Tuesday, May 26, 2015

End of May update

So, another weekend of hard graft with good friends. This week I'm thanking, Dave, Ben, Laura and John for services above and beyond in sanding and concrete laying. The builders who have arrived to start the bathroom think the concrete is amazing and want to offer John a job - given he's a civil engineer, we'd expect nothing less.

So the bedroom has it's purple wall and is waiting for the new carpet and curtains that should be arriving this week:



Tom is so committed to his DIY, he's taken to doing it in his dressing gown:


There's been a few knitting related breaks - here's a pretty little cardi for Nick and Su's new baby, modeled elegantly by Dr. Heronimus Bacon-Sandwhich


Oh and because it brings me joy, here's Lula, Tom and I in our wedding dresses, trying to break the record for a number of brides in a shop to raise money for the Countess Mountbatten Hospice.


Tom was attacked by a small girl from our church who was also attending and decided he needed a better headdress.


The weekend of intense DIY started with Tom and John digging out a new section of the drive. Where we've knocked down the old pillars, we're hoping to make the drive wide enough to park two cars on it, and be able to open the doors. I suggested they get all Poldark on this, but they declined. I also helped with the digging for a bit, but it was too much like hard work in the sun and all.


I was excited when the Wickes lorry delivered the ballast and cement.


Here are some of the cool old, handmade and inividual nails I pulled out the stairs prior to the commencement of the sanding.


And here's the sanding of the hall in process. The floors look like they were left untreated after sanding in the past, and were covered in grime. They came up quite nicely. I learnt to keep the sander moving so as not to take grooves out the floor, and doing the edges with an orbital sander is much easier than doing it with the official edge sander. Oh and to follow the grain if you can.


Here's the concreting in progress - we'd underestimated the amount of ballast we'd need, so they boys had to stop and get some more. Note official looking rebar reinforcements - John doesn't muck around.


Sanding floors is very dusty indeed - here's the Dave in comedy vacuuming of clothes moment.


I did enjoy the sanding though, as the results are so noticeable.



Let's finish on these delightful carnations. I love carnations. 


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