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.