Roots, mould and the weekend

I was pleased to see that Phil had got up way early yesterday morning and had published the blog along with photo’s before I’d even woken up but I was really surprised he didn’t mention the awful, disgusting, dirty job that we had to do on Saturday. As a direct result of David, the posh plumbers crap plumbing which caused our toilet to leak and pour raw sewage into the flat below us at the TMA (Two Mile Ash) flat, the landlord of the downstairs flat asked us to make good the damage to his flat. Quite rightly so and as we’ve had the same thing happen to us (several times) at the kebab flat we didn’t mind accepting liability.

Initially Phil went to inspect the damage and came back to me and said the walls and ceiling weren’t so bad in the kitchen but the mould was really bad in the bathroom. We’ve got so much on our plate right now we went back to the agent and said get a contractor in and come to us with a quote. The decorator came back with a quote for £575 and said the work would take 3 days. We said “sod that, we’ll do it ourselves” and on Saturday morning we went in at 9 am with the key to no 19. Now I don’t mind getting my hands dirty one bit but when I saw the state of the bathroom I felt like turning round and walking straight back out.

Number 19 is a studio flat and not a very well maintained flat. Somehow Phil got the job of the kitchen and yours truly got the bathroom, not sure how that worked out? The bathroom was so filthy; I had to get the pedestal mat up with a knife as it had obviously never been lifted up and washed. Before I could even start attacking the mould, I first had to clean the toilet pedestal and the entire floor and the skirting. Once that was done I got going with bare bleach and wiped all the ceiling and walls. I had forgotten to bring along plastic gloves, masks and eye goggles, so as I scrubbed bits of damp mould were spraying me, ohhh disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!

After the bleach, I brushed on the ‘get rid of mould’ stuff. This should have wiped off the mould once it was dried, but it was so bad it wouldn’t budge when I wiped so I had no option but to get going with the roller and the emulsion. Two coats later and a few touch ups in-between and I’d just about managed to cover up the mould. Really, the ceiling needs re-plastering and as I was touching up bits of plaster came away. That said, I think it looks 100% better than before and the tenant gets a clean bathroom thrown in. Phil came into inspect and said he thought it needed another going over; I told him where he could go!! Not only did I get the bathroom but I also had to cut in and help Phil finish the kitchen, he is so slow at painting. I can tell you, I was glad to get finished and get out of that flat. Sometimes I hate my life and Saturday was one of those times. But, once we were all cleaned up and sitting in the Papaya restaurant in Oxley Park eating a very tasty Thai green curry and sipping a Singh beer all was soon forgotten. At the end of the day, 3 and a half hours of hard work apiece saved us £575 which just about covers the cost of our holiday.

Saturday aside, the weekend wasn’t all hard work; we took Saturday afternoon off and just lolled on the sofas and caught up with some TV. We haven’t been able to get TV on demand with BT vision and after several tests on the line and numerous phone calls from BT, we think they are going to stop our service and give us a refund. It’s a shame really because we really like BT vision and we’ve waited 4 weeks to get our service up and running, but alas, to no avail. We’ve also paid £175 to get a digital aerial installed which in hindsight seems a bit of a waste of money now. I’m not sure where we go next, Sky I guess because we simply can’t live without TV on demand; well I could but not my Phil!

We went to work at the OB flat on Sunday but again we finished at lunchtime and took the afternoon off. I cooked a roast chicken with spicy chilli salad and new pots which we sat and ate in the garden. Afterwards we read the Sunday papers and then went to David Lloyd for a swim and a shower. Early evening we watched some of Glastonbury on the telly and then it was early to bed. How exciting are we????

Phil’s weight loss, great at first, has slowed way down and he has reached a bit of a plateau. I feel sorry for him and I know he hasn’t cheated. I know this because there is nothing naughty in the fridge to eat and I check the bins (both inside and out) for evidence of sneaky snacks after I’ve got to bed. He is a bit down hearted and I think on the verge of giving up and going back to his bad boy days but I hope he doesn’t, he is doing so well. He is working his socks off in the flat and yesterday he even managed 20 laps of the pool after work, even though his knee is hurting him. He looks fitter and thinner and if he carries on, he will soon be in the fifteen stones. As for me, on my diet, the weight is pouring off, just need to tone up a bit now.

