No, not the Hitchcock thriller, but the head-spinning, room-reeling, can't-walk-along-the-landing-without-bumping-into-the-walls, disruptive kind. It's been a useless week. There was some good news: it wasn't so bad I couldn't get dressed and downstairs before motion sickness kicked in; the in-laws rallied round so daughter could get to her driving theory test on Tuesday*; and spending two days prostrate on the couch meant I could watch the entire first series of Life on Mars.** Great music, shame about the avocado wallpaper.***
So not a big week for progress, instead of decorating the living room I've been shuffling around the house like an old crone. But the floor looks bogging smart.
* she failed again, but only by two points this time
** surreal experience, lying on the couch watching Gene Hunt et al getting boozed up while the room oscillated about me
*** and we were so pleased with our new avocado bathroom suite in 1973...
Saturday, 12 July 2008
Monday, 7 July 2008
Guess what redux
They're done, gone, left the building!
Then the electrician turned up and fitted the cloakroom* light, moved the switch in the office and finished up almost all the odds and ends he needed to do. That elusive finishing line has inched a fraction closer. Then there's the small matter of redecorating most of the house. We've launched the campaign in the living room, fitting the oak flooring ourselves** - leaving the recommended 15mm expansion gap round the edges, unlike the joiners - we ran out of glue and weekend at the same time, otherwise my sore neck, back and fingers would feel even worse than they do today.
On the studying front, I've failed to do any advance work so far on the Level 3 Classical Greek course starting next year and am having one of those phases where I think completing my degree at the end of the year after next is too far distant.
Writing-wise, the short SF story I've been working on seems determined to become a turkey, so I'll shelve it for a few days.
* Yeah, we normally call it the downstairs loo, too...
** For those of you concerned about the fate of the faded swirly blue carpet, it is destined to become weed control mulch around the new trees we hope to plant this autumn.
Then the electrician turned up and fitted the cloakroom* light, moved the switch in the office and finished up almost all the odds and ends he needed to do. That elusive finishing line has inched a fraction closer. Then there's the small matter of redecorating most of the house. We've launched the campaign in the living room, fitting the oak flooring ourselves** - leaving the recommended 15mm expansion gap round the edges, unlike the joiners - we ran out of glue and weekend at the same time, otherwise my sore neck, back and fingers would feel even worse than they do today.
On the studying front, I've failed to do any advance work so far on the Level 3 Classical Greek course starting next year and am having one of those phases where I think completing my degree at the end of the year after next is too far distant.
Writing-wise, the short SF story I've been working on seems determined to become a turkey, so I'll shelve it for a few days.
* Yeah, we normally call it the downstairs loo, too...
** For those of you concerned about the fate of the faded swirly blue carpet, it is destined to become weed control mulch around the new trees we hope to plant this autumn.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
Guess what...
The joiners are due back tomorrow. One of them arrived last week to finish off the remaining odds and ends and to fix the bowing study floor. Unfortunately he rounded off the morning by sawing through his thumb, which had an adverse impact on productivity, as you can imagine.
The builders have replaced the patio door with two new windows, repointed the front of the house and have GONE. Finished (that word again). Really. I kid you not. I'm grappling with the radical concept that soon all the work on the house might be complete (ringing the changes here). If the joiners actually manage to do their bit by the end of this week (keeping expectations suitably low key here) that just leaves the electrician to work his magic with a couple of light fittings and switches and electric to the barns outside. Then I can carry on decorating.
We almost have a fully functional house with lights, sockets and bookshelves where they're needed, warm water inside where it's meant to be and rainwater outside where it's meant to be. All right, the holes in the yard aren't concreted and we haven't sown the new lawns yet, but this has to be progress of some kind. We'll have been here two years in October.
The builders have replaced the patio door with two new windows, repointed the front of the house and have GONE. Finished (that word again). Really. I kid you not. I'm grappling with the radical concept that soon all the work on the house might be complete (ringing the changes here). If the joiners actually manage to do their bit by the end of this week (keeping expectations suitably low key here) that just leaves the electrician to work his magic with a couple of light fittings and switches and electric to the barns outside. Then I can carry on decorating.
We almost have a fully functional house with lights, sockets and bookshelves where they're needed, warm water inside where it's meant to be and rainwater outside where it's meant to be. All right, the holes in the yard aren't concreted and we haven't sown the new lawns yet, but this has to be progress of some kind. We'll have been here two years in October.
Monday, 26 May 2008
Spooky
My last three blog posts contain the word 'finished', two of them italicised. Is this significant, I wonder?
Yay! It's a bank holiday!
I've spent the past three days crawling up and down the new stairs with sandpaper, woodstain and Danish oil. My knees ache, my back hurts and my wrists are sore.
31 spindles, 2 more newels and the landing handrails to go, then I'll be finished. One way or the other.
31 spindles, 2 more newels and the landing handrails to go, then I'll be finished. One way or the other.
Wednesday, 21 May 2008
Sawdust
The latest swarm of joiners has left the building. This is a good thing. They'll be back in the first week of June to fit five new doors and then, horror of horrors, they may have finished. This is a mind-boggling prospect: dare I think in terms of resurrecting the daily writing habit?
I'd better not be too hasty, the other joiner's due tomorrow to finish off the handrail on the new staircase and when he does I have the hall, stairs, landing, bathroom and study to decorate. And when the builders have finished plastering round the new windows there's a living room to decorate too...
I'd better not be too hasty, the other joiner's due tomorrow to finish off the handrail on the new staircase and when he does I have the hall, stairs, landing, bathroom and study to decorate. And when the builders have finished plastering round the new windows there's a living room to decorate too...
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Oops
Should have updated this a few days ago. 'Finished' Scriptfrenzy with 112 pages. I'll leave it to fester for a while and see if I can wring a credible ending out of it one day.
In the meantime I have one or two post-rewire decorating jobs to do - two rooms down, the rest of the house to go. I may be some time.
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