Sometimes I could kill him......

I'm sure you remember my "40 hours in 40 days" where I made extra time and effort to clearing and working in my craft room. It wasn't that long ago so even I remember hahaha. I didn't achieve great tidiness or wonderful organisation but I'd improved the chaos and made enough workable space to inspire more crafting (and get some of the ironing done).

Well.....Hubby said the outside cameras needed replacing!
AND they all feed into the receiver in the craft room! (Because it used to be his office).

So now I can barely get in the door.

One camera already comes into our bedroom and cabled through my wardrobe into the far side of the craft room and you'd think that was easy as the wiring is all in place, but you thought wrong! He also installed an extra camera even further down the outside wall meaning new holes to be drilled in our bedroom and more cables running under carpets and more holes in my wardrobe. Then this corner of the craft room was emptied and the sofa pulled forward so the cable could run behind. This is how he's put it back!

This used to be boxes all stacked underneath the clear desk, but it all had to move for cable laying.

 Then of course all those new cables plug into a new receiver box, a box so improved that the tv in there isn't hi-tec enough for it.......so in comes the spare tv from another room and now lots of talk about moving the tv from his office downstairs up to here and the lounge tv into his office which is just an excuse for buying the latest smartest tv for the lounge. I want my sewing machine space back please!

He said he'd put my boxes back but now my most used is tucked right under the corner and there's still all this cable where two boxes should be grrrrrr!

I'll not complain just yet as he's had three days sorting his charity SERV at the Suffolk Show and today he's gone for his first observation bike ride towards his advanced rider qualification, however, he will definitely be dragged back up there to sort it all out with me.
.

DIYman is at it again......

This is the state of our dining room at the moment, as Hubby has put on his tool belt again! The office is an extension with four outside walls attached to the house by not much more than the doorway. So it's always been colder in there than the rest of the house.

Some years ago he added a second radiator and last year the double glazed windows and door had the glass replaced by more efficient double glazed units. It has improved each time until Hubby just felt it was chilly at ground level.

The original laminate floor just had a paper underlay over the concrete and as the laminate boards had been glued together it stayed as it was and new was laid on top with a heat reflective foam underlay in between.

So a lot of work moving everything out. Desk legs needed to come off and be cut down before going back on. Hubby on his knees for most of the time over three days. Two new flat pack high shelf units installed. And now a good opportunity to sort stuff before it all goes back. 

But when it's all done, unless I'd written it all here you'd probably not even notice the difference just hopefully warmer legs. 

. 

Home alone.....

Last Sunday, early morning to Wednesday, late at night,  Hubby was away at Son's house so they could rebuild the bathroom together.

So many people asked if I was ok alone and am I lonely!
Lovely that people care but actually I enjoy pleasing myself sometimes and I had lots I wanted to get done, as for lonely I wasn't really alone for long.

When we were clearing out some rooms we asked our Son if he wanted his big punchbag in his own home and he said that it was in fact his friend's on loan (has been here about 15 years). So I contacted his friend who said he would come and get it. Two months later I reminded him and said if he came early Sunday morning he would get to see our Son in person (been years since they've seen each other). So soon after 9am his friend arrived with his two small children (and breakfast for them) as his wife is working a long shift (she's a nurse). They really enjoyed their buddy catchup and promised to be more active at keeping in touch. I really enjoyed playing with the children who are 4 and not yet 1 years old.

Hubby and Son headed off about 10am, his friend packed up the children and left about 11:30am.......we both forgot about the punchbag so it's still here doh!

Barely half hour on my own when Daughter and O turned up. O was desperate to show me his new green scooter that he got the day before for his birthday. E had stayed at home.  They had lunch with me and O was building a willow sticks den in the garden and rode his scooter then left in time for Daughter to do the long drive to collect R from her dad.

Monday I got loads done with running the dishwasher unloading and reloading it,  gardening, washing, pegging out (and bringing in when dry of course), repairing some earrings, ironing and vacuuming our bedroom plus lots of pottering between jobs and of course keeping up with all my online scrabble games. And my neighbours knocked to check I'm ok.

Tuesday I was back out in the garden, the weather was really lovely again, I'm struggling to clear the weeds from between the patio slabs (I'm trying salt water weed killer at the moment) and I have to feed the fish twice a day in Hubby's absence and they are fascinating to just stand and watch, so that always takes a lot longer than expected. While I was over by the pond I picked the first of this year's rhubarb.  Daughter and O came over so he could have a bath. The girls chose to stay at home which they are doing more often these days. O loved the rhubarb fool I'd made he even had thirds!

