INDOORS 20

New Years Day and I was back to work on the bedroom late morning. Earlier on, I did my favored chore of tidying up the pantry and reorganizing it based on best before dates. The bottom shelf is stuff like flour, rice, lentils, opened fruit and nuts that are in use. The next ledge up has my herbs and spices on the right, with items running L to R in order of use by date starting with April or May 2017 and running thru til mid 2018.

The shelf above this contains storage jars/tubs along with products with shelf lifes extending beyond mid 2018 thru to 2020. The top ledge is where I store my hot drinks, oils, sugars and salts, etc. I was soon back to work however, eager to get as much painting done as possible, ready to purchase goodies for the bedroom in the sales.

There was enough paint over to paint most of the closet interior. It only really needs a single coat, as its mainly for storing suitcases and shopping bags etc in - not for everyday use. The highest piece - a foot or so above the shelf - I have left for now, but will paint with spare paint if I feel like it when the rest of the closet paint is dry.

I used some more on the skirting boards - figuring I would undercoat them in matt and top coat them in gloss if there was not enough gloss to go round. I probably will have enough to double coat them if needs be, however.

Here you can see the two doors. The Tibetan gold exterior to the bedroom is staying - the red colors closet interior I have yet to decide upon. I began on the gloss - undercoating the windowsill firstly, and then the door surrounds and doors.

This last shot shows the coloring better - a sort of pallid blue. The whitish looking bits are just from light - everything is the same 'Mineral Mist' colored paint from Dulux - matt and gloss.

INDOORS 19

I began to paint on the 28th December - and spent around 2 hours getting 1/3 the ceiling and a small portion of wall painted before being hungry and quitting to cook and consume dinner.

I can assure you it does not look that ugly a color in real life/light - but is a bit bluer than I had thought, and less silvery-gray. On the 29th, I painted some more - finishing the ceiling undercoat and 2 walls.

On the 30th, I top coated the ceiling and painted the other two walls. One more coat to go on each wall and I will see how much paint I have over. If there is plenty, I will third coat the walls and if not, I may single coat the interior of the closet.

On the final day of 2016, I completed a third coat on the walls. This left me a little paint to start the new year with. I am not as obese as I look in this photo - you must remember that it is winter and I have a window open while painting - several layers of clothing are therefore needed.

Looking back over 2016, I finished redecorating the spare room, completely redecorated the toilet, and top coated the ceiling and four walls in my bedroom. I am more or less on schedule to finish the painting in time for the January sales - at which I hope to score discounted bargains in the way of carpet, curtains, furniture and a bed!

My goal for 2017 is to finish the bedroom and use spare tins of paint to jazz up the coffee lounge after getting rid of all the junk in there. I then plan to save and hope to re-cover the poly tunnel and re-line the pond in the final 1/4 of the year -  leaving the bathroom and any major exterior upgrades for 2018/2019/2020.

OUTDOORS 11

Christmas morning arrived and I went down the allotment in the light drizzle to collect some fresh veg for my meal. Because of the rain, I did not take many photos - just the one, encompassing the entire plot to show it at its winter best. I selected leeks and cabbage and my only carrot from the left, purple Brussels sprouts and rocket from the midst, and had a look over the rest of the plot before taking them home to add to the potatoes, artichoke, etc that I already had in storage.

This collection may not look very appetizing - but it became part of a 20-veg feast AKA 3 course veg-meal for my Christmas! Next up, my late December purchase of a blueberry bush. It has now been safely transplanted into the allotment fruit corner.

It is a variety that needs a partner to assist fertilization, which I hope to purchase soon - or next year, if I am too late. Back in the poly tunnel. I have emptied a couple of tubs and ripped some of the former tomato plants. I have refilled one large tub ready for my 2017 sowings, whilst parsley and cauliflower seedlings thrive.

In regard to my chili plants, which I am/was hoping to overwinter - The Chocolate Habanero on the kitchen windowsill and Cayenne on the coffee lounge windowsill are doing fine. The 2 Hot Lemons on the spare room windowsill are surviving, if looking a tad droopy - but their bro in the poly tunnel is suffering and alas, I think not going to make it thru.

In the soon-to-be-hedgerow border, 3 tulips have been added. Since originally writing this post a few days ago, I have planted 3 cauliflower seedling and a half dozen onions into tubs in the poly tunnel and dug out one blackcurant bush at the plot. If is had not been raining overnight, I would have been down the allotment today instead of sitting on my butt on the computer...

