A Weekend with L

A change of routine this weekend.  Up to the BH Friday night, on my own, ready for an early collection of excess Kitchen materials on Saturday morning. 

So leaving work Friday evening (on time), straight home, a quick change and a quick bite to eat and on my way.  It was a little bit strange not having D by my side on the journey.  Arrived in good time and after a quick cup of tea - I started to sort out the items for return.  B&Q were coming early Saturday morning to collect two worktops they had over ordered.  And the rest I was returning.  A large pile later (well about midnight actually) I fell into my bed and slept like a log!!

Saturday morning came, B&Q came - nice and early.  With the car loaded with other items, I was back on the road by 9.15am.  Back home by lunch time, I decided to have some me time - an hour or so sewing - finishing a gift I have been working on for a few weeks.  I also decided that a small nap was required before tackling the ironing and some cleaning, picking up D from work and the journey back to the BH again!!  All go today - well apart from the nap bit!

Our friends C and L had taken a weeks holiday and this was their last weekend before they both return to work on Monday.... so... a meal was in order Saturday night - with C doing the cooking again (bless our good friends - who actually have a kitchen!).  D and I discussed our broken pipe and kitchen alterations - we are getting so boring in our topics of conversation....I do feels that's all we talk about at the moment.  happily the conversation turned to seeds  and what veg was being sown for this summer.  C had been to the local garden centre a couple of day before and had invested in chilli seeds and a tomato plant!  I promised to bring some of D's plants when strong enough (I have a feeling a bit more culivation will be happening in the next few weeks).

Sunday was a fine day - too nice to stay in and fit a kitchen - so two kitchen doors later we went off to the beach. 

Collecting C & L on the way.  It was so nice spending some time with L this weekend - it's not the same trying to catch up over the bar counter were she works!!!  And it was so nice to see the beach again.

Stopping for a cold refreshment, and much admeration of the local cars - we headed back to the house late afternoon. 

D decided it was time to tackle the grass - which was a good foot (well give or take an inch) high. 

 I hung two more doors, and emptied a box! The first of many. As you can see my boxes were packed with great care!

We can really see the progress we are making but D and I are now running on reserve.  The decision was made (while travelling home) to try and get the final major things finished in the next two weeks. We really need to put our feet up now!

The Pipe...at last

The pipe has been exposed, although we are still trying for Australia.

Not really what we expected to find at this stage.  Just have to test now to see if it leaks or if we still need to dig (me think we may be digging a little bit more).

Something completely different

Well if I can't find time to sew ... then sowing will have to do!  Monday night was spent sowing our vegetable seeds ready for the warmer weather, along with some seeds I'd taken from my plants at the end of the Autumn.  Now this activity can go two ways...... we'll either have a garden full of veg or we'll end up with me buying a tomato plant from the veg man in the high street where I work (again)!!!  Watch this space to see....

I have planted seeds (with much encouragement from the QQ - all of whom are successful gardeners) before but this will be the first year D has got involved - his request last year for a greenhouse (for his birthday) and seeds did come as a bit of a surprise but I went with the flow - picking up a small one in the sale.  Our close friend C has had great success with his little green house and his seeds and I think D has got the bug.  Hold onto your trowl we may have discovered the next Percy Thrower (think I'm showing my age there - some of you may not know him being of the younger generation .... the next Alan Titchmarsh....).

Tea and Cake

Today, for the first time since we started to dismantle the kitchen at the BH - we had official visitors.  I felt a little bit more giddy then yesterday when I woke this morning.  Not only was we going to sit and have tea and homemade cake but we were going to unveil the work so far to the in-law's, and our friends parents (who had not seen the in-laws for about 10 years) ... a meal out at lunch time ..... and even more exciting for us was there was not a screwdriver in sight!!!!

First job was to locate the coffee pot - in one of the boxes - packed away six months ago - never to be seen again!  It was like Christmas opening box after box of kitchen things .... things I'd completely forgotten we had!! Coffee pot found, just needed mugs now.  Mugs located, I then realised I had packed the coffee filters ....  several boxes later - not sure I'd really thought these invitations over ... a box of filters!!  With coffee on and as tidy as we could be the door bell went!!

In-laws first .. lots of oohing and arrhing...lots of patting on the back - such a good response seeing as we still have so much to do!!

With tea and coffee poured and a slice of cake offered - the door bell went again..

Our good friends L&C, and C parents.  Lots more oohing and arrhhing (apart from C who had of course been involved in much of the work, and was happy to accept the pat's on the back). C's parents had seen the BH about one month after we purchased so were surprised at how much it had changed!  More coffee and tea poured and more cake offered.

