A Little Walk up Little Mell

It's been an amazing week of weather and we are planning to walk with Ed and Gerda tomorrow, but I can't let another glorious day slip past without getting on the fells. So having had a warm up at pilates this morning, it's time to get the walking boots out. Husband is busy painting benches and doesn't want to miss the opportunity to get them finished, so it's just me and Mummy's Little Princess and it's just a very quick walk up Little Mell Fell

As mad as ever

Blencathra across the A66

Littl Mell Summit

Too many to mention, but Ullswater and beyond

I knew it was worth keeping all those British Sugar clothes!

And relax..................................

Changes

Planned for a while and timed to fit in with Husbands son's workload, we have been having a bit of a swap around. Sadly I forgot to take any before photos until the room was stripped down, but better late than never!

I won't bore you with the details but for good reason, we have decided to change the position of the door leading out from our sun room, so where in the past the door was on the right :

 and there was a window on the left:

 They are going to be swapped over. Simple?

It does sound simple, and basically it was, but logistically a bit of a faff and pretty messy too!

 Having removed the window, the hole needs enlarging, preferably without making too much of a mess of the pebble dashing. Good job Paul's a tidy builder!

 This plastic sheet was our back door for a couple of nights. Thankfully there aren't too many criminals in these parts, and it did a damn fine job of keeping the dust out of the rest of the house too!

 After the window has been removed and enlarged, it's the door's turn to come out

 Recycling the steps kept Husband busy 

 Chasing leaves kept Breeze busy. I wonder if she's noticed she can't get in there now?

 Ta da. 

Much better!

A New Patio

 There is one part of the Garden that we haven't tackled - until now. The sceptic tank sits under a raised area, but for some reason, whoever paved it didn't recess the manholes and we were left with three almighty great slabs that were higher than the rest. An altogether useless area!

 

Other than standing things on it, it has never been any use at all

 

So finally we got round to removing the old slabs (manholes had to remain covered as we discovered they weren't even vaguely fitted)

Ready for Paul to arrive to fit recessed manholes

and then start laying new sandstone slabs

Better?

Now all we need is some (very heavy so it doesn't blow over) new garden furniture!

 

 

Just for comparison, here's the BEFORE shot again

 

and AFTER!

 

Final Piece In The Jigsaw

Since Paul came up at Christmas and did the alterations in the Scullery, we have been looking for a coat rack to put on the wall to hang the multitude of mucky coats we have, currently in about 4 different places. Antique centers, internet, pine shops, Penrith auction rooms, Cockermouth auction rooms (thanks Bilbo!), all with nothing that quite fits what we had in mind - at least not the right size.

In the end, defeat has been admitted. A plank of wood........

some cast iron hooks............

some antique wax, a drill and a few screws and: Hey Presto........

At last!

Another Useful Present

A visit from Paul who is spending Christmas with us brings with it more of our kind of presents. Remember the Scullery alterations that were brought forward by the boiler being replaced and the opportunity to install a radiator at the same time?



Well it's all done now!

It has really improved the room, much more space, much warmer and we really don't miss the corner cupboard which was the only one we did away with. All we need now is a coat rack for the wall and our new 'back' entrance will be complete.

Christmas Comes Early

We don't do Christmas presents to each other, we don't do Birthdays or anniversaries either (Aren't you glad you're not married to one of us?!). However we seem to be doing very well this Christmas. Not only to we have a new, super duper boiler keeping us toastie warm, today the front of house was transfromed a bit more from this........


to this............



Not bad for no presents, especially as a lovely new pair of Riding Waterproofs arrived today too -that's me spoilt to bits, but nice and warm riding out for the rest of the winter!

