Everything bar the kitchen sink

It’s been a week where I feel we haven’t achieved very much. Once again the weather has been pants which has made me feel even more down in the dumps. Unfortunately my mardy mood has transferred to Phil; all he’s wanted to do is sit and watch the Olympics. Every time I nag him to get up off his backside and do something he reminds me that the games are only on every 4 years and so he should be allowed to watch them. He has a point I suppose but nonetheless it’s frustrating when I am so stressed about all the stuff we’ve got to do.

Due to the credit crunch, rise of inflation and finances in general we’ve had to rethink our plans. As we’ve only had one viewing on the TMA flat we’ve decided to rent it out. So this week we’ve had to go out and source white goods. Luckily we had a brand new washing machine in the garage. This is the machine that Phil brought for our house when his plan was to put the washing machine in the airing cupboard. After searching online and going into quite a few new and second hand shops, we eventually found a compact dryer from a shop in Buckingham. We tried to get a ceramic hob so Phil could fit it into the worktop but we just couldn’t find one small enough so we’ve brought a table top mini oven with a grill which also has two hot plates from John Lewis. Plus we’ve brought a convector microwave so this should be enough to fulfil any cooking needs.

After eating for England last week I am pleased to say that I’ve lost 5 pounds. The same can’t be said for Phil however, his diet has gone out the window and he is eating more than ever. This week he’s eaten cream cakes, custard creams, shortbread and has even wolfed down half a packet of my chocolate digestives. As I write this he is tucking into sausages, fried potatoes, baked beans, tomatoes, egg and bread. I really believe there is really no hope for him.

Yesterday we were a little bit naughty and took ourselves off to the Red Hot Restaurant in the theatre district for a buffet lunch. This is the restaurant that used to be Elements which I believe was shut down after a food poisoning scare. The lunch time buffet costs £7.95 per head which I thought was good value for money. The restaurant itself has been totally refurbished and no longer resembles a school canteen. The choice of dishes was very good but we found some of the dishes a little on the bland side. I guess they cater for the masses and not for the few chili loving oddities like me and Phil.

While we were in IKEA looking for a fridge/freezer we stumbled across a mini kitchen in the bargain bucket section. It was reduced from £545 to £200 so of course it was such a bargain we just had to buy it. Unfortunately when we got it down in the lift we realised it wouldn’t fit into the Land Rover so we had to phone Jon, the man with the van, and wait in the car until he arrived. However the mini kitchen is great - it’s a whole sink unit complete with mixer taps, 2 electric hot plates and an integrated mini fridge/freezer. Fantastic!

Phil wants to install this in his log cabin that he wants to build at the bottom of the garden but I think we’ve decided to re vamp the kitchen in the Cranfield flat which we take possession of tomorrow morning. Luckily I realised that Robert’s (the tenant) tenancy was up on the 16th August so we sent a letter to say that we wouldn’t be renewing his tenancy. This isn’t really breaking the law but it isn’t strictly legal but hopefully he will be a good boy and handover the keys when we meet up tomorrow morning. Not sure what state the flat will be in, hopefully not as bad as the CCF but either way, if we go ahead and rip out the kitchen we are going to have our hands full for the next couple of weeks. Hey ho, after a week of not doing much and with the pouring rain, I think we’re ready for a new project.