Phil went to the flat this morning at 6.30am but I’ve stayed behind to put on a blog and make a chicken balti. Phil was really disappointed with the cold chicken salad that I served up for lunch yesterday so I feel I need to make him something a bit more satisfying today. When I’ve done the lunch I need to go to the flat to paint the airing cupboard and then I’ve got to go to Saks for my hair appointment. Two and a half hours of sitting in front of a mirror listening to Rachelle in the boiling heat is my ideal of hell but grey roots are sprouting by the minute so no pain, no gain, its gotta be done.

Duelling Kitchens

It’s been very inefficient flitting between fitting the Oldbrook kitchen and the Neath Hill kitchen as I spend most of my time driving backwards and forwards for tools and bits I have left at the other place. For this reason and the pressure from Claire I concentrated on the Neath Hill one where we are living and it’s now finished. I then could move all my tools and materials to the Oldbrook flat where it wasn’t long before that one was finished too. Notice the similarity? They both have the same floor tiles and stainless steel panels in between the base and wall units. They also both have a stainless steel hood and spot lights fitted around the kick boards. I had this idea a while back as it seemed to me an easy way to hide the wiring and illuminate the floor. We both laughed when I first switched it on to test it; the kitchen floor lit up beautifully along with the rest of the kitchen and house. I could even tell from upstairs when Claire switched them on one morning in broad daylight. Maybe I should have gone for the low voltage or LED ones but then again they were more expensive.

We have slowed down a bit as we are getting to the end of renovation, taking the odd afternoon off here and there. I had the whole day off last Sunday when I took Georgina to Melton Mowbray to see her Grandparents. Mum was out in the garden cutting me some fresh vegetables to take home while Georgina and I watched her. I didn’t exactly take the whole day off as I still managed to get a few hours in between 6am and 10am before leaving. This Saturday we finished at about 1pm, had a steam and shower at David Lloyds then shot off to the Open University Open Day. See Claire with her OU bag and wrist band. They had lovely flowers around and Marque tents everywhere. Claire even showed me Harriet’s desk; no sign of Harriet though.

I think that all the work should be finished at both premises by this Friday, as the plumber is coming in to fit the bath on Thursday so I can finish the tiling off when he has finished. I find it easier to tile the walls before the bath is fitted so it doesn’t get dirty straight away. I just leave the bottom row of tiles to cut once the bath is in. As Claire said, once we are finished, we have visitors staying Friday and Saturday night then we are off to pick up the keys for our villa ready for our two week stay in Turkey starting on 11th July. Can’t wait for that so Claire can relax and unwind while I try and catch up with my neglected OU course. I need to ask my tutor for an extension as my next assignment is due in on 11th July when we leave for our holidays. I have not started work on this at all yet; in fact I haven’t even started to read the text that it is testing on. It would be a shame if I don’t catch up again as I was awarded 93% for the first part of my snail project. Let’s hope I can catch up and get ahead before we get back and I start to look for our next renovation project or even another contract.

Just another day...............

Life has been hectic and so the work goes on and on and on. Both the NH and the OB kitchens are pretty much installed, just a few last bits to do today, but already both kitchens are fully functional. I wanted to publish some photo’s but Phil won’t let me; he’s so proud of his achievements in the kitchen department that he when he gets time, he wants to publish his own dedicated kitchen blog. How sad do we sound!

Actually it hasn’t all been work though, with the blue skies and blazing sun, we decided to give ourselves the afternoon off on Tuesday. We had an early start to the day and after a chicken salad at home, we filled up our water bottles and walked to The Giffard. The plan was to give Phil’s knees a rest but I guess at 45 minute walk there and back wasn’t a great idea and his knees started to ache before we had barely got out of the cul-de-sac. Never mind, we had a lovely walk along the canal and sat outside the pub with a pint. The sun was shining on the way back and we decided to stop at the Eager Poet on the way back for a drink. It wasn’t a brilliant experience, we struggled to get served, the drinks were expensive and I don’t think we will be going back there again anytime soon.

There was a lot going down on Wednesday. The carpet fitters came and fitted the lounge, hall, stairs and landing carpet. It was hot and they were grumpy but all the floors were fitted before midday. I was busy doing stuff at home so Phil had to wait at the OB flat for the delivery of the new washing machine and fridge/freezer. We had an 8 until 1pm delivery slot and guess what? They came dead on the dot of the 1 o’clock, just our luck to be last on the list. Phil was not very happy, because he was starving (literally) and wanted his lunch. The cooker hood which I had ordered 2 weeks ago was meant to be ready for me to pick up from Currys but the delivery didn’t arrive. Jim picked Phil up on Wednesday night and they went to join George, Chris and Alfie for a drink at The Crown in Stony Stratford. Christine came round to and we had a glass of Waitrose hand made fish cakes with a salad and some wine. I even managed to stay awake until 10pm!

