Chairs re-covered for free

The first carrot

I think June is going to be one of those 'busy' months, with lots going on, planned and unplanned.  The weather is finally getting more summery (if we could lose the breeze, which is decidedly chilly, I might manage to stay in short sleeves and skirt all day) and there is always plenty to do in the garden.  The greenhouse is bulging - I think next time we may have to invest in a larger one to accommodate all the plants - and there are tomato plants on every spare inch.  We are both diligently weeding whenever we have a spare few minutes, and I do believe we are beginning to win the battle - hooray!

Before and after 

The dining-room chairs have been recovered with a remnant of curtaining fabric from when I altered some curtains a while ago, so that's a great big tick off the list for this month.  As is so often the case, a job I had been putting off doing actually took me far less time to accomplish that I thought it would - another example of that new mantra, "doing it gets it done".  I had to call in N to finish off with the staple-gun (it scares me, I'll be honest) and a couple of hours' work sees us with bright new chair covers that haven't cost a penny.  Little projects like that are so satisfying.  And surprisingly simple.

It was bright, sunny and breezy today, ideal conditions to get the patchwork quilts washed and dried (ooh, another tick!).  Those quilts proved very useful during the winter, providing a snuggly extra layer to wrap up in on cold afternoons and evenings.  They are well over twenty years old now, made when my children were little, and wash up so well, time after time.  You can definitely never have too many quilts around the house ;-)

We've had a couple of trips to the mainland in the past few days, specifically for me to make some sewing purchases which weren't possible on the island.  We did our homework before we travelled, and made full use of travel deals and discount vouchers to cut the cost.  I came back with exactly what I was after so I was very happy.  

Several things on the horizon at the moment, some visiting to do, lots of gardening and plenty of sewing and DIY.  The green woodpecker has been back feeding on the front lawn, and the house-martins are flitting about over the rooftops.  Our little tail-less blackbird has finally grown some tail feathers and found his voice, and a robin uses our washing-line as a stop-over early each morning, often with a worm in its beak.  Little things, and maybe quite ordinary and everyday, but it is a pleasure to just stop and watch.

DIY in the garden

I've said it before and I will say it again - N is mighty handy with DIY.  Give him a challenge/problem and he will more than likely come up with a solution.  Now that he has a shed that doubles as DIY storeroom and workshop, his talents for building things out of discarded useful bits seems to have taken off!

We were in need of a cold-frame type of construction for young seedlings that still needed a little protection before braving the open conditions in the garden, and N has produced just the thing:

He has used the wooden framework of the single bed (the slats were used for shelving in the new airing cupboard) and a large sheet of plastic that the new guestroom mattress was wrapped in.  Nothing gets wasted; we can generally find a use for most things.  The peppers and tomatoes are coming along nicely in their little nursery.

N has also set about sorting out the assortment of water butts, ensuring the connecting hoses are watertight, and replacing broken taps.  He's also rigged up some guttering for the shed, as we need to harvest whatever rainwater we can to keep the crops watered during the summer.  Again, he's used up odd bits of guttering that were in the shed, and it's all balanced nicely on hanging basket brackets.  

Finally, we bought four lengths of decking boards (on offer, of course) and N has made two really smart planters for the front garden.  We'll plant these up with an assortment of geranium cuttings and annual bedding grown from seed, and that will hopefully add a splash of colour to the front of the house during the summer.  

There is a huge amount of satisfaction to be had with this sort of DIY, making use of what is lying around and finding solutions to problems.  And it's saving us a few pennies along the way, always a bonus ;-)

Replacement bag handles and the start of a wardrobe declutter

Well into February, and I'm doing my best to stay focussed on my New Year 'intentions'.  It's all slowed down a little since the initial, and somewhat frenetic 'I've got to get everything done' attitude I had at the beginning of January, but I'm feeling quite positive about the steady progress I am making.  I think I realised quite early on that I need to be adaptable and not get stressed out when things take a deviation from the path I think they should be on; generally speaking, it all pans out in the end.  Life, as they say, is for living, not for worrying unnecessarily.  'Go with the flow' is becoming one of my mantras.

One more project has been ticked of the list.  A very useful bag began to show signs of wear and tear last year - the covering on the handles began to peel off - and it looked quite unsightly.  The bag is really handy for overnight travelling, or for day trips as it easily accommodates flask and sarnies, knitting or a book, so I was keen to mend it if I could.  

