Day Sixty-Four

Things are moving again, thank goodness.  The painter has got going on the woodwork upstairs, there is no way I could do the windows or doors and notice every drip or flaw for years to come. The tiles are going in for the ensuite shower tomorrow and the final push is starting on Saturday to get the long ‘to do’ list completed.  We are tentatively hoping that the children can go up at the weekend, before the carpet comes, just for fun. If things go according to plan then we can start the emulsion in the back bedroom on Sunday.

painter in the house
painter in the house

I’m looking forward to showing you some finished room shots in the near future… I need to decide whether I can get H’s curtains to work in her new bedroom or whether to go for a blind to keep it simple. F will have a blind for sure.  I’ve bought lovely narrow shelves for both the front bedrooms for prized possessions to be displayed on. I’m on the look out for some interesting furniture too, it’s hard to beat the blue and yellow Swedish superstore for value but I’d like to mix in some other pieces too.  I drive my dear C mad by looking on gumbay and showing him potential purchases.  I can tell by the look on his face what his opinion is and it is usually a ‘no’.  I thought I was fussy.  It seems odd to be buying other people’s unwanted furniture when we have sold and given away so much ourselves recently.  One thing’s for sure – getting the house into some sort of order will be a long and laborious process.

1 May 2013

The beginning of May is a time when many feel uplifted that winter is finally behind us and we can truly look forward to lighter nights and warmer, sunnier days.  If you live in Edinburgh you take the weather as it comes and delight in every bit of summer that comes your way – nothing is guaranteed here, but the illusion that it could be warm is there none the less.

For me the beginning of May is not joyous, it is the anniversary of my Mum’s death.  She died 5 years ago today.  Never a day goes by that I wish I could ask her opinion on something, tell her something about the minutiae of my life or just have a cup of tea with her and put the world to rights.  She would have been so full of ideas for the regeneration, she really helped with our last house renovation.  I miss her so much.  My sister and I got together for lunch at a The Gallery of Modern Art, a place she loved going with us.

Nothing doing at the house today work wise, I wish things would get moving again so I can get F and H upstairs soon.  We have chosen a carpet but there’s not point getting it fitted until the coast is clear up there.  We still have lots of painting to do too.

The tiles are here for the shower room, even better is they were a bargain.  White is the colour yet again but they’re big tiles this time for a change.  There are strong colours planned for the rest of the room so  it  certainly won’t be boring.

shower room tiles
shower room tiles

Flowers

Here are a couple of flowers I spotted today in the garden, the tulips are below an acer and the magnolia is in a pot at the front of the house and left to its own devices, it was given to me as a birthday present quite a few years ago now.  It is over a month later than usual flowering with our late spring.

1 may 010

Remember to check out the Nature in the Home with Little Green Shed post.

30 April 2013

Hello, I am still here, this is my 90th post, can you believe it? Thanks to all of you who take the time to read my blethers, I appreciate it very much.

There was no blog yesterday because nothing at all has happened here, work wise, it’s not anywhere near the end of the regeneration though that’s for sure.  I’ll keep you posted.

We have finished painting the two front rooms upstairs except for the woodwork – everyone’s favourite.  The tiles and screen for the shower room still need to be sorted out along with the screen for the bath upstairs.

The flea market at Out of the Blue on Saturday was great fun, I came home with a vintage swirly blue and white sixties dress and a set of Hornsea Tapestry containers and cruet set.  Photos soon. My companions’ purchases included a basket, a curtain, a document case with the right name on, and a tweed hat, yes, you read that correctly, she loves it!

Another part of the regeneration has been disposing of unloved items, two more chairs and a footstool have gone, they had got so manky with the works and I was sick of moving them about.  Freecycle worked this time, both my sister and I have had bad experiences waiting in for ages for people to pick things up – not even an apology came.  Who know what’s next for the ‘goodbye’ list?

Back with some photos tomorrow, including nature in the home.  Cracking day in Edinburgh today, hope it keeps up x