Yesterday was also a full on day. Phil spent the best part working in the bathroom at the OB flat. He got all of the tiles on the walls and also got started on rebuilding the bathroom wall. I did all sorts of odd jobs in the morning and in the afternoon I started sanding and undercoating the lounge door and the patio door frame. Phil came back mid afternoon and sat outside on the patio wiring in the spotlights for the kickboards. They are going to look fabulous when they’re all finished which should be sometime later today. I can’t wait for it to get dark tonight so I can switch them on and see the floor light up. God, I listen to myself and think I am getting sadder by the day!

It’s another early start this morning, not as early as other days, but Phil is already round the OB flat. Yours truly needs to get this blog posted, get to the market for some supplies and then get going on the glossing in the lounge. I was going to make a chicken balti with the left over chicken from the roast on Monday but Phil says the chicken is too old and that we will go instead, to the Papaya Thai restaurant in Westcroft where he has seen in the GO magazine that they do 2 courses for £6.95. Sounds good to me!!

Sun, Sea & Stars

This is my horoscope as printed in the YOU supplement of the Mail on Sunday:

The past few weeks have not been easy but as a new solar year begins so you your fortunes are about to change. With the sun entering your sign today marking the Summer Solstice, you can stop looking over your shoulder and start planning for a better tomorrow. Something that occurs between Monday’s New Moon and the Solar Eclipse on 22 July will mark the necessary turning point in your circumstances.

They are right, these last few weeks have not been easy and I look forward to a ‘better tomorrow’, bring it on is all I can say!!!

It was a good job I was up and about early on Saturday morning because no sooner had I published the blog, my mobile phone started ringing (time 6.55am). I had forgotten to turn it off from the night before; it was the Sainsbury’s delivery driver asking for directions to the Cranfield flat so he could deliver and install the new washer/dryer. I did my best and he found his way but unfortunately when he got there, our tenant was fast asleep in bed. I called mad Betty next door because I knew she would up (she was) and got her to bang on his bedroom window but by this time the driver had got fed up and driven away. I’ve had to rearrange delivery for Wednesday; so far it has cost me £44.99 to get this effing machine delivered. Why can’t things ever be straightforward?????

Phil really got stuck into the NH kitchen on Saturday. As usual, we had all the usual huffing and puffing, big sighs and groans but I ignored him. I should have really got on with the glossing at no 10 but I wasn’t in the mood. I can’t now quite recall what I did on Saturday but I know I would have been busy doing something. We have had big problems with our BT Vision since we moved here and finally on Saturday we got the facility to record which was fortunate because the Silverstone Grand Prix was on and Phil had to record it. We still don’t have access to TV replay on demand so we will have to make yet another phone call to BT at some point today.

Sunday was a bit more relaxed. Phil did 6 until 10am working in the kitchen and I put in the same hours around the OB flat getting stuck into the glossing, my favourite job (NOT). Phil picked up Georgina and they went to Melton Mowbray to have lunch with his mum and dad because it was Fathers Day. When I got as far as I wanted to with the glossing I went home for a shower then picked up Harriet and we went for lunch at The Giffard. We both went for the steak and they were both very delicious. After I dropped her back home I went to Saks beauty salon at David Lloyd for a lime and ginger body brush, exfoliation and light massage. After a big steak and a glass of wine I was already feeling pretty relaxed and the treatment nearly sent me to sleep. However, that said, my usual girl has left and her replacement was pretty crap so I won’t be having this again. Instead I shall buy the jollop and self treat at home.

Yesterday was pretty much a full-on day with the usual 5-6am starts. I persuaded Phil to tile and grout the kitchen before starting on the really noisy jobs. I hopped in to the car and went to the OB flat to get going on the glossing. The carpets are going in on Wednesday and I like to give surfaces a couple of days to dry beforehand. I hadn’t long got going when I heard the beeping of a delivery van. I popped my head out of the door only to see that Will Tricks and his sons had arrived to chop down the trees. They made a horrendous noise but 3 hours later the job was done and all the trees were gone. Both Harriet and Shane think it looks awful now and I have to say, it does look very, very bare.
Something has to be done but that is yet another project for another day.

