Yellow

I hardly dare say it, but I think we have actually finished decorating the hallway.  Wahoo!!  A bit like the proverbial Forth Road Bridge, it seems to have taken forever (or several days, at least).  

Last piece of lining paper going up

We decided early on that we wanted this space to be bright and welcoming, so we have painted it . . . yellow!  It was a bit *wow* to begin with but the colour has really grown on us and it makes the hallway so cheerful; we like it.  Against the white woodwork - and there is certainly a lot of that - the whole area has had quite a transformation.

Now for a few other 'yellow' things . . .

. . . the first tomato of the season!  A 'Golden Sunrise', not very big, it has to be said, but still worthy of a mention.

These apricots are not home-grown (I wish!) but are very tasty indeed.  We're eating lots of soft fruit at the moment and looking forward to planting our own fruit trees.

I did enlarge this photo but it seems to have re-sized itself *sigh*

The flash of yellow on this goldfinch in our neighbour's garden caught my attention.

And finally . . . well it may not be yellow . . .

 . . . but the green woodpecker feasting on one of the many ants nests in the back lawn was a very welcome sight.  

Celebrations on the pier

Continuing from the previous post . . . our pier celebrated it's 200th birthday this weekend.  It is the oldest seaside pier in the country!   

On Sunday N and I (and grand-daughter No 1) dutifully joined many others, locals and visitors alike, in a walk along the pier.  We've walked up and down the half-mile on many occasions in all weathers, usually in a bit of a hurry to catch the catamaran from the pier head, but this time is was nice just to saunter along and appreciate the history.  The link above gives some more information.  

At the end of the pier there were stalls and an exhibition showing the history of the pier with lots of old photographs - the old-fashioned clothing always makes me smile; in those days no-one set foot outside without their hats!   

  

This is the old tramline, now disused and rusty.  To the left is the car/pedestrian pier, and on the right is the trainline

As well as the pedestrian and vehicle access, there is also a train-line and a disused - and now sadly neglected - tramway along the length of the pier.

The photo above was taken on another walk along the pier during the winter last year.  The wrought iron work was restored a few years ago.  It's beautiful and the shadows thrown onto the wooden planks by the low sun are just wonderful.  A quilting pattern, for sure ;-)

As the sun sets . . .

Yesterday evening N and I enjoyed a meal outside at a lovely beachside diner overlooking Appley Sands and the pier.  The tide was out (way, way out) and lots of people were making the most of the fine weather.  We watched several of the big cruise liners coming out of Southampton Water and sailing past on their way to foreign destinations.  

The food was delicious and the view simply superb.  Who needs to be in the south of France when this is on our doorstep?

It was such a lovely way to spend the evening.  We reminded ourselves just how fortunate we are to have this so close; so often it's just taken for granted or not even given a thought at all.  The weather this week might have been a  bit warm for decorating but it's been brilliant for all those who have come to the Island for a holiday, and for the local economy, too, which relies so heavily on tourism.  I should think the ice-cream sales must have boomed!

The sun setting over the pier was beautiful and we were not the only ones taking photos.  The colours were wonderful and we just watched as the beach was transformed by the golden light.  The pier provided the perfect backdrop - it is such an iconic structure.

A really lovely evening.

Progress in the hall, and an evening walk around the block

Some of the garlic we harvested a few weeks ago.  The four cloves surrounding the egg are Elephant Garlic - they are huge!

We're making good progress with the hallway.  It's surprising just how much can be achieved in two or three hours each day.  And with all the woodwork having at least an undercoat, and several door frames now with a top-coat as well, the area looks so much brighter.  Amazing what a bit of white paint does.

Although the lighting doesn't show it very well, the woodwork (before) has yellowed badly over the years

And after - brilliant white woodwork makes so much difference

  N has started putting the lining paper up and it's good to see all the old paint and marks disappearing beneath it.  The transformation has begun and it is spurring us on.

We had another lovely evening walk this week, this time along the bridleways and footpaths that surround the local area. 

