"Any place I hang my hat (or coat) is home!"

 

Had a bit of a change around since the New Year!

It is interesting how you continue to do things the same old way without questioning why you did it in a certain way originally and whether it still works as well. This was well illustrated recently when I noticed how our coats always hung over the shoe rack so that when you looked for your shoes you had to go rummaging through the jackets that draped all over them…

 So why was that? Then I remembered three small boys with school coats and hats who couldn't reach. So where were those small boys now?!

Time to change!

Coat hooks were removed, two were broken anyway.....we were going to get around to it...eventually! New hooks bought, Coat rack moved to a more suitable higher area, shoe rack at the base, free of  trailing coat hems....

Sideboard bought (been saving!) Drawers filled with hats, scarves and gloves (in that order)  Large cupboards: toys and games for visiting children, Small cupboard: umbrellas, kagoules etc

I keep stroking the woodgrain as I walk by....

The chair can be grabbed and used if we need it for extra people dropping in for coffee. At Christmas. it can still be our  Chrsitmas tree space! (Yeah, thought it through...so that's what wakeful nights are all about then!



This is the wallhanging given to us by a special lady this Christmas! It goes perfectly with our theme and replaces a smaller,rather sad, faded and old one which I needed a reason to remove.  It will be repurposed into something else when I get inspired!

It is twinkly with small mirrrors and works well with the mirror style curtains I made for the front door.


 

So times have moved on and now so is the decor, little by little!

 

Officially on holiday!

No more phones for a week, at least of the “Is there a bug going around, because I’ve had a sore throat for 2 hours” variety…. So now the holiday can truly begin, the free range turkey has been delivered  along with other delights, courtesy of our superb Farmers market locally:

 

http://www.sfmdirect.co.uk/

Here's an example; what would you prefer?

 I have fought with the freezer....and won...just........Now crammed full of meat, the door needing encouragement to close, but mission accomplished.....


Cranberry relish and bread sauce made:

A few decorations to set the scene:

Tomorrow we will pick the sprouts and the parsnips to see if we need we have enough or a final trip to the greengrocers is required, ice the cake....left it a bit late, I know! Then I have cakes to bake, the boys' favourites; mini chocolate Christmas puddings and date slices, plus Cranberry and ginger muffins which dh and I enjoy.

Plan the menus for 4 days, military operation!

At some point, I will wrestle with the sewing machine and make a Christmas stocking from felt, as I am one down. Two need some attention....and tlc...

But for tonight, it will be grabbing my knitting and settling down to watch Living with the Amish at 8pm. Dh will just be getting in the door having done his last "extended hours" shift at work for 2011 and will be officially on holiday too...and very hungry!

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/living-with-the-amish

Just a little window into my day, mainly for my mother's benefit as I'm told I don't blog frequently enough.... you never know 2012 may be different! 

Never mind the quality, feel the width

Well. it all began in a straightforward manner. The upstairs bedroom needed a desk, suitable for a student, we had one downstairs that fitted the description. EASY. We could replace the one downstairs with a lovely rustic-type desk that would blend in with the theme we were creating.... So we measured the width aperture: 150cm and off we went to the furniture shop to have another  look at a desk we'd already got our eyes on.

It was still available, we measured the desk, hmmm... 150cm wide, tight, but possible, decision made, we bought it, two men lifted and loaded it into back of car (tight, but possible!) asked me if I was intending to help with the removal and relocating of said desk,  I answered in the affirmative, men look unconvinced, dh says," we'll be fine" as we get into car. I make him promise he will not shout at me if I can't (!) and off we go...

Once home we manage the task, with me squealing periodically, threatening to drop it, fall into a flower pot and treading gingerly down the steps to the front door by feel rather than sight, but we get over the threshold having avoided any shouting and teamwork having prevailed . Little do we know what is to follow....

Old desk is cleared of computer, shelves (and their contents) on the wall are removed, all is pushed to one side. Vacuum is employed, carpet vigorously attacked with scrubbing brush. on my knees, area cleared of cobwebs and grime...ready to go!

Desk is moved into position, suggestions are made, diagonally,then straighten up, nope doesn't work.. Okay....issue is door frame jutting out by 1.5cm so if we angled it so that part of desk went through the bannister railings and then we eased it past the door frame, we should be okay...so far so good, however we then discovered that the lower staircase mountings also jut out so having angled it throught the railings we found the desk rested on these bits and perched in mid air.... We had measured from above the jutting out bits where there is no problem... My suggestion to remove part of staircase did not go down well.....

