The bungalow has been in the family since 1986, my parents bought it not long after I left home. I clearly remember the phone call to my shared flat in Aberdeen. The phone only took incoming calls, so we didn’t run up huge bills or fall out over who owed what. Can you imagine that now? Changed days.

Anyway, the short version is that Mum, Dad and my sister were moving so when I arrived ‘home’ that Christmas holiday it was not back to my old room from schooldays but a new tiny room in a run down funny old fashioned bungalow. I was not impressed. They had even got a dog while I was away, Vera, the dog who didn’t bark.

The Bungalow in 1986

I learnt to drive in that car, C272PSC

I need do some research but I think my family are only the second family to have the house. They turned the place from a tired old bungalow to a vibrant home. This is the place where my parents stayed.  We had moved every four or so years when I was growing up so it was quite something that my  parents stayed so long. Sadly, it was the last home for both of them.

So, regeneration refers to both to the next generation living in the bungalow and its impending renovation. We were lucky enough to take the house on and make it ours.

I will be posting all about the trials and delights of house renovation, we have done two before, here’s  hoping we have learnt enough along the way to do my parents and this old bungalow proud.

Back to clearing out ready tomorrow.  Great!

Welcome to my blog and the bungalow it’s all about. I am sure some of the characters who live here will be making an appearance soon too.

The bungalow in question is a traditional Scottish sandstone bungalow built in the mid 1930’s in Edinburgh.  It is just about to have a ‘proper’ upstairs created and real stairs rather than the hazardous ones that we use at the moment.

They really are very steep, I’m not sure if you can really see it clearly here. They are basically slats with rubber on them attached to a sloping wooden panel.

I actually have a real fondness for the ‘secret stairs’ that resemble those of a ship, most of us have had a wee incident coming up or down over the years.  They are in their very own cupboard with a door so nobody would know they were there.  Visitors are often intrigued on there first visit and you can feel them wondering where everyone must sleep if only 2 rooms downstairs look like bedrooms.  It’s boy zone up there at the moment, at ages 13 and 11 it has been fantastic for them, not much nagging about tidiness or suchlike.  Not for long now, the bomb site must be tamed.  I’ll leave it there for the time being – you will see the reality soon.