Phil has made a sterling job of the NH kitchen but he won’t let me publish any more photos until he has finished. That should be sometime today, well actually, it will be sometime tomorrow because the new extractor fan isn’t being delivered until tomorrow. Last night I got all the food stuffs out of the cupboard under the stairs. Unfortunately the honey jar had leaked and so had the dark soy sauce jar so it was all a bit of a big mess. But, as you know, I am very good at cleaning and had the whole lot washed and in the cupboards in no time.

We have 2 very heavy days ahead, today and tomorrow but we are hoping to slow things down a bit from Thursday onwards. Things are looking up though, and as my stars predicted, my fortunes are about to change. Jill & Tony, some friends we met in Cyprus through Chris and Christine, are letting us rent their new villa in Kalkan in Turkey at a rock bottom bargain price. Phil found flights through Thomas Cook early yesterday morning and we are booked for a 2 week break mid July. I can’t wait, how lucky am I????

Diets, removals & neighbours

Friday didn’t turn out to be the easy day I had anticipated it would be. In fact it ended up with quite hard grafting. Phil grouted the hallway first thing and I got the job of scrubbing it and cleaning up. Shane was half an late reporting for work as he had to complete an early morning job application so Phil went and fetched the van without him. He came back to the OB to pick up Shane and the old bath to take to the Bleak Hall tip and then the pair of them went to collect some stuff from the GP house.

Not surprisingly, Ash our tenant was at home, I thought going in with unsupervised access was too good to be true and I was proved right. Phil was a little upset that someone had cut down his bamboo that he’d lovingly planted last year and a little miffed that the tenant wouldn’t let him take his all-singing-all-dancing gas BBQ. Other than that, he got all the things on the list bar the jet sprayer which is a shame because now we need to buy another one. Whilst the boys were out doing removals, I got busy with cleaning up the kitchen and getting up the lounge and landing carpets. Even though the kitchen is not yet completed, I think it is looking very sexy. It still needs the plinths fitted, a couple of handles on the cupboards, the blind needs putting up, the window frame needs tiling and we also need to buy a fridge/freezer and a washer dryer.

Our bad luck with washer/dryers continues. On Tuesday, Abdullah, our tenant at the Cranfield flat phoned Phil to say his machine wasn’t working. I called out Shenley Domestics and had an email late Wednesday to say that the problem was major and that really we needed to buy a replacement. I ordered a machine from Sainsbury’s and paid the extra money for installation and to take away the old machine. Phil went over on Thursday to disconnect the old machine only to find that someone had broken the tap so he couldn’t disconnect it. I ended up getting a local plumber round to fix the tap and get the old machine out of the kitchen. Phil phoned the tenant to say the new machine would be delivered early Friday morning and the tenant said he had to go to the university and wouldn’t be there. In the end I had to pay £19.99 to change the delivery from Friday to Saturday so hopefully it will arrive this morning and that will be that problem sorted.

When I arrived at the OB flat yesterday morning I was stunned to find that the council contractors had been the previous afternoon to cut down all the trees. Phil and I have been fighting this particular battle for 6 weeks and finally the council have acknowledged that, they are indeed, responsible for the upkeep of the entrance to the flats. Trouble is though, they have hacked down all the trees, it looks so severe and now I’m not sure which is worse, overgrown or barren?? Harriet and Shane are not happy, they think it looks awful. They are also not happy that we are getting the trees in the middle of the drive and the tree outside their entrance cut down next week. I agree it is a shame, but Phil wouldn’t fork out £180 without good reason. The tenant below no 10 won’t park in his space so we hope getting the trees down will persuade him and also the tree outside Harriet and Shanes is too close to the house and there is a strong possibility that it will interfere with our foundations. Jill from number 6 cornered me yesterday and asked if I was aware the council were coming to do the work. Apparently they blocked in her car and she couldn’t get her car out to go the gym. She thought we were all in the know and hadn’t informed her because yesterday afternoon mine and Phil’s cars plus Shanes were not there. I promised that I didn’t know they were coming; it was just a coincidence that we happened to all be at the NH house building up the units.

After a long morning, Phil and Shane took back the van and went for an early lunch at The Giffard. Shane went for the mixed grill and me and Phil went for the double steak and chicken with a Jack Daniels sauce. Phil was really good and opted for baked potato instead of the chips and I also said no to the chips and went for the salad. It was delicious and we ate every morsel on our plates. Phil is doing so well on his diet; I almost can’t believe how good he is doing. It helps that there is nothing much to eat in the fridge but even so, his self discipline is unbelievable. My diet plan, which is fruit in the morning, no complex carbs and cucumber and a few slices of cheese plus wine or G&T in the evening, seems to be working. Yesterday Phil weighed in at 16 stone 12 pounds which he was really chuffed about. I have lost half a stone but I don’t really want to loose any more, with all the manual work, I am beginning to look really scrawny and believe me, it’s not a good look.

