18th April 2017

Progress on all fronts at Southwold.   The new shed has been toned down with preservative and shelves have been made.  The conglomeration of pots, bits of wood and tools has now been cleared.  Pots have been filled with plants and the tools stowed in the shed. 

The old green plastic table which for several months was covered in tools has now been moved and will become a platform for a flower pot garden.   At least, that's the plan.  I have started to plant up pots and hope that soon the table will disappear under a wealth of trailing plants. 

New garden furniture has been installed.  We bought it at a pop-up sale in Reydon Village hall, despite the very hard sell from the wife of the team.  We almost walked away, her patter was so relentless!   We like the furniture, and so do the seagulls and pigeons who seem determined to decorate it!   Not much we can do about that.  There's very little chance they will observe a no-fly zone!

The bulbs I planted in the autumn are up and blazing with colour.   I hadn't realised how bright they would be!  Other things are also growing well including the most vigorous mint and parsley I have every grown.  They are monsters!  The crab-apple tree has survived the planting and the winter and is about to burst into flower. 

Inside, the living room is finished and we have done some re-arranging which makes better use of the space and the furniture.  Our bathroom has been painted and our next job is to do the finishing off (bath panel, mirror, shower rail, clean up the floor times) and make a curtain. 

A couple of weeks ago Rupert and Laura came down with the chainsaw to remove the holly tree.  Eliot came down with the boys so that Nancy could do some painting in their kitchen so we had extra hands to bring the tree down and chop it up.   Abe and Saul really worked hard with their secateurs!

Rupert and Laura have enjoyed a couple of weekends at Southwold and Simon and Tania have a couple of weekends planned too. 

Planters given to me by the family for my birthday

Sweet williams and tulips

More tulips

Sitting room views

The shed and herb bed

Abe and Saul hard at work

Rupert saws, Eliot pulls

Ready for meals in the sun

Checking the level of the shelf

February at Southwold

Nothing much has happened!   There are only so many times I can report on a curtain finished or a painting job completed.   So, lets just say that the work continues and in the meantime the house is very comfortable and enjoyable.

The grandchildren were with us for 4 days at the end of their half term (with their parents).  We had great weather for walks, playing in the garden and on the beach.  It was just warm enough.

No Grandma, we're not kicking the ball on the flowerbeds! 

Rupert and Laura joined us for one night.  On their last day Eliot took the boys to the swimming pool at Yarmouth which has a wave machine and slides.  Abe tripped on the steps up to the slide and got a cut over his eye which bled profusely and caused the slide to be shut.   Eliot took him to A&E and Nancy and I went to meet them there.  Quite a lot of rushing about and drama for a little cut.  Abe was a bit shocked and wobbly and so was his father!    In the end we had lunch at 5.30 in the afternoon  - prepared, in our absence, by grandpa!

This morning the shed we ordered on Friday was delivered and erected.  Very fast work!   We are looking forward to making shelves and fitting it out and clearing the garden.   Now we are on look out for garden furniture.

...will go in here, we hope.

This lot...

Another good week at Southwold

A lot has been achieved in the last three days:

• Curtains have been altered and hung in the front bedroom
• The carpet has been laid in the front bedroom (not by us of course) and the bed made and the TV installed and it's ready for occupancy! 
• The electrician has been and checked the hole that Peter drilled in the cable sending out a large bang, but, thankfully, nothing worse.  The hole has been patched and the batten for the curtain track installed.
• The curtain track has gone up and the curtain for the second window in the kitchen has been altered and hung.
• The handrail from the stairs to our bedroom has been sanded and stained and is ready for varnish in the morning.
• The hall floor is black and gleaming and really looks good.  All Peter's work.  His Christmas kneedpads have proved their weight in gold!
• The redecoration of the understairs cupboard is complete and coat hooks screwed back on.  We are on the lookout for more.
• The wardrobe doors in our bedroom have had another coat of paint.  They weren't exactly right.  So far just the lower doors done.  The upper doors still remain to be finished tomorrow.
• The thresholds to all the rooms have been re-varnished. 