Baby robin (on the right) being fed a juicy worm by one of it's parents.  It must be still quite young - no sign at all of any red feathers yet.

 We were amazed at what there is to see on our doorstep.

Plenty of blackberries already but they were a little sharp still!

Not sure who was watching who!

We also watched a buzzard circling overhead and a pair of pheasants in a field.  From the highest point on our walk we had a great view over the Solent to the Spinnaker Tower at Portsmouth.  So much to see and enjoy.

Veg plot weeded at last

Yesterday was back to normal, or whatever passes for normal these days - we were painting and decorating again.  The hallway has a lot of doors leading in and out (9 to be exact), all of which need undercoating and top-coating.  The coving has been completed so this morning I shall be up a ladder painting that and the ceiling while N continues with some door frames.  We have learned that two or three hours first thing in the morning is the best time to paint, before the heat gets too much.  Then we can spend time in the garden without feeling guilty about not decorating.

Weed seedlings everywhere!

And progress has been made in the garden.  The vegetable plot has been dug over at last.  Goodness, has it taken a while!  The weeds self-seeded everywhere, so we seemed to be fighting an uphill battle but a concerted effort from us both yesterday saw the last weedy seedlings dug up.  Yay!!  The soil is not bad but does need enriching with some organic matter and we think we will probably gets some boards to edge the plot with, similar to a raised bed.  If nothing else, it will help keep the soil inside the plot rather than escaping onto the path.

And now I'm off to paint.

A Summer Evening's Walk

Our visitor returned home today - we are very grateful to him for all his help and advice this past week.  The guttering has been washed down (and what a difference that makes), the tiling has made good progress and the lighting in the garage has been sorted out.  Although it has been very warm and not really conducive to huge amounts of decorating we are pleased with what has been achieved.

Another really hot day again today.  This afternoon we gave in to the weather and indulged in a spot of sun-bathing in the garden.  Sometimes it has to be done ;-)

Quarr Abbey

We decided to have a walk late in the afternoon and took ourselves off to Quarr and onto Fishbourne for a pint (or in my case, just a half) of something cool and refreshing.  It was a lovely walk indeed, and we enjoyed the sights and sounds of mid-summer all around us.  We had a brief glimpse of a red squirrel in the top-most branches of a hazel tree having been alerted to it's presence by a number of nuts falling to the ground and quivering leaves, always tell-tale signs.

"Caution - Bees at Work"

Making hay while the sun shines

It was so good to get out into the countryside and be thankful, yet again, for all that is on our doorstep.

Gentle strolling

We've slowed down with the decorating over the past few days - to be honest, it's just too hot to do very much of that sort of work.  Instead we have been enjoying a spot of golf on the television (well done Rory!) and a couple of local walks.  Our visitor finds long walks a little arduous these days but is happy to take a gentle stroll along familiar paths.  Yesterday evening we had a pleasant walk around the neighbourhood, an area he knows from previous visits, and this morning we enjoyed one of our favourite walks along the sea wall by Appley.  It was so nice, just strolling along in the sun.  There is always plenty to see on the beach and on the Solent.

N and I were reminded, yet again, of how much we have right on our doorstep.  It did us good to get out and about and appreciate the area we live in.  We might even have a day on the beach ourselves later this week!

We continue to dig over the vegetable plot.  It's a bit of an uphill battle as all the weeds set seed and little seedlings keep popping up.  The ground is terribly dry despite the downpour at the end of last week so it makes digging and weeding a bit difficult.  We'll get there.

All we have growing at the moment is tomatoes - Golden Sunrise, I believe.  I'm trying to identify the plants growing in the borders and I think some of them may be in for a move-around later in the year.  We're also trying to work out the best place to site the greenhouse - we hadn't realised the back garden was quite so sunny!  

Not seeking perfection

The tranquility of the sunset last night gave no indication of the electrical storm that was to follow!

Good grief, did we have a storm last night!  Thunder and lightening like I haven't heard and seen for a very long time, and it went on for ages.  The sky was lit up with huge flashes and the thunder rumbled around almost continuously.  And did it rain!   Quite spectacular even if it was the middle of the night.

