Days like these
We are hanging in here, getting on with life in these surprisingly warm Autumn days as well as we can.
Around us, the building work continues, together with the noise and the dust.
But this week, we are seeing things a little more clearly, for every window in the house has been replaced with a new, modern super-efficient design and the draughty metal frames which were compliant with the planning restrictions thirty odd years ago are no more.
On Wednesday, the window seat in the kitchen was removed and replaced and within the day, we went from this to…
this.
Everyone was very careful to keep the mess to a minimum and dust sheets were used where necessary.
But as we have discovered, there is really no such thing as mess-free building work!
We have seen a great deal of progress this week however, with the walls beautifully plastered by a very skilful craftsman. Still no stairs, but we hope that won’t be for much longer.
The cabinets and assorted components that have been hemming us into our studio have all been moved into their correct location as our laundry room begins to take shape. I keep eyeing progress in there and long for the day when the washing machine and drier will be back indoors.
I don’t think either of us realised how much of a disruption doing the washing like this would be, sharing the single garage cold water tap with the builders during the week. Dropping a single item of washing onto that dirty floor when unloading the machine means it goes right back into the wash basket again.
But the lovely weather has meant I’ve spent time in the garden, enjoying some of the little delights that appear at this time of the year, like these small clumps of cyclamen.
There’s a rose or two still flowering, including this one which is ‘Inspiration’, celebrating the centenary of the WI. It’s not a colour I’d normally choose and is in contrast to the white and very pale pink roses around it - so guess which one goes on blooming long after the others have given up?!
On my way to gather a few apples to make some apple sauce for lunch, I can’t resist a photo of this clump of sage. Aren’t the colours great?
As I go down the steps towards the kitchen door I can’t help but notice our new French windows, which look really smart.
I also notice the hole in the wall a little further along, which I’d not noticed before. Sure enough, it’s in the laundry room, ready for the extractor I imagine. This week, replacing the windows really did mean that not a single room in the house has escaped the attention of a builder at some point. Yes, it really will be lovely when it’s done. In the meantime, we are thankful for progress!