Various stages of handle making

I originally thought I could just recover the handles but on closer inspection I decided it would be just as easy to make new handles from scratch.  Everything I used came from my stash - thick cord, fabric to cover, threads - and I'm pleased with the result.  The bag is now good for a while longer.

This week I have finally begun the grand wardrobe declutter; I just had to take a deep breath and go for it.  Armed with paper and pen, I listed all my clothes, drawer by drawer, box by box and rail by rail.  When you actually start to write every item down individually, the list becomes frighteningly long but I think it was a worthwhile place to start.  I've now re-ordered everything into categories (ie trousers, jumpers T-shirts etc) which sounds a little pedantic but I have a need for order ;-)

So, I discovered that I have no less than 96 items of clothing, not including underwear, sleepwear, swimwear and accessories (scarves and belts).  Included in those 96 items are three items of clothing I wear solely for my volly work, and 11 items of clothing for walking (base layers, trousers).  

Almost immediately I could see things which needed to go, and in the first cull I am parting company with 3 pairs of white sports socks (there was a time, several years ago, when I was at the gym almost everyday), one pair of jogging bottoms which I wore for the renovations and are covered in paint, 3 pairs of shorts which will be used for gardening this summer, and 15 items of perfectly good clothing which I simply no longer wear.  These will go to a charity shop.  I'll check all these items and wash them before passing them on.

So that's the first stage completed.  Inventory and initial cull.  There were no items I had forgotten I owned and actually none that had me horrified to look at.  What I do have, however, is a number of clothes that don't fit properly.  I have lost quite a bit of weight over the past couple of years - not intentionally, I may add, but due probably to a change in lifestyle, being much more active, several months of house renovation, and some major stress issues - and consequently there are clothes which I still like but which are now too big.  Whilst it may be tempting to just go out and buy a whole wardrobe of new clothes that do fit, my frugal nature will look for an alternative.  I'm sure some of these clothes can be altered so I think that may be my next step.

This whole process is going to take some time.  I don't want to rush and make mistakes.  I've been looking online at the idea of capsule wardrobes and I can definitely see the benefits of clothes that work together; it makes a lot of sense.  At the moment I have a random selection of clothes bought/acquired without any overall plan as to how they might fit together.  That's the problem, and I think it will be fun sorting it out.

Full tilt into February

Hmm, interesting.  This post went to Drafts rather than Publish last night.  Let's try again.  This was from yesterday . . . 


Today has been a full and productive day of pottering in the house.  Both of us have cheerfully got on with things that needed to be done, a few things that we wanted to do and a couple of things that cropped up as we went along, but what was so good was that we were both perfectly happy and content to get on and do them.  The day has passed with each of us busy, creative in various ways, enjoying a bit of quiet as and when, and satisfied with jobs achieved.  One thing we haven't been is bored!

N has plaster-boarded two walls in the garage store, partly to use up some oddments of board left over from the conversion, and also to make good a wall we feel could be put to good use with some shelving/storage; it's all about making the most of the space we have.  In order to do this, however, he has had to move everything out of the storeroom and into the house (again) and it is now piled up waiting, I suspect, for a bit of a declutter again.  It's a never-ending process, this decluttering business, but after several months in the new house we are finding things which are no longer required or not going to be used, so they're on their way out.  We are also vigilant about what 'extras' come into the house (ie acquisitions of one sort or another) and between the two processes, we can keep 'stuff' to an acceptable level.  As we have recently begun to discuss the option of moving and down-sizing at some point in the future (and maybe the not-so-distant future) we don't want to have to pack up any more stuff than is necessary.  The decluttering continues.

My lovely DIY-ing other half has also fitted some storage clips in the airing cupboard so we now have somewhere to store the vacuum tools.  Just one more little job off the list.

Another apron day for me - I think I may need to make myself a few more aprons just to ring the changes - washing (another breezy day to make the most of), ironing, and cleaning/sorting out the cupboard under the sink.  One or two bits thrown out (dried-up shoe polish no longer fit for purpose), cleaning rags organised, and bottles rearranged.  Always satisfying.

I boiled up the chicken bones that were in the freezer, and stripped the little bits of meat off, it all adds up.  Tomorrow we'll make a chicken soup for lunch for a couple of days.

