New Year Stuff!

Over the past few days I have been doing some hand sewing - the lounge curtains to be precise. My talanted neighbour, Anne is an absolute whizz with anything fabric, in particular curtains and helped me (well did) pin the hems on the curtains. My job was to hand stitch them and I must say how much I have enjoyed doing them. Quite theraputic I must say, especially with the radio for company. Obviously each curtain took a while and indeed I have one more to do today, but having a break I have found and bought 2 interesting books - thanks to one click buying from Amazon. I reckon by the time I have finished the curtain and lining and  ironed all the curtains I will be ready for another little project, ideally and hopefully the books will be a source of inspiration. I think it will be a great project for New Year.....reading many blogs that feature knitting and crochet projects always make me feel inadequate - I can't knit or crochet......my mum spent endless hours trying to teach me. I did consider trying to learn YET AGAIN but felt the sewing idea was a better option as I have the basic knowledge and would not be liable to "throw the towel in" when things did not go to plan - as I fear would be the case with a knitting or crochet project.

I certainly have an idea for some cushion covers..........watch this space!

Infact I have joined in here.....

We got there!

The lounge is finished and we are in!

The carpet.....is aubergine!!!!!

Chimney breast - built by Jon is Farrow & Ball's "Brassica" ......a tad different for magnolia eh??

Not only the chimney breast - but the oppoaite wall too!!

To show off my wonderful mirroe - bought in Yarm with my pal Jill!

The curtains were the source of inspiration - just need hemming now! Here are the canvas prints taken from my photographs of our ferry crossing in 2008 when we nipped over to Holland.

Our wonderful Mackenzie Thorpe prints given to us by Dorothy and Keith - just match so well!!!

The doors - soon to be replaced!!

Yes our wonderful, adored friend Spud came round on New Year's Eve to fit the carpet!!

The delay had been the paintwork but in the end the doors were fitted and we moved in! This room had always been cold - it is the extension after all. The doors were the original front door (external) so are not standard size for internal doors. We had so many problems replacing them we just went for a re-paint - but to coin a phrase "You cant make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!" The opening may not be standard, but hell spells I am married to a precision engineer! An engineer "engineers things and makes them work!" So Jon will "make the opening standard" and we will get new doors!

We are over the moon and warm too - the Rayburn is doing a wonderful job keeping the room warm. Our Christmas present to each other is a TV and we just need a unit and some bookcases.

So eh? Aubergine carpet - who saw that coming eh?

Happy New Year - and here's to good gifted friends - like Spud! His number is next to my heart! Good one!

U is for Underlay

Nimbus Cloud 9 underlay to be precise!
It is very fortunate having a close friend who is a carpet fitter! Some years ago our friend Spud (Martin) told us about this gem of an underlay. Without a doubt it is like "Walking on air" (cue song!) and really makes any carpet feel luxurious under the feet.
Our underlay arrived today - now awaiting the carpet.
Today (Tuesday) the lounge will have the final tidy up and de-clutter ready for Wednesday's arrival of the decorator, Steve. He will be here Thursday as well..........
then it will be time to call Spud - he is waiting in the wings, Stanley knife poised ready to come in and work his magic.
By the weekend the carpet will be down, the room completed.
Nobody guessed the colour.........not even close!

Any ideas?
Watch this space!

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T is for Tempting you with a Taste of what is to come!

A few weeks ago our lounge looked like this......

 

It hadn't worked for a while......so Jon hatched a plan....

 

and he built this....

 

Yesterday the plasterer worked his magic and the coving was added to make it appear it had always been there!

 

today the room continues to dry out....

 

Next week it will be U for unveil - until then I have to crack on and sort out the room, ready for the decorator and the carpet fitter. Can you guess the colour of the carpet? Remember - these are the curtains..

 

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Monday 9am!

True to his reliable word the plasterer's van was on our drive at 8.40am - by 9am he was working!
The decorator awaits in the wings and the carpet is awaiting collection from the shop.............yes, the lounge is now the next DIY focus!

Watch this space!

Q is for Question.....

In our QUEST to re-vamp our house we went looking at carpets.....well when I say WE LOOKED it would be more accurate to say I DRAGGED Jon into the carpet showroom!
Question - "Do you like looking at carpets?"

I was first into the showroom (no surprises there) and noticed a carpet which caught my eye. On entering the shop, Jon walked over to where I was standing (bearing in mind there were several rolls of carpet on display) and pointing to the one I had earmarked announced "That one - I really like that one!" Once I had come round we did a calculation and left the shop to talk it over.
We are not ready for the carpet yet - the plasterer can not come until 28th November - but I did have a colour in mind! (wait and see!).....any ideas?
We returned the following day and put a deposit on the carpet - I was convinced the world and his wife wanted the same colour! lol!