INDOORS 18

Xmas Eve gave me added opportunity to work in the bedroom, due to my day-sleeping son going to work at 2pm instead of 7pm. I gave up on removing the closet door, and stood on a chair to plane the top, hoping that this would enable me to close it at least. I used the large plane noisily, the the little one quietly, alternating again, again, again, and again...

Success - finally! Now my only problem is if the carpet layers need to remove it and plane the base, cos the screws won't let that happen! I also used another half tube of polyfilla, leaving just a few bits to do. Looking at the amount I have polyfilled on the walls, I am wondering if I should just have hollered for a handyman and got the room replastered, but...

By the 27th, I had made more progress. The polyfilla and planed doors had been sanded - as you can see by the shreds of sandpaper remaining, I only just had enough to do the job!

It gave me dusty hands too! On the 27th itself, I swept the walls with a broom and vacced. The bedroom is finally ready to be painted.

INDOORS 17

As you can see, I have begun work on the bedroom door. I managed to take it off the hinges quite easily and lay it down ready to plane a little off the base, ready for when new carpet is lain.

I successfully got some wood off the base too. I found the giant 2-handed plane took large scrapes off and the tiny 1-hand plane filed it neater, though the painted edges still looked a bit rough when I had finished. That is when I began to run into trouble, and why I left the closet door until 'some other day'.

I did manage to screw it back into place - however - not successfully. It may look right, but it no longer shuts without a shove. Never mind - I will take it off and try again when I neaten the edges with a scraper tool tomorrow - or maybe the day after. If I still fail, I will call in our handyman or scream for Liz!

Sunday arrived and I began to polyfill the closet interior. I say began, as there are several large chunks of plaster missing and a few pieces about to fall out. The large chunk areas have been given a dose of polyfilla - but will take another blob or two to fill up completely once the first lot is dry.

I then began to tackle the closet door - or try to - but I could not get the screws out. This may be because I had just pushed a wheelchair around for 45 minutes meaning my arms did not have full 'oomph' - but it is more likely because the paint covering the screws is as old as I am - 50 - and the screws do not look like they have been unscrewed in the entire 63 years that this house has been standing. I will try again when I have full oomph. If I continue to fail, I will phone the handyman Liz and I use after the carpet layers take the doors off, if I still have trouble with it.

Yes, I took the bedroom door off again and gave it another plane. I had decided to try once more to perfect it.

INDOORS 16

Finally - I mopped the floor clean. The room then needed to dry and air - and then I could begin to poly fill! Downstairs, in the spare room, where I am currently living, the chest of drawers is brightened by a bunch of flowers gifted from work.

Upstairs....

It is back to work! These great big heavy looking contraptions are planes - borrowed from my friend Liz - so I can work on making my closet door fit well enough to shut and the bedroom door a little less in size so that thicker carpet will allow it to open/shut properly.

Meanwhile - I took 2 days to polyfill wall cracks. The first day I did one wall, the second I did the rest of the walls and some of the closet. I need to re-do a few large cracks and use any spare filler on the hairlines then I will be ready to use those planes and 'attack' the doors!

OUTDOORS 10

Here they are - is the answer to the question from my last outdoor post. I decided that instead of tying them to things, I would dig them out and transplant them along the fence.

The fence will become a hedge - one day. I have small cuttings of box-privet and yew, a forsythia, and now 4 rose bushes planted - and have cut the mint back for winter and added 2 fuchsias from the front yard and my favored plant from Liz and a few bits and pieces...

Once grown a bit more, it should look nice. In the meantime, I added some scraps and stuff to 'hedgehog hotel row'.

Here are the latest artichoke tubers amassed by the zillion it would seem. I certainly think that 4 plants will be more than sufficient for growing next year. I still have around half in the ground, awaiting dry soil and free time to align to allow for me to remove them.

The tomatoes are beginning to be useless in the poly tunnel and there are maybe 4-5 left to pluck and pop onto the kitchen windowsill to hopefully ripen before I rip the plants out. I have numerous cauliflower seedlings, some of which I will pot up. I still have a little parsley and some chives going, too. But mostly, the tunnel growing season is done with - other than the caulis and possibly parsley.

Down the plot, I have done very little - it has been damp or wet and therefore not suitable to hoeing/digging. I have popped coffee grounds and scraps in the compost and harvested a few leeks. The last of the rocket might be coming home with me on my next trip and another bagfull of artichokes...