I made a paper pattern from a well-loved fleece polo-neck jumper - I find it so comfy and warm in this cold weather - and I have seen some suitable fleece fabric locally.  I think I shall make this one of my sewing projects for February.  I've continued unpicking hexagons for a future quilting project, done a quick repair on a pair of jeans, and caught up with some paperwork.  As usual, as I'm pottering around, other things spring to mind and I've taken to jotting them down on a notepad so I don't forget them.  Then, when I have a spare moment or two, a quick look at that list will remind me and I can make the time to get deal with them.

This cold weather is really playing havoc with my hands - they are so rough and dry - so I am going to watch 'Last Tango' and give them a soaking in moisturising mitts to see if that will help at all.  I'm going through hand cream like it's going out of fashion!

Hall cupboard make-over

I'm not too sure where the last couple of days have disappeared to, which is always a little worrying when there's a birthday on the horizon ;-)  So let me see if I can scrabble around in the recesses of my brain and remember . . .
Wednesday was all mapped out, we had a definite plan and a list (maybe that was the problem!) but a very early and rather desperate plea had us rearranging our day before we'd even left the house.  We were very pleased that we were in a position to be able to help out but somewhat bemused at how a change of plan knocked us off our quiet little routine.  It gave us something to ponder over that afternoon; I think we need to be a bit more flexible and be able to take an unexpected change of direction in our stride.  

Before . . .

Yesterday found me on much more familiar ground, painting the hall cupboard.  Yes, I know where I am with a paintbrush in my hand!  It always surprises me how a coat of white emulsion can lift a space (and I finished up last bit of 'cheap and cheerful' emulsion to boot).  

. . . and after painting

Today, while I was at the donation centre, N fitted the shelves he made, and we now have a very servicable airing cupboard with so much more storage space than before.  So February's project is to sort out not only the linens, bedding and towels, which are in several different places at the moment, but also go through our wardrobes thoroughly - we both know there are items lurking in drawers and under-bed storage boxes which really need to be sorted out.  

And now with shelves!

It's been pretty chilly here of late, especially with a bitter wind, but to date still no snow although it came very close to it yesterday - the sky turned a very odd colour indeed.  However, what is very noticeable is that it is getting lighter of an evening.  It was 17.15 before we had to close the curtains today. And on a similar note, the rather elderly electric blanket finally gave up last week (I suspect it would have been condemned, truth be told), and we've reverted to the old-fashioned method of getting the bed warm, aka the hot-water bottle.  Ah, a warm and cosy bed again.

We watched a programme on television yesterday which we found quite interesting.  'Eat Well for Less' (can't find a suitable link to it, only iPlayer) looks at ways of saving money on families' food bills.  We were curious to see how well our shopping habits measured up.  It was certainly interesting viewing.  By the end we were feeling quite righteous!  Menu plans, cooking from scratch, buying value range products rather than branded ones, not falling for 'bargains', and knowing what's already in the store cupboard - it all seems like common sense, but it was quite scary how the food bill can rocket out of control.  At one point N and I just looked at each other and said, 'How much?' !  Taking closer order on shopping can really save pounds without compromising on quality of food especially if you cook from scratch.  We will watch again next week.

Going with the flow

Another day of busy pottering.  N has been in and out of the Pavillion (aka the garden shed) making shelves for the hall cupboard.  He's using the slats from the old wooden single bedframe for the shelving, and suddenly realised today that he could use the remaining wood to make a framework for a covered bed in the garden.  Nothing going to waste there, and a solution to a problem we had been mulling over for a while.

I've finished lining one of the curtains, and the other is well on the way.  It's taking me longer than I thought it would - curtain lining always does, it seems - but I keep reminding myself that there isn't a pressing deadline to be met.  It will get done when it gets done.  It's also a case of being flexible and being prepared to change plans when needed; yesterday, for example, we had not one unexpected visit but two, both very welcome indeed, and it was a pleasure to abandon what we we doing to spend some time with our visitors.  For me, that is a valuable lesson.  Go with the flow.  Things can wait.

I've had to spend a fair bit of time yesterday and today, transferring photos and documents to the hard-drive.  This old laptop is struggling to cope and I think it is prudent to take steps before it crashes completely.  Sorting through the photos has been at the back of my mind for quite some time, and as I was copying files last night - a necessary but boring task - I gave some thought to how I would like to have them set up to be more accessible and useful.  I've jotted a few ideas down to return to at a later date; at present it's enough to have the photos safely stored.

Another petrol-free day today.  We walked into town, more for exercise than anything else, and would perhaps have been better off going an hour later when it stopped drizzling!  Never mind, it was a welcome breath of fresh air after working indoors.