Now - answering queries about our church - here are some photographs of the inside - I am sure you will agree it is a typicl quentesentialyl british church - notice the norman arch!

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Preparing for another change!

We have to leave the kitchen for the moment - we are STILL waiting for the doors for the sink unit! Granite needs to be cut and the floor sorted - so whilst we are helpless in that room there are other rooms which require PREPARATION!

 

This is what the lounge looked like a few weeks ago........


now after this

 

it looked like this!

You can just make out the chimney breast Jon has built for the new fire.

 

Watched by Elsie!

 

At the top of the stairs the old attic entrance is being borded up, ready for the plasterer coming on 28th to skim both the lounge and hall & landing. Whilst Jon does the work I have a role to play too.......clearing away thanks to my PANASONIC!

However it has  been a lovely day so Freida and I went out to play!

We met up with Freida's Pal Mick

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Moving on.....

The few finishing-off jobs to do in the kitchen are out of our hands. We are waiting for the doors for the sink unit, the floor tiles need to be sorted - matched or replaced and a couple more pieces of granite worktop need to be cut and fitted.........so today we started on the lounge!

Watch this space!

R is for Rayburn!

After months of deliberation, negotiation and discussion we narrowed it down to the model we wanted. The technical information is as follows....

Product Variation Name	355SFW
Function	Cooking / Domestic Hot Water / Central Heating
Fuel	Smokeless selected bituminous coals, seasoned wood and peat briquettes
Controls	Thermostatic and Manual
Initial Flue Pipe (minimum internal diameter)	Conventional 150mm (6ins)
Ventilation (minimum air vent for room)	182.5cm2
Electrical Supply	No
Water Output	Up to 40,000Btu/h - 11.7kW 8 Radiators
Hot Water System	Gravity DHW and pumped heating
Water Cylinder Size Option	190 litres (40 Gallons)
Lower Oven	Warming Oven

Jon has spent the last few days negotiating prices, delivery dates etc and we finally went with our local dealer. The deposit is paid and delivery will be around the second week in July. The flu is on the right hand side, slightly different to the Aga so some moving and shaking will need to happen, but not until the Rayburn is in situ. Jon will have some lights to sort out in the kitchen, and the ceiling will be plastered BEFORE the Rayburn is delivered, but that is all we can do really - well in the kitchen anyway......so the lounge is now our focus.

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And the next room is......

The Lounge!

This is the lounge at the moment - very untidy as it is where we have just dumped a lot of the furniture etc from other parts of the house. We have moved the furniture so the view is the back garden rather than the fireplace. Originally this part of the room was the dining area...

 

but the dining area will be at the front of the room. The doors at the right hand side of the picture look out onto the garden and it is still a bright room. The curtains need  hemming which we will work out more accurately when the carpet is down.

 

 

We have a large expanse of wall which we are working on next.

The fireplace has been removed. This is not a wall with a chimney - only a flu for a gas fire. We had constant problems with the gas, bottled type as we do not have mains gas in the village.

We are going to have a wall mounted modern electric coal effect fire and Jon will build a false chimney breast to give the room a feature, bookshelves etc will then be planned for the recess.

The laminate floor is being replaced with a carpet. The laminate has been down for 12 years but we really want a carpet. The noise from the floor - ie 2 german shepherds tip tapping across the room of a nightime does become rather tedious. 

We will be drawing up our plans later this week and then work will commence. 

We will also be ordering the Rayburn which will look something like this - but ours will have a flu. Colour is Aqua - I think it will match the colour scheme going on throughout downatairs.

So - back to work! Watch this space.

View from the kitchen window and the Weekend

Just as we were having our breakfast yesterday we spotted this little chap nibbling away at the bird food! lol! The weather has been glorious. On Saturday we went to Harrogate on the motorbike to surprise our friends Dorothy and Keith. Dorothy is a fantastic cook, in fact they are great hosts but we didn’t want to put them to any trouble so it was just a cup of tea call.

Yesterday we went up to Northumberland with our friends John and Trish. We stopped at Corbridge for lunch then continued to Rothbury, we had a great day, travelling 200 miles in all.

It was great to get out and enjoy the sunshine. It is raining as I type, so we definately made the most of the weather I think. Now it is back to the DIY! We are moving onto the lounge now!

 

Watch this space!