Yesterday afternoon was spent at the NH house. Phil started work screwing in the units to the wall and Shane got to work on the wall cabinets. I got the bottle of Oven Pride out and got to work on the hob and the oven. I also got going on getting the weeds up from the patio, hard work but immensely satisfying. At 4pm I took Shane back to his house and picked up Phil’s hack saw from next door. I parked up outside our garage at the NH house and got talking to the guy from next door. I asked him if he had experienced any car vandalism and he said his wife had her passenger window smashed in. I asked him if he thought I’d upset any of the neighbours and he said it was probably kids passing by the redway. But he did know that I’d had a nasty note put on my car windscreen wiper when I’d parked my car on the grass on the first day we moved in, which was interesting. I guess me and Phil must be the talk of the cul-de-sac. No change there then!!!!!!!

Phil and I sat down last night and talked strategies. We have decided to stop work on the OB flat and concentrate on the NH kitchen. We are in a right pickle at the moment with units everywhere. I am up early this morning but I am hoping that Phil will sleep in as I don’t want him sawing before 9am which he is likely to do if he gets up now. He won’t be able to resist the urge especially as he was talking about the new kitchen in his sleep last night! Best he sleeps in, we don’t want to upset the neighbours anymore than we have done already!

T.G.I.F.

It’s going to be a quick blog this morning. Its only 7am and Phil is already round the OB flat and is expecting me to join him anytime now. It’s been a busy last few days with many jobs done, all too tedious and boring to list but the main focus has been on ‘kitchens’. No sooner had I pressed the publish button to upload the blog a knock on the door signalled the arrival of the Wickes kitchen at the NH house. Delivery was swift and efficient and after quarter of an hour the lounge was full of boxes. I gave the delivery driver a cup of tea and he gulped this down and was finished just as Shane arrived to make use of our internet connection.

Phil has done great things in the kitchen in the OB flat and I am really pleased with him. I haven’t got any photo’s to show yet because I need to get in there this morning and touch up the painting and give it a right good clean. Harriet popped in to see the flat in her lunch hour yesterday and was really jealous of the integrated oven and hob. She also likes the fact that we have tiled under the bath because we didn’t in her bathroom and she gets lots of spiders. I told her, sorry but there is no way you are swapping houses.

Yesterday afternoon Phil and Shane came to the NH house and started building up the Wickes units. These units are supberb quality, much better than the B&Q and Homebase units. The instructions weren’t easy to follow but they soon got the hang of them and in 3 hours had all of the units built bar 3 of the wall cupboards. Amazing!! While they were building up units, I had the job of emptying the kitchen. Now all of the food is under the stairs; the plates and cutlery are stored in the dishwasher and the fridge and freezer temporarily live in the hallway. Not ideal but if I have my way, it will only be for a few more days. Phil has all the units placed in the kitchen but there will be a lot of work to do in fixing them to the walls, siliconing in the worktops and fitting all the splash backs. Not to mention cutting out for electrics and mounting the wall units. Hey ho, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will our kitchen be. All being well, the kitchen should be completed by the end of next week. A few more jobs then we will be ready to go to market. Just as well really because Phil has seen a house in the paper that he wants to go and view over the weekend. No rest for the wicked hey!!!!

Whilst I was loading the cupboard boxes in my car yesterday I noticed that somebody had keyed the boot of my car. I can only think that it has been done overnight whilst parked in the NH close because the only places I have been this week is the Bleak Hall rubbish tip x 8 times, the OB flat everyday and B&Q everyday. It’s not a big issue because my little red Ford KA is a wreck but the principle upsets me. There is a bit of an issue with parking at the NH house with only 2 public parking bays which me and Phil seem to get parked in most of the time. I wonder whether this has upset some of the residents that have lived in for many years? I do make an effort to park outside the garage but to be honest most of the time, I have stuff to load or unload and it’s easier to park nearer to our front door. I find it quite ironic that living in the kebab flat in the middle of the city centre for 8 months amongst all kind of low-life’s that I never had a wink of car vandalism. Never mind, at least it wasn’t Phil’s car.