N's appointment yesterday with the doctor about his knee resulted in a referral for physio, a flu jab (oh joy!) and a follow-up appointment for his blood-pressure which was higher than it should have been.  Not sure why, other than he's been annoyed about his knee and doesn't like going to the surgery!  It will be monitored.

Apparently, there are plans to try refloating the cargo ship tomorrow so we shall pop along to Cowes in the morning to see what's occurring.  N is hoping for some heavy lifting machinery.  There will be more photos, I have no doubt.  I don't know, all this excitement on our doorstep!

Almost there

I should have learned by now that a glass of wine followed by a glass of prosecco renders me incapable of typing; I had planned to blog last night but apparently consumed too much alcohol to do so.  Hmm, I really should take note of this for future reference ;-)

The pasting-table is on it's last, rather wobbly legs but as this is the last papering to be done we'll forgive it.

 

Very smart meter boxes.  The top one N made from offcuts he had in the shed; the other is a spare bathroom cabinet.  Waste not, want not around here!

However, today I can happily announce that the decorating in the new room is done.  Fully painted and papered, although, naturally, not without a hitch along the way.  Four sheets of wallpaper went up yesterday morning, and shortly afterwards those same four sheets of wallpaper came down again, ripped from the wall with a measure of disgust at how unobliging the paper was being - stretching out of shape and bubbling at will.  After taking a bit of time out, we had another attempt and of course the paper went on a treat!  It's always the way, isn't it, when you just want the job done quickly, that little glitches seem to crop up to thwart progress.  Anyway, we pressed on and managed more than we had planned, and today we finished the papering completely.  We are really pleased, not to say relieved, that's it done.  The carpet is being delivered tomorrow for us to lay ourselves, then just some furniture to shift around, bed to be made up and we should be there.  Simples!

The leaves on the tree in our neighbour's garden caught my eye yesterday morning; bright golden yellow . . .

. . . and just a few minutes later the sky turned extremely dark (rain followed shortly after!!) and the leaves seemed to shine.

More rain, in fact it seems to be permanently wet at the moment.  I think it's just as well we have plenty of things to do inside through the winter because if this weather keeps up, we won't be venturing out much at all.

Getting there

The painting is finished.  Phew!  For a brief moment I thought it might all get too much but all of a sudden we can see the end in sight, and with that we seem to have relaxed.  Today I tackled the ceiling - never my favourite decorating job.  Having used a brush on the other new plaster ceilings here, and not being at all satisfied with the finish I got, I decided to use a roller this time.  And I have to say it was actually much easier (paint splatters aside) coverage-wise, although my shoulder and elbow were complaining by the end.  One coat, then I shut the door and left it.  Later, on inspection, I decided that it would do.  Is it perfect?  No, but it is perfectly good enough.  And that will do.  I have learned not to beat myself up because I can't achieve a flawless finish; what I have done is more than acceptable.  And the odd blemish can stay.  That's it, painting finished.  It's all very white.

As I type I can hear fireworks going off, again.  Firework season now seems to start before the end of October and carry on till the money runs out mid-November.  Last night N and I watched a lovely display, about a mile away, from the warmth and comfort of our bedroom - being at the top of the hill means we have a good view over the surrounding area.  In my childhood (that's getting to be a long, long time ago), it was a packet of sparklers on Bonfire Night and sometimes a party at a friend's house - a few rockets, catherine-wheels nailed to a tree, and potatoes wrapped in foil and baked in the bonfire embers.  

I'm a bit worried about the apple seedling - it's not looking very happy at the moment :-(

With the painting completed, and a few hours of dry weather, I took the opportunity to walk into town.  I passed some trees in lovely autumn colours, but many of the leaves have now fallen, and are a soggy mass on the ground (or clogging up the drains).  I managed to get some embroidery threads for the wedding cushion, and then I had a quick browse around a couple of charity shops.  My lucky day - the Cancer Research shop was having another sale - all donated items £1 each.  The shop was packed and doing a roaring trade.  I picked up three men's shirts and a long Laura Ashley dress, all 100% cotton and ideal for patchwork.  (NB  When I got home and showed my haul to N, he took a fancy to one of the shirts and we now have a stand-off as to who wants/needs it most!)  I've also seen a pair of lined curtains which I think will do quite nicely for the new guest room so I'll pop back in on Monday to pick those up.  