Well, we tried every angle we could think of with much yanking and pulling of bannisters, should we rearrange room furniture, I suggest tentatively... No, the only option would be to get the electric saw out and cut it down to size.  We agree there is no other way... Off to garage get  30 year old "seen better days" electric saw and sander attachment, pencil and ruler. The kettle is put on....

The noise, smell and dust begins to fill the room.

Seems SO wrong.....brand new..... yet the only option....

The smoke alarm immediately above, goes off, piercingly...

All work stops, smoke alarm is deactivated.....sawing resumes.....

Smoke alarm goes off again....

Battery from said smoke alarm is removed...

Sawing resumes....slowly, blade is old...? 30 years, we can't remember...

Sanding follows....edges softened....

Desk is  placed in position again.....not quite enough, will need to saw off other side to make it equal...

Pencil, measure, saw....

Blade breaks.....

Thankfully, packet of spare blades are found in garage....

We can't remember how to get  broken blade out of saw....

Miraculously we find old, yellowed, decrepid manual in garage.

Need long handled screwdriver....off to garage again... retrieved aforementioned. ("Nurse, scalpel!")

Blade removed, replaced...

Suddenly remember  tea is brewing...

Sawing resumes...faster...new blade....

Sanding...

Wipe off dust covering desk, small scratch repair completed, where saw slipped...

Desk pushed into position, slowly...

STOP....now what???!!!

Desk will not advance because when computer plug is in socket it protudes about 1 cm into the side of the desk...

Discussion ensues... Are there flatter wall sockets? Do we need to move the plug....get an electrician in?

B&Q tomorrow to search out socket depths....(yeah, we know how to live!)

Vacuum required again.....black dust, carpet looks like Santa has come down the chimney...

I can write all  nearby surfaces with my finger......

However.....All achieved without marital disunity! RESULT!


24 hours later.....

Flatter wall  socket purchased...as yet untried...jury is still out

Desk is in forward position with gap of about a foot behind it...for now

Computer is back up and running.

It will all look wonderful, eventually!!!!

NB Offending socket in far distance...

Update:

Flat socket was enough to do the trick!!!! Desk is now in final position and looks great! Thank you dh!

The Facecloth!!

         The Facecloth!!

This has to be  read, laughed at and passed on. There is not a woman alive
today who won't  be mortified when she reads this amusing account!

I was due  for a smear with the doctor later in the week. Early  one
morning, I received  a call from the doctor's office to tell me that I  had
been rescheduled for that morning at  9:30 am . I had only just  packed
everyone off to work and school, and it was  already around 8:45 am .  The
trip to his office took about 35  minutes, so I didn't have any time  to
spare.

As most  women do, I like to take a little extra effort over hygiene  when
making such visits,  but this time I wasn't going to be able to make  the
full effort. So, I rushed upstairs,  threw off my pyjamas, wet the  facecloth
that was sitting  next to the sink, and gave myself a quick wash in  that
area to make sure I was at least  presentable. I threw the facecloth in  the
clothes basket, donned some clothes,  hopped in the car and raced to  my
appointment.

I was in  the waiting room for only a few minutes when I was called  in.
Knowing the  procedure, as I'm sure you do, I hopped up on the table,  looked
over at the other side of the room  and pretended that I was in Paris  or
some other place a million miles  away. I was a little surprised when  the
doctor said, 'My, we have made an  extra effort this morning, haven't  we?'

I didn't  respond.

After the  appointment, I heaved a sigh of relief and went home. The  rest
of the day was  normal - some shopping, cleaning, &  cooking.

After  school when my 7 year old daughter was playing, she called out  from
the bathroom,  'Mummy, where's my  facecloth?'

I told her  to get another one from the  cupboard...

She  replied, 'No, I need the one that was here by the sink, it had all  my
glitter saved inside  it.'

NEVER going  back to that doctor  ever!!

"You're never fully dressed without a smile!" (Annie)

Walking to work this week, I saw a man walking towards me pushing his little daughter in her buggy. As I passed them, the toddler and I looked at each other, suddenly she smiled broadly and her eyes sparkled! It was one of those special moments, captured in a second, where lives connected, a celebration of being alive, of sharing a moment in time. What a refreshing start to a day!

How easy to just wrap your coat around you and stride forward, head down.....and miss out.

Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love — Mother Teresa