It’s a big day today. We have hired a van and Phil and Shane are going to the GP house to get back some of our stuff. The tenant has said we can have unsupervised access and go in with our key which is jolly kind of him. I really want to go with Phil but I know that I won’t be able to resist going all through the rooms looking for dirt and dust and all kinds of other things, which wouldn’t be fair. Plus, I still mourn the GP house and seeing it again would just hurt my heart even more. Best to stay away until the day comes when we can live there once again.

I am glad it’s the end of the week. We don’t have any hard or dirty jobs today and have decided to slow the pace down a bit. After all, it is Friday. I can’t cook in the kitchen so we are going to The Giffard for lunch and have invited Shane to join us to thank him for all his hard work. I don’t think he’s ever worked as hard as he has these last 2 weeks under Phil’s supervision. Speaking of which, it is now 7.25am and I have already had 2 calls from Phil wondering where the hell I am. And here was I thinking it was going to be an easy day!
Gotta go!!

Ground works

There has been much activity at the Oldbrook flats over the last couple of months and I bet the neighbours are wondering when it is all going to end. As well as renovating the interiors of both flats (still ongoing) we have also had work done in the gardens. Neither Phil nor I have much expertise in gardening so we got in some help. We got Will Tricks (the tree surgeon) to spray weed killer on the gravel gardens and driveways and we also got him to chop down a couple of trees. Harriet got her uncle Shaun to erect a fence and gate and I paid him a family rate. Harriet and Shane painted their panels and I have put a coat of creosote on all the panels next door.

The council have been and collected most of the rubbish and all that’s left to do in the outside department is to get a new fence and gate at no 10 and Will Tricks is coming into pull down the tree and hedge outside Jill’s front door. This is not going to be as straightforward as it sounds (well it never is it) because we have checked our title deeds and Derek, the owner of the flat below us has up put a gate into his garden which is actually on our land. Really his gate should be by his window and hopefully he will play ball and re-site it to the other side so that we can put up our fence and reclaim land that is rightfully ours. I am tempted to just up a fence anyway but we have email contact with Derek and I suppose Phil is right, we must keep him in the picture before we go ahead. I don’t think this will be a problem because we have paid out hundreds over the years for maintaining the communal driveway and have never asked any of the neighbours for a penny.

It certainly has been all GO GO GO but I think I can see light at the end of the tunnel, not sure about Phil though. He went to the flat at 6.30am this morning, I was tempted to go with him but I have to stay and wait for the Wickes kitchen, which is being delivered anytime between 7 and 11. Phil is doing great with the Oldbrook kitchen but it has been slow progress. The Homebase instructions are really crap and it is the first time that Phil has installed an integrated cooker unit. It took him hours but we have the same thing going in the NH house next week so at least he would have some practise. A few weeks ago we brought loads of stainless steel splash back panels from IKEA, they were greatly reduced and we saved a couple of hundred quid. Phil has fitted them all on one wall, managing to cut holes for all the electric sockets and they look fantastic. I thought if he didn’t master the knack of fitting them we would have to take them back for a refund but luckily, the boy did good and we can use them in the NH house.

On Monday we went to CarpetRight to order a new carpet for the lounge in the OB flat. I was checking the receipt later that night and I remarked to Phil how expensive it was. Phil checked and we realised that we’d been overcharged for 6 square yards. We went back into the store yesterday and our usual sales guy said we’d been charged extra as it was the end of the role. Anyway, turns out that we have enough to do all the stairs and landing which I am really pleased about because it means I can do a proper job of the glossing now. The new carpet is being laid next Wednesday so I am going to have to get my finger out so it will be dry before the fitters come in.

Poor Phil’s knee is really hurting him and Shane helped out yesterday by putting on the knee pads and grouting the bathroom and cupboard under the stairs. I did my bit by cleaning up afterwards but Shane had the hard graft. All that’s left to do is lay the tiles in the hallway but the new plumber is going in after work tonight to fit the sink, radiator and the back-to-wall toilet so this job will have to wait until he has finished. Phil has done really well on ‘my diet’ and has lost 11 pounds in 15 days. He has been really good and I am proud of him for not cheating. The weight loss hasn’t been as fast as he would like which is not altogether surprising because we haven’t cut out the booze and without a proper cooker and with only a 2 ring hotplate plus only a third of a kitchen, cooking at home hasn’t been easy. Things should be easier when we get the NH kitchen installed and we get a proper oven which will be a novelty in itself because we haven’t had a proper oven since we moved out of the GP house 9 months ago.

