we will just plod our way through it.  Then we have a few days to ourselves before the central heating engineers return to finish the radiators, and the kitchen refit begins.  

N has taken the greenhouse to pieces this afternoon, one piece of glass at a time.  We've pulled some of the garlic (delicious in garlic chicken tonight) and I have finally started my dress for the wedding.  It's a bit of a pot-luck dress - the bodice is from one pattern, the sleeves from another and the skirt will just be cut and sewn!  It's fully lined, a technique I haven't done before, but I shall have to learn as I go.  All good fun, and a welcome distraction from painting and sweeping up.

We have set ourselves some fairly tight time-scales to work to over the next few days.  We have the enthusiasm and the ability, it's a question of whether our bodies will keep up ;-)

Paint and plaster

More running around in the car this morning - gosh, have we clocked up some miles in the past 3 weeks!  So many decisions to be made, and quickly.  There never seems to be enough time; we find ourselves dithering when there really isn't the time to prevaricate.  Then there's the shopping for all those DIY bits and bobs that we've run out of or suddenly find we need now.  

Today the plasterer has been (yay!) and skimmed a wall and the ceiling in the bathroom.  The finish is sooooo smooth, would that all the walls were like that!  At some point next week we're hoping for a toilet again ;)))

N and I have plodded on with coving and painting, washing down walls, stripping wallpaper, sanding and sweeping up - I seem to have been up and down stepladders all afternoon.  We are gradually crossing off the lengthy list of decorating and we keep reminding ourselves that we are making progress, even though it doesn't necessarily appear like it at the time.  We're finding we have to chop and change the order of work; for example, we need to sand and paint the loft hatch before the coving can be finished off in the hallway.  We'll get there but we are tired so we are giving ourselves some time off this weekend.  Besides, I have a dress to make for the wedding.


On Wednesday, while busy painting a ceiling, I heard the drone of some planes, and looking out of the window saw several vintage war planes flying in formation overhead, on their way to Portsmouth.  Yesterday, we were treated to the spectacular Red Arrows as they displayed over Southsea.  Both were part of the 70th anniversary commemorations of the D Day landings in France.  It has made me pause and reflect; on sacrifice, comradeship and remembrance.  

Dust and a broken camera

I've had every intention of writing a post each day this week but it just hasn't happened.  There just doesn't seem to be quite enough hours in the day at present; it's a bit chaotic.

So, a quick round-up.

The plumber began his work on Tuesday, demolishing the remains of the bathroom and pulling up the floor - this seems to be a recurring theme with our workmen!  Lots of noisy tools and lots of dust again - also a recurring theme ;)  I will try not to keep on about the dust too much, suffice to say there has been a great deal of it!

We've had the bathroom fittings delivered, along with the tiles, and we've finalised the design for the kitchen.  There are tools in every room except the little bedroom which I put out of bounds to everyone.  We have been to the tip with more rubble, old chipboard flooring, tiles and wallpaper.  We move boxes from one room to another trying to create space to work in. 

Today the heating engineers returned to fit the radiators.  They look beautiful (the radiators, that it ;) ) and we are very pleased indeed that we decided to get them replaced along with the boiler installation.  

We have tackled some of the coving.  We soon realised we needed the proper mitre block and coving saw to do the job properly.  And it took us ages to get to grips with the correct angles for the corners; we ended up with lots of rejected pieces.  However, we persevered and completed the little bedroom, and it looks really good.  N has carried on coving when he has been able to, space permitting, and has made good progress in the hallway.  I think he's cracked the angle issue now.

I've been determined to continue painting the little bedroom, the one I banned everyone else from.  The ceiling and coving have been done, and the woodwork has all been given a first topcoat of satin finish but still needs a second coat.

In between all the other work that is going on in the house, sometimes it is only possible to do odd jobs around the place; sanding the skirting boards, stripping a bit more wallpaper in the kitchen, and taking some of the old kitchen cupboards to pieces.  It's a bit frustrating, not having a free run at one job but we keep reminding ourselves that all these jobs need doing, and each one is a step closer to finishing.

 There's a lack of photos in this post due to the fact that sadly my little digital camera developed a technical fault Tuesday which has proved terminal *sigh*.  I have resorted to my mobile and N's rather flashier camera, and until I work out how to download those photos, it will just have to be 'words-only' for a while.

We did have another visit from Harry the Hedgehog this afternoon, having a mooch on the back lawn.  He's very sweet and allows us to take his photo before disappearing under the fence.

Best laid plans

Oh dear, I shouldn't have got so excited about a bit of painting yesterday.  There was me, thinking we had finally turned the corner.  I hadn't planned on the radiators.

Over the weekend, N and I mused about old-fashioned radiators, sizes of radiators, efficiency of radiators and the cost of replacing them.  We asked our wonderful central heating engineers about it this morning, thinking we might look to do the work next year perhaps.  They kindly pointed out that it would make far more sense to change the radiators now, while the house is in the throes of refurbishment, rather than wait till all the carpets are down.  Clearly it made sense.  Clearly it makes sense to have new efficient radiators working with a new efficient boiler.  So why had we not thought of this sooner?  We were really annoyed with ourselves for such a lapse.

So, to cut a long story short, the lads have changed their work specification mid-job.  The flooring has been up in nearly every room, old pipework removed, new pipework replaced, brackets removed.  Chaos and dust reign once more.  

It turned into a long day for everyone.  The heating engineers worked so hard, hardly stopping other than to confirm what we wanted.  They will return in a few weeks time to install new radiators and complete the system.  They are stars!

In the middle of the veg plot we found this lone antirhinum

 With so much upheaval throughout the house, N and I were unable to do much indoors so we pottered in the garden, weeding the veg plot again.  

Today reminded us that the best laid plans can go awry.  Our fault.  Tomorrow is another day and we will start again with another list. 

Painting!

Finally, after days spent taking things to pieces, ripping stuff out, creating mess and chaos, we have at last got to a point where we could actually start on something constructive.  

I have painted a window sill.

Granted, it was only undercoat but still, it's a step in the right direction.  It's pleased us no end.

Radiators in need of a good clean

On the back of one rad, N found this stamp - we already knew the house was built in 1979 so the radiators have seen 35 years' service.  

We've also taken advantage of the radiators being off the walls (the heating engineers need to drain and flush them through) to paint the walls behind them - it's always the trickiest bit to decorate if the radiators are in place.  Just a couple of coats of white emulsion but it's one more little job to tick off the list.  N has done sterling work cleaning all the radiators; front, back and between the panels.  They look much better for a bit of soapy water.

Gradually covering the pink!

We've got the bathroom tiles sorted - much easier than we thought; we both picked the same tile immediately we saw it, something of a result.  The coving proved a bit of a bonus, too.  The pack was 3.6 metres in length, way too long to fit in the car but we noticed that some of the pieces were damaged so we approached a salesman and suggested we take the damaged goods off his hands for half the marked price (don't get if you don't ask!).  A deal was done, we took the pack into the carpark and N proceeded to cut the lengths at the damaged point and lo and behold, they fitted into the car perfectly!  

We are both terribly weary, we don't mind admitting.  But little by little, ever so gradually, we feel we are turning the corner.  We hope to get stuck into some serious painting this week, the boiler/central heating will have been finished and work on the bathroom begun.  It's beginning to take shape.

And guess who turned up this morning?

Ambling along the path in the back garden was none other than Harry the hedgehog (short for Hieronymus, N tells me - he's a fan of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novels).  It could of course be Hilda or Hetty but I think we'll stick with Harry until proved otherwise.

We're rather thrilled to have our own hedgehog.