The past week has found me avoiding the mirror too much - my grey hair had got too long and was making me look way too old for my liking.  There is a point at which even I can't ignore it any longer so I took the mirror outside and gave myself a much-needed haircut.  Short is so much better and I felt I was trimming a few years off my age, too ;-))  I must make the effort to keep it trimmed and not let it get out of hand again; it really doesn't take that long to do.

There's not much happening in the garden at the moment but in the greenhouse we have a few cuttings we're trying to nurture along.  We also have this plant:

Nicandra physalodes (shoo-fly plant).  A few years ago a colleague at work gave us a handful of seeds from a plant he had in his garden.  We duly planted them, and had a lovely show of these big, blousy annuals with blue flowers and interesting green papery pods.  It obligingly self-seeded, and we had another display the following year, then not much after.  Never mind, they were free.  So imagine our surprise when we were tidying up the garden at the flat, prior to our move here, to find a Nicandra seedling merrily growing away among the geraniums.  We re-potted it and brought it to the new garden, where it was abandoned outside to fend for itself.  It's now flowering it's little heart out, warm and cosy in the greenhouse.  A bit straggly, but clearly a survivor.  It has reminded me that all it takes is one little seed and the right conditions.  I am so looking forward to doing some planting next year.

And a brief mention that the blog has passed 10,000 page views, which seems quite a significant number.  Admittedly most of those are probably spam links to dubious sites but I know a few other bloggers do drop by from time to time, which is always appreciated.  If you are one of those welcome visitors, 'hello' and thanks for popping by.

Painting the day away

On with the list:

 - second undercoat on doorframes

 - topcoat on skirting board

 - first coat on coving.

Tick, tick and tick.  Lots of white paint is gradually transforming the room.

The loft-hatch, however, has swollen and is now jammed!  

N is now on light duties only; his knee continues to cause problems and it has been agreed (somewhat reluctantly on his part) that he really does need to avoid climbing ladders and kneeling on wooden floors for a while.  As painting is usually my job anyway it hasn't created too much of a work-shift, and he makes a good cup of tea ;-))  And, more importantly, he has come up with a solution to the furniture problem which has been taxing us for a while.  

Not much time for much else today.  We have rescued some seeds from the butternut squash and will see if we can get them to germinate (we definitely have enough room in the garden for squashes)

and N made a delicious veg soup for lunch - the chicken stock made from the weekend roast, an onion, some left-over potato, half a bag of supermarket 'value' mixed veg and a handful of blitzed coriander from the 'cheapie' shelf.  Enough for three meals for the pair of us, and it cost less than £1.  

And it has rained again, most of the day.  At least we have a choice of several rooms to dry washing in!

Lofty issues

We had a bit of a situation with the loft hatch a few days ago.  The hatch-cover is/was really quite heavy and great care needs to be taken when opening it to ensure it doesn't over-swing and hit the door to the sewing room . . . . 

Sadly this is exactly what happened, one of the hinges ripped off the hatch and it was left swinging precariously.

Now, I have already had issues with this loft.  Soon after we moved here, I nearly lost the end of my ring finger when the loft ladder slid open on it's own (it was incredibly heavy and cumbersome and had a mind of it's own), and since then I have had a complete phobia about using it.  So this second loft incident prompted us to take action.

Firstly N made a new loft hatch, and a very nifty job he's made of it, too.  It just goes to show that odd bits of wood, accumulated over time for a 'just in case' moment, really do come in useful.  Then a new lightweight loft ladder was bought, and there followed an interesting couple of hours while we attempted to fit it.  A little patience was required, and several practice attempts, but we got there in the end.  And I'm now confident that I can gain access to the loft without fearing for my fingers, which is certainly something of a bonus!

All I need to do now is have a declutter in the loft . . . 

I need to mention the weather.  It seems to be raining a lot lately.  Pouring, in fact.  Last week the roads were flooded again, drains unable to cope with the volume of surface water.  I seem to remember it was like this for a lot of last winter - wet and windy almost all the time.  And we've had thunder and lightening far more frequently than usual (last night, again).  I'd much rather have a dry, cold winter than a wet and windy one but I don't think I'm going to get my wish, somehow.  

Chickens at the kitchen window

I finally got the second coat on the garage door yesterday, but it was a case of 'stop-start' as the weather once again decided to play games with us.  It was only a few spots of rain but gloss paint and raindrops do not mix well.  I then had to contend with numerous tiny insects flying at the door and getting themselves stuck on the wet paint. *sigh*  Anyway, it's done and looks much better then before.  