We have given Shane the morning off work today so that he can catch up with job applications, most of which he has to do online. They don’t have internet access at home so he is coming round here at 8am to use my laptop. I need to catch up with housework, washing, ironing and paperwork and take delivery of the new kitchen. Guess they could arrive anytime now so I suppose I ought go upstairs and my teeth in and run a brush through my hair. A good girl guide should always be prepared!!!!!!!

Plumbing, Painting & Shopping!

We were supposed to take it easy over the weekend but it didn’t quite pan out that way. Phil worked from 6am until 2pm on Saturday and made good progress in the kitchen at the OB Flat. We think this is our best looking kitchen so far, although it’s far from finished. This is the first kitchen we have brought from HomeBase and so far so good. The ordering was painless, as was the delivery but the instructions weren’t so easy to follow. On Wednesday we have the Wickes kitchen being delivered on Wednesday and it will be interesting to compare Wickes against HomeBase and B&Q. We have already had the sink unit delivered from Wickes and Phil says that the quality of the door units is the best out of all of them. I am keen for Phil to get going and fit my kitchen at home but we have decided that it makes sense to crack on and finish the OB flat before starting here.

I had a good morning painting the fence panels at the NH house on Saturday. I don’t enjoy looking at bare fence panels and its amazing what a difference a bit of creosote makes. The garden has been transformed. Still a bit of work to do yet, we have sprayed weed killer on the patio and are contemplating putting down a membrane and pouring some shingle over the top. You know how much I like shingle. Not everywhere but just in front of the patio area. Phil wanted to finish off some bits in the kitchen so we found ourselves in the OB flat at some unearthly hour on Sunday morning. The sun was shining so I decided to put on my shorts and get painting the garden panels. Really they need replacing because they are in bad repair but we’re certain we’re not responsible for all the panels and we just can’t face at the minute, battling with the neighbours to fork out for new panels. We’ve got one too many battles to fight at the moment, some times you’ve just got to let things pass you by.

We downed tools at 10.00am and went shopping on Sunday. First up it was B&Q to get the door handles and some other bits and pieces and then we went to ASDA for wine followed by a trip to IKEA. We wanted to check out the prices of cookers and hobs and buy all the blinds for the OB flat. Kitchen goods were expensive but we did manage to get all the wooden blinds and offload them back at the flat. Next up it was a trip to Curry’s where we brought 2 extractor fans and a very reasonably priced hob. We slung these back at the flat and then went to Newport Pagnell to dump some rubbish and check out the BathroomBits4us unit. There was only one chap on duty and he didn’t seem to know what he was doing but we came out with a back-to-wall toilet, 2 shelf units and a chrome electric radiator. We still have to get a sink and a vanity unit so will have to go back later today.

When we finished shopping we went to David Lloyd for a jacquzzi and a shower. After we were all nice and clean again we dropped the car off at home and decided to walk along the canal to The Giffard. On the way we met Pip, one of the neighbours down the road. He had started to cut his hedge on Saturday and complained that some plonker had parked his land rover right outside so he couldn’t clear up all the mess. Yes, you can guess, it was Phil! I apologised on his behalf and Pip seemed cool. It took about 25 minutes to get to the pub and it was interesting to explore new territory alone the way. Phil was very good and choose the gammon and a baked potato instead of chips. I just had salad and chips with a bottle of wine of course! We walked along the canal on the way back and came off just a few yards from the shops. Somehow the walk back seemed longer but at least found our way home.

The plumber did a good job on Saturday and ripped out the entire bathroom. He also fitted the sink and the taps, fixed a leak in Harriet’s flat and got the central heating system going. We realised that we had a massive leak from the shower so this had to come out. The leak has left us with a really bad mould problem and the plumber advised Phil to get some masks and gloves whilst working in there. The water damage has caused serious damage to the shower wall and Phil and Shane have ripped out the bottom half of this morning. It was a dirty, awful job and yours truly had the task of taking it to the tip. Phil and Shane have had the horrible jobs today so I’ve got off fairly lightly. Poor Shane had the job of getting out the lino in the bathroom and the stench was indescribable. I have come home to make the lunch leaving the boys on the hands and knees tiling the bathroom floor so the plumber can go in tomorrow. Another job for another day.

Work in Progress....