The tiling has been started.  It's a slow process but the end result is going to be worth it.  And a bit more of the bare plaster is disappearing which is a bonus.

We have finished painting the lounge at last.  I say 'we' because although I usually do the painting, for some reason the paint and I did not get on.  I was getting more than a little frustrating, not being able to do a good job so N offered to try his hand instead.  It's certainly better than my efforts and as we said, there's a number of pictures and paintings to be hung which will hide any imperfections.  I think there were a lesson to be learned there - sometimes, no matter how many times you may have done something before, there is no guarantee that the same job will go right every time.  N and I set ourselves high standards but again, we accept that striving for 'perfection' is often counter-productive.  Aim for the best we can do and be satisfied at a job done to the best of our abilities.  And be willing for someone else to take over if necessary - that's not always easy to do, and is something I need to be more gracious about, I think.

We hung the vertical blinds back in the lounge and have cleaned the greenhouse shading off the windows.  Just some curtains needed - I will keep an eye out for a charity-shop bargain.

This evening we noticed huge numbers of birds circling overhead.  A quick glance at the grass confirmed our suspicions - it's flying ants season.  For just a day or two every summer, the flying ants emerge and the birds gorge themselves.  We have so many ants nests in the lawn the grass was crawling with the insects as they emerged and began flying.  We will have to deal with all these nests over the winter; not sure what the best way to tackle them is but action is definitely needed.

Helping hands

We have our first visitor staying with us at present, keen to lend a hand with a few odd jobs - and there are many of those!   Yesterday the men made a start on cleaning all the plastic window frames, gutters and fascia boards and it's all come up a treat.  We have been getting a little weary of the non-stop decorating and having a fresh pair of hands eager to help has given us a bit of a boost, although we're having difficulty keeping up with him!  We finally picked up the tiles for the kitchen today, and that will be the main task for the next couple of days.  I shall be in the lounge, again, painting walls.  A bit like the Forth Road Bridge, painting the lounge walls seems never-ending.  We weren't happy with the finish we were getting with the silk emulsion and eventually decided to try a matt paint instead, and a different, more expensive, brand.  I think the extra money had been worth it - the paint is so much thicker and the finish is better.  

Yesterday I walked into town.  We now live quite a distance out and I was interested to see just how long it would take me - we can't keep resorting to the car every time.  Before, we could pop into town for a pint of milk and be there and back in half an hour.  It's more like an hour and a half (including shopping), and that's at a brisk pace.  It's about a 3 1/2 mile round trip so it is good exercise (I must tell myself!) but we have already realised that we need to be organised with a list to ensure nothing gets forgotten.  It's just one of many things we need to get used to.  

N and I have often commented, as we plod on with this renovation, that we could never have taken on a project of this size had we still been at work and we are thankful, all over again, that we were able to leave employment when we did.  We manage on far less, and are far happier.  We regularly see colleagues who have done the same, and who have a similar outlook on life - 'poorer but happier', as one put it.  It is sad when we meet someone who works all hours of the day for a big salary, but who has so little time at home to enjoy the fruits of their labour.  It is a mindset, having the courage to make do on far less, and it's not for everyone.   It is a shame, knowing that it is not only possible but also worthwhile in so many ways, that others can't or won't consider it as an option.  Earning big money seems to go hand in hand with spending lots of money, and I guess if you are mindful of how you spend money (and how much money is wasted) then the need for a huge salary is much less.  A bit of forward-planning, reducing debt and putting some savings away, making do on less - all these things make such a difference to our financial perspective.   It makes a lot of sense to us.

Tomorrow - tiling, painting and hopefully finding a permanent home for a few more bits and pieces.  Gradually, one bit of paper at a time.                    

