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.

The only complaint I have is that he didn't bring the little powder puff for one last tummy-rubbing session!

"During"

"After"

When he'd gone, David loaded up the car and did a trip to the tip; the lounge feels an awful lot better for that.  I finished bleaching the bedroom window.  Steve said he thought we'd had a new window fitted when he popped to the house yesterday, and then that I'd painted it; it's amazing what a little cleaning product and some elbow grease can do - a lot of house vendors could profit from a trip to Poundland.

I then went back to my bramble/sapling clearing; every bit I do is enlarging the garden a little, so it's all good.

Once David had returned, we about removing the fireplace.  Nick, the stove guy, had said to take a pry bar to it, and that worked really well - David commented that the set we bought have paid for themselves several times over by now.  They really are brilliant - I later used one to take tack-like nails out of the hardboard that had been glued and nailed to the floor.  Having the right tools really makes such a difference.

Fireplace; free to good home

Fireplace safely stowed in the garage [not sure what we want with a sixties surround, but as it came away complete, we've just stashed it for now; the sledgehammer can come later!  The hearth was lighter, thankfully, and huge thanks, also, to our set of "wheels" (a board with castors mounted underneath)], I set about chipping out the mortar and masonry/rubble that filled the opening behind the fire bricks.  Another big thanks to the right tools: although David's cold chisels aren't as spiffy as mine [which are currently in France, natch], they made light work of the dismantling.

Me, grabbing the glamorous job, again

It was just time consuming, not hard work, and as I am more alpha dog than my wonderful husband, I get to grab the best jobs.  I'm glad we didn't have to arm-wrestle for it; I might have lost?

Better!

Seeing the clear opening feels like another, big, step towards enjoying living at the house.

OK, we don't have the stove yet, but it's getting closer.

There was still a bit of day left, but no daylight, so I didn't resume my undergrowth hacking, but made a start on tidying up the floor.  I'm not convinced I will be able to get it nice, and really don't want to have to sand it [I'm planning on painting the ground floor boards; I think all the hacking about they have had/will have had mean that a varnished floor could look odd, but I'm hopeful that paint will hide a multitude of sins], but have a sneaking suspicion that I will end up doing just that...

Sorry, David.

David did some tidying around the rest of the house, but we both hit the wall at about the same time so loaded up the car rather than admiring what he'd been up to.

But, apparently, we can use the wheelbarrow again, so he must have been busy.