That evening friendM and I tried a Chinese restaurant we hadn't been to before. ......their  food was ok but we were the only customers they had all evening but even so they weren't that attentive and I even had to shout 'hello' for someone to come out and make up our bill, which included a service charge already (don't like that) and we didn't get the discount from offering a'Gourmet Card' as she said they don't take them, funny that as they had the right sticker on the front door saying they did! It must be so hard running a family business especially when we were their only customers, so we didn't complain, however, friendM has complained to 'Gourmet Society'. Needless to say we won't bother going back again.

Wednesday night I was out with my usual friends in our usual pub and Hubby was home and asleep in bed when I got home. Unfortunately they had had problems with the plumbing and had left the bathroom finally leak free and mostly tiled but still without the bath and shower fitted and working. Son had to be in London Thursday and Friday on a course he couldn't get out of.

Thursday we had O and R here for lunch while E made use of the empty house for percussion practice and help from her mum. When Daughter arrived to collect her two she found us all in full party swing.

R made party hats. There was loud music.
Monkey party guests definitely look worse for wear!

Party food was appreciated.

While he's home Hubby wants to get lots done. Freshly mown lawn today looks so much tidier. Sunday we will be out all day at my friend's dad's stone setting (in London and then Herts),  hard to believe it's been a year since the funeral we couldn't go to because we went on the cruise without these friends. I'm guessing we will get home about 6pm then soon after Son will arrive to take Hubby back to his home in Wiltshire to spend another few days finishing the bathroom.
.

Office to studio makeover.....

This is how I've been storing and working on my art or craft stuff,  on a small desk in a single bedroom with a double bed in there, so stuff all over the bed until we need it for guests then a mad scramble to clear the space.

Then Hubby moved his office downstairs, so he decorated the vacated double bedroom for me to use instead. Oh dear another name change needed..... think it will have to be 'studio'. Am I the only one that has to have room names? 

Although it is still a work in progress, this is what my work space looks like today.

That frame will have my notice board, half magnet half cork. 

You're thinking it looks quite spacious and tidy, but so much more stuff that hasn't even been brought back in!

The big cupboard just out of sight on the left and the drawer unit are still full of hubby's office stuff grrr.

I'll not complain yet though as need him to move shelves and fix the clock to the wall as I really can't reach without climbing.

The sofa bed needs covering as the fabric is split (upcycling a duvet cover).

The corks on the table will be my notice board one day. 

The table had been in the games room under the pool table and definitely no place for it down there now, but it was given to me by my sister nearly 40 years ago when we had very little and they were buying new, so I'm reluctant to part with it. It has felt pads on the legs to help it move on the laminate floor but as it wouldn't slide in the carpet up here I've pinched four caps from aerosol cans (lucky I have a stock of hair products) to cap the bottom of each leg and now it slides quite well. 

All those shelves need sorting, the ones on the wall will be my photo albums and the unit will be my art and craft books and my collection of patterns in folders. 

I'll move the coffee table out of the way when the clothes horse goes up with wet washing on and then when the ironing board is in use. If that gets on my nerves it may have to go.

And of course there is always a pile of ironing to do! 

.

I'll tell you later.....

This title made me smile as a memory of a job I had to take just because it fitted in with school hours and holidays.  It was factory work and we mostly sorted small laminate squares into the trays needed by the machine that produced colour/sample cards for the retailers. This was part time and casual labour so we could take the school holidays off but they could also lay us off when work was slack which wasn't so good. We mostly worked as a large group of women at a very long table, sitting on upturned buckets, uncomfortable, very boring tedious work but usually a real laugh as we talked and joked to pass the time. However I sat towards one end of the table and if a new topic started or a witty remark made at the other end I couldn't hear (we always had the radio up loud too) so I'd say to Jean "what did they say" and she'd always say "I'll tell you later".... It became a standing joke!

However,  this time I'm saying that because when I'm really busy there's no time to blog, unlike when I've all the time in the world but nothing to blog about hahaha. So what's been happening. ..

Last Wednesday was our usual crowd at the usual pub, except no friendDJ. We've all been really worried about him as he has been quite ill recently with all the treatments for prostate cancer and now he's anaemic and they are doing tests for diverticulitis, he's 71 this year,  but this night he was being taken out by another friend to see live music and we were all really pleased for him.

Last Thursday the monthly crafts at the busy bungalow was cancelled as T thought she was coming down with something and didn't want to give us get germs so I crafted at home in the limited space I have now hubby had finished downstairs and is disrupting everything upstairs to revamp what was his office now into my studio, I'll tell you later 😉.
In the evening was our art group in the little church hall, but only six of us,  and I drove Dave as he doesn't feel safe driving at the moment with anaemia fatigue but happy to come out for the evening. So art then onto the truck-stop for then end of the night with some live music.

Last Friday evening theatre with friends T and P. Seems ages since our last one but now we seen to have a run of them booked. About what we saw...  I'll tell you later 😉

Last Saturday, was chutney fest, which has to have a post of its own.... I'll tell you later 😉

Yesterday, hubby changed lights for my nephewE, again I'll tell you later 😉

Today more chutney as the house still smells of onions anyway, no plums left so using up frozen damsons. And obviously I'm blogging so I don't forget.

