I was queuing at the checkouts in Waitrose the other day. Right by the tills, where they generally keep an “impulse purchase” range of cakes and biscuits, was a large box with bunches of daffodils. The woman in front of me in the queue picked one up to add to her trolley. I caught her […]
There was absolutely no hope of a Saturday-morning lie-in today. At ten to nine, three burly men arrived in a van with some long ladders, and have been up on the roof ever since (with regular tea-breaks, naturally!). The noise they make clumping about up there will really give the mice in the loft something […]
When Christopher and I bought this house, over fifteen years ago, we knew that taking on a rather run-down Victorian cottage was going to be something of a “project”. Over the years, we’ve had it rewired, re-decorated, re-carpeted, and extended, yet there is a seemingly endless list of things that need doing. There is always […]
With all the cold weather lately, it’s hardly surprising that I’ve started to hear rustlings in the loft again. It’s been so cold and generally unpleasant outside that the mice have, understandably, been driven inside in search of shelter. Understandable, but not at all welcome! This time the noises haven’t been coming from the usual […]
Way back last November I had a problem with the fan in my en-suite shower room. It had an intermittent short, and was turning itself on and off at random. My regular electrician was able to come out at short notice, diagnose the fault and disconnect the unit from the mains. Water had got into […]
I’ve got an open fire in my living room which is hardly ever used. It’s a useful back-up if and when the boiler breaks down or there’s an extended power cut, as it means that at least I can heat one room. And Christopher used to quite like occasionally having a roaring blaze on a […]
I blame my mother entirely. She phoned me up shortly after I’d had the bathroom finished, and told me to make sure I enjoyed the next half hour – as after that I’d have to start on the next round of maintaining and renovating the house! She clearly put a jinx on it, as I’ve […]
I’ve been having ongoing problems with noises in the attic all summer and autumn. Martin (the brother-in-law of Tim my original pest controller) has been back here multiple times to put poison down in the loft to try to get rid of the vermin. In the past that’s always worked, at least temporarily. But not […]
So Rob finally finished the bathroom and the long list of household maintenance jobs I’d given him. I got home from work to find him packed up and waiting for me in his van on the drive. We went round the house inspecting and ticking off all the items. Sapling removed from roof? Check. Gutters […]
Rob the decorator has been making good progress with the bathroom. All the tiles are up and grouted, there’s fresh lining paper on the ceiling, and he’s made a start on painting the woodwork. However, he’s going to have plenty of time to fill in over the next two days, while he’s waiting for the […]
