Cracking On

I have been meaning to repaint the kitchen for a while now. Okay, for about 4 years. There's been The Homemade Wine Explosion Incident - evidence left on the ceiling. There has been The Replacement Bit of Coving Section Debacle - evidence twixt wall and ceiling. There has been the Ooh, That Bit Of Plaster Looks a Tad Loose; Shall I Poke It, Ooops, It Fell Out Chaos. Not to mention several Take Down That Picture Hook and Bits of the Wall With It pot holes - evidence all over the place. Oh, and the Let's Change the Spotlights For a Fluorescent Striplight Because I Am Tired of Making Pastry in Strange Shadows Divots. Evidence - back on the ceiling again.

Plus various other foodie splash stains and bangs and knocks and scrapes and, well, the kitchen has gradually been taking on what some might call 'Shabby Chic Styling' but I call 'A Bit of a State.'

So, yesterday morning Andy and I went out and spent a ridiculous amount of money on a woodburning stove because the one we thought we were going to have was ever so slightly too big for the emergent hole we have in which to put it and the one that was the right size was, of course, more expensive. Ho hum.

And then we went to a DIY store and purchased paint for the purpose of kitchen repainting, having steeled ourselves for the task the night before by emptying the walls of pictures, posters, clocks etc, and clearing the surfaces of mixers, cookery books, knives, bread bins, kettles etc and scrubbing everything down with a sugar soap solution and filling holes with hole filler and sanding down bits that needed sanding down. And then we went and stood in a very wet and grubby builder yard and stared at bits of granite because we have to choose which bit we want for our new hearth. We chose black with silver sparkles in it. Can't remember why because my brain is currently stunned with paint fumes.

And then we came home and started the kitchen repaint. We had to stop about half an hour in to bath a certain Flora Bijou Mybug who thought it might be a good idea to hop about in a tin of Willow Tree Matt Emulsion for Kitchens. I reckon it was because she misread the word 'kitchen' for 'kitten'. I blame teachers myself. Anyway, Flossie had a bath to return her to her normal colour and we all laughed at how slim she looks when she is wet, which is proof she is more fluff than fat, and I wish the same could be said for us more amply proportioned humans but it is my belief that when we get wet we absorb water and get even fatter which is why if I ever decide to weigh myself I do it before a shower and not afterwards.

We also stopped for a very brief lunch, but the kitchen was complete by 2.30 p.m - not a hole, stain, lump, wine spray, scrape, scratch or smudge in sight - so all in all it was a jolly productive day thus far. 

'Why didn't we do this ages ago?' said Andy as we admired our handiwork.

'Apathy,' said I. 

Today we went out and purchased a log basket. Well, we have a hole for a woodburner, we have a woodburner, we have a lump of granite that will take on a hearth shape and hopefully all these elements will combine in the next few weeks to make the complete woodburner experience, plus it was 20% off day for Dobbies Gardening Club Members (and that means us!) so what the heck, why not? We also bought Christmas Crackers, an Advent Candle, some lovely little chocolate bars to put in the Advent Bunting I made, and some Christmas paper napkins with sheep on them. All 20% off. Marvellous! 

I know not what tomorrow will bring apart from maybe a load of logs. And the completion of Christmas Shopping, which means I shall then be able to forget about Christmas until it happens.

And now I am going to stare at the kitchen for a while, because it looks jolly good. 

May your week be lovely and productive (or restful - you choose) and cheerful and carefree and full of warmth and joy!