Snippets

Found lurking in the drafts folder:

• We've seen several hornets at the house, but at least the ones here in England don't seem to want to follow me around like the ones I've met in France!  So glad, as those are scary beasties, and my last encounter with a stinging insect made my arm swell even before removing the bee, and it immediately became infected.  I'd hate to find out how I respond to a hornet sting.

Monday, 17 November

Richard, the plumber, is at the house; plumbing has started - that feels like another big milestone passed.

I may be able to exhale.

Sunday, 16 November

I was becoming very stressed about the sugar-soaping going so slowly [and, more probably, the tiredness/head-full-of-too-many-things feelings], as we were hoping to decorate behind the radiators [per Richard (the plumber)'s advice].  But if we can't manage to do that we can always take the radiators off the walls again, even if that means getting him back for a "re-tune" [balance?] after we've finished, and nothing absolutely has to happen before we move in, other than Richard providing us with a bath or shower, one sink or basin, and a source of hot water.

As we have decided to bite the bullet, and have sent off an immense cheque to British Gas, we suspect we have another few weeks leeway on the hot water front, at least.

We've lived in one room before whilst I've been decorating [and during the seemingly-endless floor stripping/finishing at Leander Road (for a while the sofa was on it's side in the kitchen)], and it's entirely do-able; and that was living in small flats.  With a whole house, we could do a floor at a time, and still be perfectly comfortable.  I think the lack of sleep caused by trying to work out what-happens-next at 4am has skewed my perspectives.  I know we're just going to keep plugging away at it until it's done!

Saturday, 15 November

We met Dave, the window fitter, at the house, and he replaced the broken double-glazing unit that we'd forgotten to mention when we saw him on his first (measuring-up) visit [we'd remembered the two windows that needed replacing, and the broken hinges on three windows, the front door lock mechanism not working, the second French window with the key broken in the lock, and the missing letterbox cover (we want to keep draughts to a minimum)].

We'd got quite used to the boarded-up window, so it was quite odd having a view again.

And most importantly...

We've got our stream back!

I'm hoping that this means it is a stream, and it's here to stay...

[Not just a ditch, with water only when the world at large becomes too soggy.]

Wet, wet, wet!

It's been extremely wet, and David must have got really fed up with all the muddy footprints we keep tracking through the house, so the first thing he did when we got there this morning was to pour a trug of water over the concrete and scrub it with a stiff brush.  I looks a lot better, and as he's put down some cardboard [we haven't any door mats yet], we're hopeful to keep the worst of the muck outside.

The moisture has brought out a bumper crop of toadstools; I think I'm going to love it here!

Continuing our theme of water, water, everywhere, we unboxed the steam cleaner and the wallpaper stripping head that we'd bought, and started to strip the paper off the lounge walls.  I was pulling off the plasticky outer covering, and David used the steamer to soften and remove the paper inner layer that remained stuck to the walls.  Another big thanks for the right tools; our scrapers are brilliant - so much so that David suggested buying another pair so that we can each have a large and a small one.  Totally agree; sometimes one is better than the other for a task, but it's great to have a choice.

Removed the fireplace

We called at B&Q on the way to meet Steve at the house - Maidstone branch no longer sell Henry vacuum cleaners, so we then went via Ashford and bought a Bertie - like a Henry, but not as good.

The Henry has a winding handle to retract the cord, and a "turbo" button to increase the suction; oh well, if we don't take to the Bertie, we will have to upgrade...  It's a real shame, as we found our Henry [as he lives in France, should he be a Henri?] perfect, and didn't think it needed fewer functions!

We were just unloading the car when Steve arrived - perfect timing - and he ran us through various instructions and bits of information, and gave us what seems like a lot of paperwork, but I suspect is just the right amount according to the latest rules & regulations.  He's done a brilliant job, and it is SO nice to be able to just flick a switch and wander round, rather than finding the torch.

Fiat lux!

A bitty day, but good

I drove to the house to meet with Nick from the Staplehurst stove shop, and because Steve had finished working his magic on Monday, I was met with floorboards back in place, sockets, and pendant light fittings everywhere instead of holes & wires!

A huge thanks to him for pressing on and getting it finished.   And I like the new outside lights, so that's one worry off my mind.

Pampered powder puff pooch passes on posing properly!

Great little guard - a foo dog?

This was in response to being asked to sit nicely

Really, Parker?  That's not going to win any prizes!

Looking hang dog?  Is that really your best smile?

He does have eyes!

Still not getting that 'sitting nicely' perfected

Nanosecond delay turns portrait into profile

Pretending to be a frog?

Kitchen

Jake sent the CAD images from Saturday:

Here's hoping we can afford that one when the quote comes in!

Sunday, 2 November

Without any kitchen-designing to stop us working, we managed to spend more time at the house today, and achieved a fair amount; I started off with more sapling/bramble chopping [in case you haven't worked it out yet, that's going to be a recurring theme for quite some time to come!  I reckon there's probably up to four acres of scrub where the former occupant sold the wood, and then did nothing after the trees were felled - I'm trimming saplings that are up to ~15' tall (at a guess; they're well over twice my height), and all the undergrowth that accompanies neglected land].

David sawed up the remaining willow into more manageable logs, and dragged them away from the conifer so that Adam and Colin can work safely and easily.

I was doing quite well with my clearing, and David with the last section of "lawn" to be strimmed when rain stopped play.

Saturday, 1 November

Yesterday was a day of kitchen design: we made a last minute decision to go to Howden's Joinery to see if we could get a kitchen on the last day of their sale, but realised that it's going to need more thinking about what we want than one day would allow us.

Jason met us there, and Jake was really helpful; we've got a couple of decisions to make, and then Jake can email us the proposed layout and (more painfully) quotation.  We love CAD packages!

Jason very kindly let us have a look at the kitchen he installed at their house; the little extra touches he's added really lift the finish from nice to designer level.  He'd run a router around the edge of the worktop, and that's a fantastic detail, as we're the end panels he made to match.  I'm sure he will do a great job for us, too.