An Expensive Month

Mum and Dad left this morning, and within an hour, the Bull Finch that has visited us twice since the weekend, but never since they arrived, was back on the feeder!
Once he had flown off, it was time to get to work.
We've are having one of those periods at the moment. Firstly the garage door, which has been on borrowed time for many years, decided to give up the ghost. Choosing a new one was complicated as we would like to turn it into a pedestrian entrance to overcome the stupid siting of our back door. The theory is, if we get a wicket door in there, we can then use the scullery as a proper boot/muck room. Something for Paul to do sometime when he visits, remove and re site some cupboards and a bit of worktop. Oh, and another idea I had - once the cupboards had been changed we could put a radiator on the wall in there too.
But then the boiler broke as well.
If you've got to go to the expense of a new boiler, you might as well get the rad done at the same time. That'll be next week then: Paul lives in Lincolnshire: Better get the cupboards out ourselves!
In all that excitement, I forgot to take a 'Before' photo, so here's an 'after' shot. From this angle you can't really see any difference anyway, just a missing drawer where there used to be a corner cupboard.
This one was taken before things were put into their temporary homes, the worktop where Husband is standing will eventually go, leaving a run of cupboards along the back, but clear floor space along the side.

Let's hope we are back to having some central heating before too long. So far we have been managing without for a week. Thank God for woodburners.

The Secret To A Happy Marriage........

....... Compromise.

Since we moved here, our Kitchen window has looked like this...

Husband has always thought it looked a bit bare, whilst I like it like that. I want to see sheep and things whilst I'm practicing being a Domestic Goddess, and a blind behind a sink would just get filthy. A trip to the local haberdashery to find some fabric for the doors of our wardrobe led to a bit of a light bulb moment. Time to put Nan's faithful servant into use again.

You want the window dressing, I want to see sheep. OK. We'll do both.

and while the machine is out.......
Just in case you think we've gone Gothic, they are not black, it just looks like that. they are a dark plum sort of colour, to match with a colour in the curtains!

Did I Say We'd Finished?

Well if I did, I lied.
The wardrobes in our room were inherited and horrible (picture from the sales brochure - not our curtains or furniture!!).

We changed the door knobs ages ago to do away with the fake gold (worn off anyway) ornate things and replace them with simple steel ones. Next we took down the cornice, which was badly joined, ill fitting and ugly. All that left slightly better looking wardrobes but with a dark top which cast a shadow and looked grim. That was easily remedied with a bit of white emulsion when we painted the ceiling. But having put the room back together, there was no denying, they looked mucky, plastic and cheap. After a coat of undercoat and two coats of gloss, I think we can live with them a bit more happily now. Mind you, it's made the cream curtains on the middle one look a bit dirty. Guess that'll be the next job, find some fabric...........

Whilst the wardrobes were being done, the weather was beautiful and the painting stuff was out, it seemed like the ideal opportunity to get another bright idea sorted. The porch ceiling........

It was very dark varnish, the plan was to paint it white. In the end, it is sandstone, the same as the pillars. Primer, undercoat and TWO COATS of paint. If ever you have the bright idea to paint over varnished wood - think long and hard!

But it has undoubtedly brightened the entrance, and lightened the downstairs loo too!

No More Patches

There's nothing like sleeping in your own bed. Even your own 'spare' bed just doesn't have the same appeal. Thankfully, today we have moved back home


Will we miss those colour ptches on the wall I wonder?

Autumn Is Here

Way back at the beginning of March, we packed all the decorating stuff away, knowing that sooner or later, we'd have to get it out again to do our bedroom. We'll do it in the back end we promised. When the decent weather has gone.
We'll, true to our word. we got it all out again (just as the weather improved and gave us some cracking autumn days again!).
Some bits were already sorted. Curtains were made soon after moving, and poles were put up to replace knackered rails quite some time ago - in readiness for the big room makeover!
We've had patches of different colour on the walls for the best part of twelve months. It took a lot of deciding

So having emptied everything, it was time to take down the old batons to reveal some hideous pink paint (again) and wallpaper underneath part of it.

Much preperation work needed, and in no mood to take pictures of the hideous state it was in, you'll just have to wait till it's finished now!