Oh and now following a post - "before-they-were-famous" - about my old youth club I think my memories of that special place deserves its own post too,  so you guessed it,  I'll tell you later 😉
.

Far room makeover......

This is what happened to our games room when Hubby decided it needed a change of purpose. First major change was to sell the pool table as it really wasn't being used much.

After being decorated (in the same colour as before) I had a major sort out which spewed out into the dining room too.

The arts-n-crafts stuff is much tidier as are the games. 

There's more room to get fit now,  so I've lost my main excuse doh! 

And today all the worktop was fitted and the office came down. 

So now it has so many uses it can't just be "The Games Room" so we're calling it "The Far Room" as it is the furthest away from wherever you might be in the house. 

Loved that as soon as the girls saw tidy games and a clear rug to sit on we lost our helpers ☺

A big behind....

...on this blog!

There's been no more DIY disruptions to report on as our next door neighbours have had a new drive laid so Hubby had been there for some of the digging out prep and helping to load the skip. He really can't sit still.

For me there's been lots of creating recently with knitting and crochet and sewing. BFriendM has a big birthday today and I've made her three handbags to go with the handbag organiser. Couldn't post photos of them before in case she saw and spoilt the surprise.

I was really pleased with them' just wish I was a better photographer ;o)

FriendT had her monthly crafters gathering at the 'busy bungalow' where it's mostly chat and some crafting but lots of swapping knowledge and ideas. Last time I swapped my baby ball pattern with FriendP's scarf pattern (that she designed herself).

I do have 'blocking' issues though as the edges roll even after wet blocking twice (second time in case I hadn't rinsed it enough and added some softener. I've tried steam blocking once before and managed to flatten what I'd knitted completely as I haven't got a decent steam iron so won't do it that way again. I'm really happy using the cheapest acrylic yarn I can find if it's not for clothes, which is probably part of the problem but there must be a solution so any suggestions gratefully received.

 

Last week also saw me reliving my motorbike terrors, when R went on her maiden ride with Granddad! She used Daughter's crash helmet and bought her own leather jacket off ebay. I waved them off through gritted teeth.

 

 She loved it! E wants to ride too, so fingers crossed we get another sunny day when she has the time.

 

Did hear this week that our gardener has finally decided to retire at the end of this year (he's 72) so I guess I'll have to do a bit more out there as Hubby hates the general keeping tidy jobs and only enjoys all the big stuff, whereas my favourite bit out there is just to sit back and admire everyone else's hard work hahahaha

 

Yesterday we joined BFriendM's family to celebrate her birthday. So special being included as family. Today I'm meeting up with a friend from my youth (yes that long ago) and we managed to find each other on facebook and meet up for the first time nearly four years ago and this is our earliest opportunity to do it again.

 

My diary seems quite full from now till the end of the year so from a big behind to plenty in-front.....or is that just me!!!

.

Is no carpet safe? .......

A problem under our bed which turned out to be because the middle caster sits right on the join in the floor boards, so a big dent in the board and a hole in the carpet. Made worse no doubt by small children using the bed as a trampoline.

Furniture moved

Carpet up

Floorboard up

Support struts added

 New floorboard out of the loft

Cut to size (wrong way up)

Cut to size take2

All screwed down

Carpet back

All furniture back

Bed made and final vacuuming and you'd never have known he'd been there!

.

He's at it again.....

Hubby and DIY!
He had now got the carpet up and doors off in the girls' room (used to be Daughter's room but now R & E's room).

 

The problem

Since building the new kitchen there was always his little nagging thought that the cooker hood was a bit noisier than it should be.

The plan

To take up the carpet and floorboards above the cooker hood and see what can be done.

 

The solution

To adjust the concertina pipe inside and add some insulation around it to eliminate vibration and muffle the sound.

 

The result

Definitely a bit quieter extraction, especially if you happen to be in bed while someone else is cooking  ;o)

 

The bonus

A happy chappy for a little while..............he's off to play with the pond pump filter today!

.

Can you smell the difference?....

Two months, new plumbing and adjusted wiring and a lot of new appliances and tiles and carpet and yes THE BATHROOM IS FINISHED. Well worth the wait as it's lovely. Looks so much bigger. We've all used it and even the children gave it the thumbs up.

Well done Hubby, you're amazing!

.

DIY update....

..... 4 weeks on and we have all the new bathroom fixtures and fittings - but they are sitting in the spare bedroom. We have all the tiles - but they are sitting in the games room. We have a room now empty of all carpet, tiles, radiator and all appliances which are sitting in the garden!

I wonder how much longer I'll be strip washing in the downstairs loo and washing my hair in the kitchen sink?

.