Much catching up was done in the next couple of hours - lots of stories about the 'old times', many stories about D and the neighbours cars (and how C's dad has four locks on his garage so D couldn't get in!!!).  L and I reached for our car keys and hid them away very early on in the conversation.  Details of D's antics as a youngster may appear at a later stage in my blog.

Lunch at the Oyster Catcher.  And then a very lazy afternoon. It is such a long time since I have done nothing.

The afternoon went sooooo quickly, and after packing the washing up again, we were off again.  I'm already looking forward to when we can next have visitors!!

A little bit more....

Saturday is always chore day (of some kind) and this morning is no different!  Bathroom, kitchen, sheets, washing etc etc.

Also today ...

Veg Soup for the freezer...

A home made cake - more on that tomorrow.... Lemon Drizzle

A quick tidy of the sewing room...



And then a quick hour of Scrappy Zappy project started last week, finished the boarders and started folding the triangles over.  My hour was slotted in around the chores....please don't tell as I should have been cleaning the dust in our bedroom!!!

Finished the chores, load the car (including my homemade cake) and now off to the BH for the rest of the weekend!  I'm a little bit giddy as we have guests tomorrow!!

Digging for Victory!

My day started with my walk to work.... more and more signs that the warmer weather is coming ..

D's day (off) started with some digging.  We've taken (and I use the word 'we've' in the loosest of terms as I haven't actually done any digging!) the next layer off - exposing another foot or so of the drain pipe.

Still not reached Australia yet ... or actually the end of the pipe!

Everything but the kitchen sink....

BH time again - we have taken a couple of days holiday to progress the BH.  The three days we have had there have really allowed us to plough on and with the additional help of our builder- A, our builders girlfriend - S and C (our floor laying master professional)  we really can see light at the end of the tunnel!! 

During the week all the electrics where completed - allowing us to move stuff back into their rightful homes.  Saturday night saw us 'spring clean' our bedroom - removing additional furniture which had been rehoused in our room while we complete the kitchen and the electrics.  I cannot tell you how nice it was to wake up Sunday and not have to climb over everything to get to the loo!!!!

Our wonderful new fuse box.....

Starting in the kitchen, we needed to unpack, shift and move furniture in a rotational fashion so most things ended up in their old homes, in the hope we would not really need to lift and shift anymore heavy furniture. A plan was made over breakfast and operation 'lift and shift'  commenced after a large cup of tea....

Firstly unpacking the other appliances, so the centre of the kitchen was clear...

Kitchen cabinets moved from the living room and bedroom into the cleared space...

Leaving us with a (somewhat) clearer living room....

Underlay was completed in the small bedroom ready for flooring ....

As we had worked hard we were able to sit down late afternoon and have a cup of tea and a well earned rest!!

The rest of the evening was spent clearing the larger spare room to enable A and S to stay over the next day.  After a well earned pint down the pub, an early night was had ready for the next full day of DIY.

Monday we had C (our floor laying master professional) over ... the hallway and small bedroom to be tackled....

A and S arrived just after lunch...they got straight down to plastering the hole around the living room doors (we had put in last year and just not finished) and the holes in the wall where the old plug sockets had been in the kitchen.  By the end of the day the wall had been completely plastered, the hallway (apart from three small pieces around the door frames) and the small bedroom had been completed. We even had time to get some trim down....



We finished the day off with a meal and pint (the only downside of the evening was L was working rather than sitting with us).  it was steaks all round, with fisherman's pie,  hunters chicken, and a nice piece of gammon with pineapple egg and dessert of mint chocolate chip ice cream.  We all slept soundly that night.

Morning came all too quickly (!!) ... and on with the kitchen.  The first job was to take the old sink unit out and start putting the new one in.  Unfortunately all best layed plan don't always come together.  The water softener needed a professional plumber so we halted on the next job.  A decision (and might I say a good one) was made to lay all the cupboards in place to ensure full fitment.  A and S I think had maybe dome this before as they move ahead very quickly.

All the base unit were in place by lunch time, leaving space and movement for the appliances to be plumbed and wired up.  A quick lunch and by late afternoon we had all the other cupboards in place.

Although cupboard doors need to go on, counter tops and the kitchen sink need completing,  appliances need wiring and plumbing in ..... you really can see the kitchen now as it will be when finished.  We have managed to get this far (although our third week) in only six days.... its shows what you can acheive through hard work, and the help of very good friends. 

Last job of the day was to pack up the laundry, our bags and the washing up!!