Washing windows and baking cakes

Good as our word, we took the day off from decorating today.  Instead I got back to some basics  - I washed some of the outside windows.  One of the reasons we opted for a single-storey property was that we would be able to maintain it ourselves, or certainly for a good number of years.  I was able to reach the windows easily using the small step-ladder and with a bucket of water and a squirt of laundry liquid, I was perfectly happy in my cleaning.  Using the 'damp cloth, dry cloth' method, the glass is now sparkling and I feel the hour or so was put to very good use.

We then spent some time sorting out the lounge in preparation for our guest this week.  It was satisfying to arrange the table and chairs (rescued at last from the garage) ready for a meal.  When I begin painting the lounge walls the furniture will have to be covered with dust sheets and moved around again, but for the moment the room looks lived-in.

No carpet and bare walls, but we do have a table and chairs

This afternoon, having put the moment off for far too long, I finally did some baking in the new oven.  With a fan to evenly distribute the heat it can bake a whole oven-full at the same time and nothing gets burned.  And with a glass door, I can see how the cakes are progressing.  Oh the joys of simple pleasures!  A batch of rock cakes and a batch of fairy cakes, perfectly baked at the same time.  We had a mini-invasion of children and grand-children in the evening, so a good chance to get some professional cake-sampling done!

Washing on the line, a to-do list gradually being worked through, cleaning and baking - it was a good day.  I needed this day.  Tomorrow I shall paint again.

A place for everything . . .

I seem to be out of synch with blogging at the moment.  Truth be told, I think I'm out of synch with quite a lot of things!  What with constant renovating and a wedding thrown in for good measure, neither N or I are really ticking along quite as we should be.  

True, we've put time-frames on ourselves which were perhaps ambitious, especially as we have come to realise that everything is taking far longer than we anticipated or allowed for.  Heads are saying ' we can do this'; bodies are lagging a bit behind ;-)   We are tired and there is no getting away from the fact.  We have had to slow down.  Consequently we haven't made progress as fast as we thought we would.  There is still a load of decorating to do.  Many things are still trying to find a permanent home - nothing seems to be where we last remember seeing it.  There has been an issue with the paint and wallpaper in the lounge to the extent that we have completely rethought our plans for that room.  By mid-morning today we had ground to a halt.  We seemed to be taking one very small step forward followed (quickly) by a big slide backwards.   

We needed a tidy-up!

So we gave ourselves permission to have the afternoon off from decorating, and instead we spent a little while putting things away - in sensible places so we had a good chance of finding them again.  A little bit of order has descended, and about time, too.

What else?  We donated some furniture to the hospice warehouse to be re-homed (so a bit more room in the garage) and we found some pretty curtains for the spare bedroom from the Red Cross charity shop (£4 for the pair).  I will line them in due course - I already have a good stock of lining fabric just waiting to be called into use - and will probably re-stitch the heading rufflette, but that is a job for winter.  We've done a bit more weeding in the veg plot and have enjoyed getting up close with the resident birdlife.  

This evening, while someone is watching the World Cup final, I shall spend some quality time compiling lists.  Enough dilly-dallying around.  I need to get to grips with things.  It's time for action.

Little bits of progress

After all the excitement of the past few days, N and I are back to a spot of decorating . . . just for a change!  We are taking on the lounge - at 15'6" x 13' it's our biggest room.  It's amazing the difference just slopping a bit of white paint around makes (OK, maybe not slopping; we are actually quite particular painters).  From being a dull and neglected room, it is now looks clean and bright.  We have made decisions on the wallpaper (having learned our lessons on how poorly the walls deal with being painted) so we are making steady progress through the order of work.  We are dab hands at it now ;-)

We've also, finally, decided on tiles for the kitchen.  There's just so much choice available nowadays, it's all a bit overwhelming.  Tiling will be a job for next week, when we will have an extra pair of (very experienced) hands staying with us, keen to get stuck into a bit of DIY.  

Very, very gradually we are beginning to see our way with this house.  We still spend a lot of time trying to remember where we left this or that particular item that we now need, and which never seems to be in the same place as it was last time.  It will be so good when the decorating is finished and we are able to settle on permenent places for everything.  In the meantime we will just continue to play the 'hide and seek' game.  