Front bedroom

Front bedroom

Arts and Crafts hall table and umbrella stand and the gleaming hall floor

 

 

 

Plate made by yours truly in pottery class! Pattern from 50s wallpaper I had in my bedroom.

One end of the kitchen. Note Liss Bros bureau

The unholy holly

We have been giving the holly tree by the back gate the evil eye.   It's been badly pruned in the past and is lopsided with foliage on the street side only.  It is a roost for pigeons which foul the path to the back gate and the gate itself.   I have made enquiries and as the trunk at head height is bigger than a bean can we have to make an application to remove it.   There are two forms and a set of instructions.  This should be fun!

Between Christmas and New Year

Peter at work under the stairs

After the children had departed on December 27th we spent the day doing laundry, tidying up and going to the dump with the cardboard and paper!   Then we went to Southwold to continue our labours.  I refurbished another curtain for the kitchen and Peter attempted to put up a new curtain track for it.   Unfortunately he drilled rather too close to a power cable, smoke came out of the hole  and the trip switch went, but nothing worse, luckily.  However, he called a halt to his work and telephoned an electrician.  The electrician will call next week to check out the situation.  So a slight delay on getting the curtain up.   We took a brisk walk along the sea front as far as the pier and then back via the carpet shop to check on the front bedroom carpet, but the shop was closed for the holiday.

Instead we turned our attention to the cupboard under the stairs.   This has been emptied of coats and clutter so that the new floor boards that also run along the hall could be stained and varnished.   With the cupboard empty, the opportunity presented itself to freshen it up a little!   Hardly a priority, but the day was largely spent slapping white paint on.   Just the doorway and door and the skirting board to do and then we can get the coats back in.   It's an excellent space for storing 'stuff'.

Christmas 2016

This is how it works!

Putting on the decoratons

A large family gathering for several days over Christmas.  There were 9 of us in all and 10 on Boxing day when we were joined by Rupert's new girlfriend. 

Making Brunch

Simon and Tania cooked on Christmas Eve and Eliot and Nancy made brunch on Christmas Day.  The little boys dressed the tree and a good time was had by all!  Well, I hope so at least.

Tania

Our Boxing Day walk in Southwold was rather shorter than we had planned because we went to Gordon House for coffee and everyone spent time exploring and checking out what we have been up to.   There was general approval.

In the middle of it all, Eliot decides to inhale! 

Another step forward

More progress this week.   We now have curtains at one of the windows in the kitchen.  We also have carpet on the stairs and the upstairs landing.  Excellent carpet layers who took a lot of trouble to get it right.

Peter has started on staining the new floorboards in the hall prior to varnishing them.   A very awkward job as he has insisted on giving the same treatment to the floorboards in the understairs cupboard which is being decorated and will be a useful store as well as the coat cupboard. 

Front staircase - before

Front staircase - after

Bedroom staircase - before

Bedroom staircase - after

Upstairs landing

Progress

As of last Monday we have:

1. Completed bedroom (ours) with no curtains but a sheet pinned up at the window for the time being.   The bed is on castors and has trouble staying put on the polished floor.  We need to invest in some castor cups to keep us anchored!  Next job, make the curtains.
2. Cleaned and serviceable en-suite - apart from the absence of a shower curtain.  The pole fell down into the bath when I tried to attach the curtain.  Hilarious!  Next job, fix the rail and decorate the bathroom.
3. Newly decorated from bedroom - without curtains or carpet and now full of the contents of the study which is being decorated as I write. Next job, make curtains and order carpet.
4. Curtains at one end of the sitting room only.  They have thermal lining which keeps the heat in and the light out.  I have noticed the cosy effect already.   Unfortunately the curtains aren't exactly the same length.  One is just a smidgeon longer than the other three.  How did that happen!?   They have to come down anyway as Peter needs to fill up the holes he made putting up the track, so the defect will be remedied.   Next job, put up track at the other end of the room and make curtains.

There are an awful lot of next jobs! 😩