Monday 28 March 2016

Easter

I've had a really relaxing couple of days over at my parents' & sister's, with an Easter egg hunt (yes, I'm 33), an hour of badminton, and the finales to two TV series we've all been watching. It's been restorative, not least after the busy couple of days painting.

When I left my last job, in January, one of my colleagues' many generous presents was a pack of Dutch irises. I didn't want to plant them at home—I'm going to be forced to leave so many plants behind, and they'd be one more to move, and a difficult one; so it would have been almost like wasting them. Instead, I've planted them in my mum's garden. I hope they'll look good this year, and I might 'collect' them later—but if not, at least I can still see them there.

I got home a couple of hours ago, and have put the top-coat of Timeless paint onto the guest en suite walls (which was where we'd left off on Saturday). It needs a bit of brush work, but that would have meant opening a new tin of paint, which I don't want to do at this moment.

I have a slightly daunting, and rather long list of things I need to get done before I can put this house on the market. It's 102 things, in fact, quite aside from the day to day (cleaning, firing up the biomass heating, mowing the lawn...), and doesn't cover any of the other things I'm going to have to do before too long—like instructing estate agents, finding a conveyancer, getting a new mortgage, and packing everything (there's a lot of 'everything'). I don't think I'm going to be bored this year.

However, this weekend I have managed, with help, to get four more things done. Seven out of 102, now.

Saturday 26 March 2016

Painting

My mum came across yesterday morning, and we've spent two days painting walls upstairs. It's been a bit of a mammoth effort, with a couple of long, continuous days, but we've managed to paint both guest bedrooms, the guest bathroom (all but, anyway), the landing, and make a start on the master en suite. It was all bare plaster, most of which I've applied in the last couple of months, so it needed a watered down white emulsion, a full-strength white emulsion, and a top-coat of the off-white we painted downstairs in, 'Timeless'. We had a brief break on Friday to go and look at a house that's on the market (very unlikely to become the new Yorkshire Cottage), and a rather tasty curry takeaway last night. Today didn't start too promisingly, with a five-hour stint getting the first coat on the walls of the front guest room and the landing. Some of the plaster in the guestroom, mainly on the un-changed wall and around the fireplace, was a real pain to cover properly, and the landing is rather large, in perimeter terms. In the end, we got there, though, and it looks really good. Everything's still in disarray, partly so I can put skirting boards on without having to move anything, and in the morning I'll drive mum home, and stay until some time on Monday.

Tuesday 22 March 2016

Skirting Boards and Seeds

Lots of small jobs, it seems, today. I've sown a load of vegetable and flower seeds, including about half the sweet peas. I need to get the other half done, soon, too, and there are more vegetables for the coming weeks. If the weather keeps looking promising, I shall direct sow the colour wheel seeds soon.

I've set the seed potatoes chitting, which I realised I failed to do earlier. Never mind: they're sitting out in the preservatory, and I'll plant them in a week or two. The onions, which I'll probably plant at about the same time, are on order.

The stone paving slabs for re-laying the floor in the storm porch were delivered this morning. It'll be a week or two until I get to laying them, I think. We'll see: I might take a day off and do them sooner, so that I can get the new doors ordered.

I have skirting boards (delivered last Wednesday) ready to put up all through the house. I started by trying to cut them by hand (with the aid of a mitre box), but they're a bit tall (169mm), and it's been an annoying process, with decidedly inaccurate cuts. Fortunately, one of my neighbours has a proper 240V mitre saw, with a (frankly oversized) circular saw and bevel mount. I've got on and cut almost all the boards for upstairs, and will try to get them fixed over the next couple of weeks.

Sunday 20 March 2016

Fens

On Friday, I travelled down to near Ely, to spend the weekend with Ann, Alan, and their two boys. They moved home a couple of months ago, from near Newmarket, to an 1888-built rectory. It is a fabulous building, with high-altitude ceilings and dado rails, picture rails, and mouldings, all of which I love, so I forgave them for putting me in the servants' quarters in the attic.

Saturday was a reasonably warm, and dry day, so we went out to Anglesey Abbey—which, actually, we went to last time we visited, in February 2015. I appear to have completely failed to note our trip, but it was 21-22 February, and we bought a few 'George' irises which are looking good about now.

Anyway, this time, I bought three hellebores H. lividus, which have really interesting foliage markings, and smaller flowers; and three named snowdrop varieties which were well discounted.

We also admired their leafmould.


Leafmould heap at Anglesey Abbey (© Ian 2016)

Saturday 12 March 2016

Cow & Calf

I spent today visiting Elizabeth, Robert, and their two in Ilkley. I've not been to Ilkley before, so it was nice to see something of the scenery, and lovely to see them all. Their eldest is currently preoccupied with Star Wars. Fortunately, it is a subject I know well, so we had a good time.





Three views near the Cow & Calf, Ilkley (© Ian 2016)

Sunday 6 March 2016

Mothering Sunday

I've been at my parents' for the weekend, which has been lovely; film, cheese, table-tennis. Back after lunch today, and Philip and Rachel have been with me mid-afternoon until tomorrow mid-morning, on their way back home from Manchester.

I need to start getting on with sowing seeds—mainly vegetables, but also sweet peas.