The birdlife here is wonderful.  Maybe it is simply because we are in our own garden rather than overlooking someone else's.  This morning we watched a pair of greenfinches on the back fence, and later we were thrilled to see a pair of green woodpeckers digging up an ants' nest on the front lawn.  

Changing identites

On Saturday I became a mother-in-law.  My son is now a husband.  He married the love of his life in a beautiful ceremony in front of their friends and family.  It was a hugely emotional day for me, far more than I anticipated, and for many reasons.  But what shone through the whole day was the love these two young people have for each other.  Quite simply, they make each other very happy.  And as a mum, I cannot ask for any more for either of my children.

I have found myself in a very reflective mood over these past few days leading up to the wedding, and since.  Memories of tiny babies, helpless and totally dependent.  Schooldays.  Leaving home.  Changing roles; theirs and mine.  I have given much time and thought to the concept of family, and the sad realisation that not all families 'work' even though we want them to.  I am fortunate that I can surround myself with people I love, whom I care deeply about and who in turn feel the same towards me.   The family configuration may have changed - some have chosen to leave - but I feel blessed and thankful to be part of the family that I have, and that has been added to this weekend as we welcomed Jo as our daughter-in-law.

We are now back home, and beginning to decorate the lounge.  We'll get there.

It has poured with rain today, with some thunder thrown in for good measure.  The garden could certainly do with a good soaking; the lawn in more brown than green and the leaves on the tomatoes have curled up.  Yes, a drop of rain has been very welcome.

Getting ready

Last minute preparations for the wedding at the weekend.  Final touches to my dress; a shirt to be washed and ironed; locating a suitable handbag.  I have also been practising wearing heeled shoes after weeks of boots, trainers or Crocs.  There is an art to wearing heels, and I doubt I had the ability to begin with ;-o   I am taking a pair of flatties with me as insurance.

We have had glorious weather this week, very warm and sunny every day.  The weekend is slightly uncertain but we are keeping fingers crossed that any rain is light and occasional.  I have packed an umbrella, just in case.

I have bought a new camera to replace the one that sadly gave up on me recently.  It's a little digital one, but the zoom is much greater which will be great for wildlife photos.  I will be taking it to the wedding and hope to have lots of photos to remember a very special day by.  There will be lots of people there I haven't seen for many years so plenty of catching up to be done, and several little ones to meet for the first time.  

When we return, N and I are looking forward to the second stage of renovations here.  There is so much still to be done but I think we shall have a clearer idea of how best to use our times and resources.  We are both very tired and a couple of days right away may help restore a sense of balance.  

When I return I shall officially be a mother-in-law.  

Moved

Finally, a moment of calm and peace to sit and blog, albeit briefly.  After several days of not having internet connection we are now online, although broadband seems very intermittant, and sometimes simply nonexistent.  Combined with a very dodgy laptop - rising quickly to the top of the shopping list - and blogging has been something that has just not happened for a few days.

What has happened, in the meantime, is a house move.  We made it, just about in one piece, but it has certainly been quite a stressful business and we are both quite simply exhausted.  The first few days were spent trying to establish some sort of order amidst the confusion of packing cases, bags and furniture.  Only half of the house is carpetted so we are using just those rooms at present.  There's still a huge amount of decorating to do and we are on a bit of a countdown as we can only store the remaining carpet in the warehouse for a few weeks.   There is also the small matter of a wedding very soon!

After a few days of 'headless chicken' syndrome, we came to our senses and decided to just let things go as they are until after the wedding when hopefully we can focus far better on exactly what needs to be done in the house, and we can tackle those jobs in a systematic way.  For now we are content to potter about doing a little bit here and there, whilst still feeling our way with our new home.  

Having slowed down we are now able to appreciate the little things that we had missed - the birdsong, the rustle of the leaves in the trees, the robins that perch on the washing line, the beautiful sunsets from the kitchen window, and the sheer pleasure of looking out over our own back garden and visualising the vegetable plot in full growing glory.  

There are many plans being made.  It's very exciting.