N has plodded on with the sheds and they are all, hopefully, watertight for the winter.  He's also planted some onions and autumn spinach - at last the garden feels like a productive area.  

Inbetween working outside, I've been making somewhat slow progress with the sewing projects that are on my list.  Today I managed to finish a cafe-style curtain for the kitchen window.

It hasn't cost me a penny, other than my time; I had all the materials in my fabric stash and even the buttons across the tabs were from my button tin (and consequently don't match!)  We recently bought a roller blind for the kitchen which has chickens on it and this little curtain carries on the theme.  It may be the closest we get to having chickens for a while ;)

So, that's one task I can tick off the list.  I'm now altering a pair of curtains for the spare bedroom.  It's a pair we picked up in a charity shop and they need shortening.  The extra fabric I've cut off may well end up recovering the dining room chairs.  Waste not, want not I say.  N is busy giving the outside light a new lease of life.  Doing all the odd DIY jobs ourselves is fun, satisfying and saves us quite a few pounds.  It's surprising what you can do if you put your mind to it and we are enjoying putting some practical and resourceful skills to good use.  And contrary to popular opinion, we're never bored!

October gardening photos

I remembered it's the first of the month, and time for an update of the garden. 

Back lawn, much the same as last month.  These photos were taken early in the morning, and the shadows are really long.  The only new feature is the bird table which seems to be popular with the local wood pigeons.

The veg plot - big changes here.  Four raised beds, topped up with local compost.  One is now planted up with garlic; we're still deciding about the others.

Side passage - the small semi-circular rockery affair has now gone and been concreted over.  This allows far better access to the 'bin storage area' just out of view.  A small change but it's a start.

No change in the front garden although we do have fairly major plans for it.

This wonderful spider's web was guarding the back of the shed

We've had to have one eye on the sky/weather this week, trying to plan and do painting outside in between the drizzle.  I've managed to get one coat of gloss on the garage door, and anything wooden has had preservative slapped on it.  There's a sense of urgency now; we know the good weather will break sometime soon, and we're just trying to get as much done outside as we can before that happens.  And there seems to be so much to do outside.  While I wander around the garden with pot and brush in hand, N is tinkering away with locks and lights, trying to make things work again.  It's good fun, pottering around like this, doing the work ourselves, but I have to admit that come the evening, we're both more than ready to put our feet up!

Work on the porch

I hadn't realised I'd not blogged since Wednesday - what happened to those four days?  We've been busy around the house, making the most of the continuing dry weather to start on a bit of outside painting.  

I've plodded on with the preservative on the big shed, just one side to go then I need to start all over again with a second coat - I can hardly wait!  I know it makes sense to get this done while I can but it requires a fine balancing act on the top of the tall step-ladders, not to mention a lot of cobwebs.  

We have also turned our attention to the porch area which is certainly in need of a bit of a make-over.  We're able to do the work ourselves - me painting (a definite trend going on her, methinks!), N setting to with some woodwork, namely cladding the walls and new flooring.  The porch is narrow (this is why it's me doing the painting), and was previously painted a rather gaudy blue.  It had to go.

Sanding, taping the window-frames, undercoating, top-coat of gloss - it's a labour-intensive job but I have been quite happy, quietly painting away, covering up the blue.  I did discover the inside of the door frame had been forgotten about, so I must add that to my ever-growing list of 'snagging' tasks.  N has done a lot of preparatory work on the garage door which was flaking badly, and hopefully I'll give that a top coat tomorrow.

There's also been lots of cooking and baking, a bit of sewing in between and just generally chatting about this and that.  We have a busy couple of weeks coming up and have a number of jobs that we would very much like to complete.  The evenings are pulling in fast and there's a crispness to the early morning air.  We need to take full advantage of these autumn days - there's so much to do.

Over the finish line at last

Who needs a take-away when we can have delicious home-made curry and naan bread?

With the weight lifted off our shoulders, N and I are now able to chill a little.  There has been a bottle of bubbly (and a slight fuzzy head in the morning - oh dear, always seems such a good idea at the time!) and a lovely home-cooked curry, a few phone calls to cancel accounts, paperwork to be checked and filed away - but mostly just taking things easy at last.  The flat has finally been sold. 

