TILES OF THE UNEXPECTED

While we were on holiday, the carpenter and tiler were hard at work in the roomFKA the scullery.  Before we came home (and too late to do anything about it), I discovered that the tiler was going to fix the tiles in a brickwork pattern.  Aaaagh!  I thought.  (At least it wasn't aaaaaaagh! so it can't have been too serious).  But had I been asked before we went away, I'd probably have said we wanted them fixed the usual way ie in columns and rows.  But what do I find, when I eventually see them?  They look great!  And what's more, I think this is actually the 'normal' way to fix this sort of tile.

So here's the next stage in the great kitchen revival.

The worktop looks rather good too.  Just my painting left to do then . . .

AS ONE DOOR CLOSES

I don't actually need your advice or approval (or praise), but if you volunteer any, that'll be fine.

We have now worked our way around the house (refurbishmently speaking) and have reached the kitchen.  First, we got a quote for a new kitchen.  Then we got a quote for new cupboard doors only.  After that, I bought a pot of paint.

The problem is that, although our kitchen is not new, it does have solid wooden cupboards, or at least solid wooden doors.  So any new doors would probably be a downgrade.  On the other hand, it is a bit dark.  Here it is: 

Or at least one corner of it.  So I thought, before I spend several 1,000 pounds, I'll spent £50 on 2 pots of paint (one for the doors and one for the melamine carcassing) and see how it turns out.  The real concern was whether I could paint the melamine.

Here is the carcass after painting:

 

It's not bad is it.  So, buoyed by that success, I painted the doors.  Here's my workshop (AKA dining room):

And this morning I rehung the doors and fitted new handles.  What do you think?  New kitchen?

Now for the other 22 cupboards . . .  It would be nice if She Who Wants to Know When on Earth I'm Going to Finish would stop cooking for a day or two.

DATE CHEQUE

I have just written a cheque.  Not many people do that these days, do they. 

We are making progress with refurbishing this house, slowly but slowly.  We finally had the last bedroom carpeted today (just the stairs and landing to do now . . .).  When it came to paying I had the choice of going to the shop with my card, telephoning my card details through, giving my card to the fitter who would then telephone, cash (unsurprisingly I don't have wads of cash in the drawer), or writing a cheque.  For once the cheque seemed the easiest method.

But when I came to write the date, I had to remember not only to write '2013', but also 'February'.  Time seems to pass very quickly these days (except in my method of paying bills); I don't know where January went (or 2012 for that matter).  But it is also a commentary on how rarely I need to write the date these days either.  Usually I get a bill on screen and just press 'OK' and type in my PIN.  The date doesn't come into it.  I think I only use a pen now to score at bridge and several places even have automated bridge scoring and wi-fi scorers anyway.

I used to joke that we would stop writing by hand altogether one day and just push buttons for predictive text and PIN numbers.  That would mean I wouldn't have to worry at all about days of the week or months or years; all I would have to remember is my PIN number (and luckily I have that written on my wrist).  Maybe the day I stop thinking is nearer than I thought.

¡ES UN AÑO NUEVO!

Yes, I've started to use my teach yourself Spanish daily calendar.  ¡Hola 2013!

What else am I going to do this year?  Well, first I'm going to decorate the spare bedroom.  Usually we work our way through the house, repairing, decorating, refurbishing.  And then, when everything is new and spick and span, we sell at a vast profit.  That's the plan anyway.  Hasn't exactly happened ever yet.  But this time we have been more relaxed with our refurbishing, partly because we are planning to stay here a little longer than we usually stay in a house and partly because the house is already worth less on the market than it was when we bought it.  Ah, well.  But we have gradually decorated our way through the house anyway and have now reached the spare bedroom.

Just after Christmas we went to Homebase and found a whole pile of paints, paper, plaster, etc on special offer.  So not sad, then, spending the holiday at the sales!

The spare bedroom then looking like a designer room in a model home, we will fly off somewhere to find some winter sun.  What is sun?  You may well  ask!  We did see a bit of sun today actually - maybe the first time for longer than I can remember - but it was decidedly chilly, far too cold to walk up and down the High Street in my vest anyway.  I think we'll also have to make sure we go somewhere where I can practise my Spanish.  Buenas noches amigos.

THINGS I LEARNED AT CHRISTMAS

Don't stand on a chair to hang decorations without first looking up.