With 2 extra pairs of hands on Wednesday and Thursday, we made good progress at the OB flat. It didn’t start very well on Wednesday morning though. Phil had gone to the flat early and I arrived at quarter past eight just as Home Base were delivering the new kitchen. Just before I got there, the driver had knocked on the neighbour’s door in the house on the corner and asked her to move her car. Her husband said she was in the bath but somehow they managed to back their large lorry into the entrance. Unfortunately the neighbours below us were waiting to go to work but couldn’t get their car out because we had blocked them in. They weren’t very happy bunnies and I could only apologise profusely. Phil stayed well out of the way (typical) and I helped unload the stuff off their van.

After it was all off I signed to say I had received the goods and the delivery van tried to get out of the entrance. It got to the road but couldn’t turn because the corner lady’s car was blocking the way. By this time she was out of the bath and screaming her head off in the road. Eventually the driver persuaded her to move it back a bit and they managed to get away. Nightmare!! I apologised to the lady on the corner who was complaining bitterly about the number of deliveries over the last couple of months. I explained who we were, what we owned and what we were doing in both flats. Eventually I calmed her down and we left on first name terms. Public relations, before 9am, is most certainly, not a good way to start the day!!

Mad Betty and I got stuck into the painting while Shane and Phil built up all the base units. There was a bit of sighing and confusion at first because I gather the instructions weren’t very clear but they more or less had them built up in a few hours. I had meant to have Thursday off but once I was round the flat I got stuck in. As I said, progress has been fast. The kitchen floor has been tiled and grouted, all of the walls and ceiling are finished, all that’s left, is the gloss work downstairs and in the landing. Phil has fitted some of the kitchen units plus the sink and today the plumber is going in to fit the waste pipe and the taps and he’s also going to rip out the bathroom. It’s only half past six in the morning and Phil is already in the flat. I’ve had to remind him not to start on any banging jobs but I bet you, he will forget. I have decided to stay in the NH house today and make a start on the garden fence. Earlier this week the gardener came in to cut the grass down; he’s down a good job and he’s even taken away all the grass cuttings. I think we maybe need to put some lawn feeder down to revive it a bit; I don’t have very green fingers and neither does Phil so think I need to do some research on the internet.

We were going to have today off but then the plumber said he would work and then Phil had made an appointment this afternoon to go and look at the damage from the leak in the TWA flat. This was the leak from the toilet waste pipe from our flat into the downstairs so I don’t think it’s going to be a pretty site. The landlord wants us to repair the damage rather than claim on the insurance which is fair enough. After Phil’s assessed the damage he then has to make his way to the GP flat to take a look at the subsidence problem. We have been ignoring this issue for weeks but we bumped into Carl, our tenant, outside the Bletchley B&Q so we promised faithfully that we go round and have a look. Carl is also complaining about the overgrown bushes and is also saying he would like to have his lounge decorated. This is not an unreasonable request because he’s been living there for years but he’s got so much stuff that unless he moves out lock, stock and barrel, there’s no way I can decorate.

It hasn’t been hard work all week; there have been a couple of nice surprises. When Jimmy turned up on Wednesday night to pick up Phil, he gave us a great house warming present. It was a canvas print of a picture he’d downloaded from the blog site. It was a shot of me walking in front of Phil along the sandy beaches in southern Goa. The beach looks pretty deserted and this photo is a particular favourite of Phil’s. I don’t know where Jimmy finds these websites but it was a particularly thoughtful gift and one that we shall treasure. Thanks Jimmy!

The other surprise was a phone call on Thursday evening from Howard who we met on our disastrous canal boat break. Howard helped out a great deal with the boat, he actually saved our lives and we went out for dinner with him on our last night. Anyway, Howard was on the Grand Union and was moored up at Stoke Bruene and he invited us for lunch yesterday. We met at The Navigation and walked a few yards to where his boat was moored. It was lovely to see him and Rosie his dog again. Howard had prepared salad with chicken chilli flatbreads, sandwiches, which we washed down with a chilled bottle of white wine all aboard his boat Rosie Tickle. He did rhubarb and custard for afterwards. It would have been nice to have stayed the whole afternoon but we had to get back to the flat to do the last few bits ready for the plumber.

We worked until half four and then it was back home for a shower and a slump in front of the telly. The end of the week and we are both feeling knackered. Poor Phil can barely walk, his knee is so painful. It’s a good job really that we have Shane helping as he can take on some of the heavy stuff on. We are taking the whole day off tomorrow but Phil will be on his hands and knees again on Monday he has to tile the bathroom and hall floors. Hey ho, no pain, no gain and as we know, it will all be worth it in the end.