There are many, many projects and jobs to keep us busy and occupied through the autumn and winter, but we intend to take our time, just pottering along.  Yesterday, with the weather still holding well, we were back in the garden.  The task of bringing order back into the garden is going to take a while, and is a bit daunting if I'm honest, but it will be one step at a time, and we will enjoy ourselves as we tackle it.  

So Saturday found me wielding lump-hammer and chisel as I did battle with some cemented-in brickwork (it is no longer there - it didn't stand a chance with me in demolition-mode).  It is so satisfying to get stuck into something like that.  My thumb now sports a plaster (*sigh*) but the area has been cleared and is ready for N to fill the hole with a bit of concrete.  Just clearing that small patch has opened up the whole area, making it far more accessible than it was previously.

Today N has been sorting out the various pots dotted around the garden, moving some plants into the greenhouse ready for winter and just generally having a bit of a clear up outside.  A little more order has been achieved.  

A couple of weeks' ago we bought a wicker laundry basket from a charity shop.  It was a bit dusty and dirty, and the seat cover needed recovering, but nothing that we couldn't fix, and at £3, a good buy to replace our present basket which is on it's last legs.  I have given it a thorough clean (laundry liquid and warm water), and allowed it to dry naturally outside.  The old seat cover was removed, the foam interior washed and dried, and today I made a new cover from some old curtains I had in my stash.

  

The revamped basket is now in our bedroom, clean, smart and ready to double-up as a spare chair if needed.

Tomorrow we will start on the 'snagging' - all those little bitty jobs that need to be done to finish each room off.  Again we will take our time, and if the weather continues to stay dry, no doubt we will be outside more than inside.  That's fine by me.

Motivated Monday

We have been busy little bees today.  Fully motivated to get jobs done.  N has beavered away with the kitchen floor, and I got a second coat of paint on the walls then pressed on with the curtains.

Looking smart, or what?  My DB has worked incredibly hard all day, muttering away to himself, coming and going, measuring and cutting.  He stopped for a cup of coffee for elevenses, and grabbed a bite to eat for lunch but apart from that has been determined to do as much as possible.  He now has bad knees, and aching shoulders but he, and I, are so thrilled with the result of his efforts.  There are just a few lengths still to fit but, all being well, the kitchen floor should be finished by lunch-time tomorrow.  

My job, apart from keeping out of his way [ ;) ], was spending some time pinning and stitching.  Just the hems left to turn up and sew; hopefully I shall have the time for that tomorrow.

Life is slowly sorting itself out.  We hope that by the end of this week the bulk of the decorating will have been completed.  Little by little, daily routines are becoming re-established, and with it a sense of stability and purpose.  It's been an interesting summer, so say the least, but I think we're both looking forward to an autumn of pottering again.

Making the most of the weekend

After a painting stint in the kitchen yesterday, we can finally say we have no more bare plaster left.  Yay!  In its place we have ivory and pale yellow painted walls which we are more than happy with.  In fact, the kitchen now looks quite bright and cheerful and part of the house rather than the bit that got left out.  I do need to put another coat of yellow on the walls but after that, I think - and I say this quietly - we may have finished the painting.  Phew!  It's been a bit of a slog but the end is now definitely in sight.  

When I put the brushes down, I pick up my sewing needle and continue with the curtains.  I sew most of my curtains by hand and although it takes time, I really enjoy it.  Hopefully they should be ready to hang this week.

Last night we walked into town to watch the illuminated carnival procession.  It was good to see lots of people out to support it and everyone had a good time. 

Apologies for the poor photo.  This stilt-walker had everyone gasping - he was SO tall!

 Although there were a reasonable number of floats, bands and walking groups, N and I found ourselves reminiscing for the days when the annual carnival was the highlight of the year.  Everyone, it seemed, was involved in one way or another.  All the locals youth organisations (Brownies, Guides, Scouts etc) has a float, as did locals businesses, pubs, TGs and WIs, churches and so on.  Nowadays it seems that insurance and health and safety have taken over and few groups can afford to enter a float.  It's seems such a shame;  I have so many wonderful childhood memories of being involved in local carnivals.  Anyway, we met up with a number of friends and ex-colleagues, so a good time was had by all.

Today we downed tools for the day, packed ourselves a picnic lunch and drove to Gurnard.  It was a beautiful day, and we had a lovely walk along to Cowes and back.  Plenty of others had the same idea; there were lots of people on the Green, making the most of a warm and sunny day.  It was, as always, a delightful way to pass a few hours.