WINTER WONDERS 40

Firstly, I had to remove the cabinet and mirror from the wall where they have lived for between 2 and 4 decades. This task was done one Friday morning prior to taking an elderly friend for a walk. The mirror was easy, with a couple of twists of my screwdriver it fell off. The cabinet required the attention of a screwdriver and chisel, though, as there were two small screws and one huge one securing it to the bathroom wall.

You can see that I was successful in removing both items eventually, and also the amount of dirt that had accumulated behind them - ew. My next task therefore, was to clean the wall over using baby wipes, paper towels soaked in vinegar, and finally a cheap cleaning cloth. I let it dry while taking my friend for her walk...

Those mucky-yukkys are now outside the house awaiting a tip trip - along with a broken lawn mower and several bags of plastic infested weed-roots. In the above picture you can see the turquoise coloring our bathroom used to be when I grew up...along with the planned repaint that occurred after I had left the house to live in Australia for 22 years.

I got back from my short trip out and prepared to secure the new bathroom cabinet to the wall. The drill was ready, as were the cabinet, wall plugs, screws...

...everything except for an extension lead for the drill. I measured it out, and discovered that using my computer surge protection bar lead would just reach from the upper hallway plugs to the bathroom with the drill added, so began the next task - marking where to drill.

I measured the cabinet, sited it in my mind on the wall, marked its external corners, then where I figured the screws would insert...

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February 2016 began and my first task was to nip outside at the end of the first week to use the spare mortar on whatever holes I could find that might be making the spare room corner wall damp. I managed to find 2-3 hidden behind  our cotoneaster and apply mortar. Hopefully it set before the rain washed it off and hopefully also it will allow the damp patch to be dried up by the heating within a week or so.

The next task was to 'tidy up' a few loose ends in the spare room, while awaiting the result of the attempted repair to the damp patch. During the second week of February, I took down the net curtains for a second cleanse. I had rinsed them through quickly once, but they really needed an overnight soak, necessitating this second step.

Once back in position, the front window looked good and was ready - along with a pair of flower pots, one containing chili seed and the other tomato. Hopefully they will sprout into happy seedlings, while the only heated room is heated to eradicate the damp patch - which thankfully is now receding, despite more rain.

Losar meant the rinsing through and rehanging of three strands of Tibetan prayer flags. While the largest was resituated across my bedroom wall and middle-sized Medicine Buddha flags across the window, the smaller strand was rehoused in the spare room. You will also see a pair of red ceramic swans. I do not particularly like them, but as they are a similar burgundy color to the drapes and also the metallic paper I will be covering the former fireplace with, I figured that they can stay.

I have decided to leave the cream over-paint of the 'playful pink' trim, windows and door until I repaint the room in 5-10 years time, as it does not look 'as bad' clash-wise as I originally thought.

Next up, this dirty, moldy, monster was to be replaced. My parents and I have opposing tastes in decor and color preferences, and most of what they left in situ when passing away is going to be gotten rid of. Thankfully I have a friend with good taste in decor who recently had their bathroom refitted, so gave me their former bathroom cabinet which is in good-as-new condition.

THE PLOT 4

This shows the area to the front of my rhubarb clump which was partially covered in plastic pieces and bags, a small hill like area of I assume a combination of manure and weeds. I am clearing it gradually...

Here is my poly-covered cold frame - complete with multiple measures to ensure the wind does not have the ability to remove the poly completely. Inside you can find more broad beans and garlic, a couple onions - and where I did have some pak choi - most were munched, but I took one home to continue growing in the poly tunnel.

Here you can see the area cleared and manured ready for my 2016 artichoke and onion crops. The artichokes are already buried in situ, along with around a dozen of the onions I started off at home. The rest should get planted by the close of February, if weather permits. I hope to have enough space for a patch of corn or tomato too...

You can also see my third raised bed - empty - and ready prepared for my 2016 melons, squash, and nasturtiums! (This has since been filled with starwberry runners and one of th strawberry beds manured ready for said crops).

Between the raised beds and shed, you will spot a patch with 2 blackcurrant bushes, but otherwise empty. This is where my beans and other crops will go, until I see how much room is left after my spuds and onions are planted. There is a little grassy-weedy area in addition to these patches, which will be cleared and used for marigolds, salad crops, radish, carrots, etc.

Finally here are my two strawberry beds. In 2017, I aimed to move the runners into the third raised bed and clear these raised beds for salad crops/spreading and trailing plants, before collecting runners to re-fill one of the beds the following year. But this past week I decided to fill the spare raised bed with the runners and manure up the new spare bed for my 2016 crops. I now aim to transfer the oldest strawberry bed next year...

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I fiddled around with the little plastic white curly things until I logically figured out which way they fitted into the curtain and onto the rail links. I then hung the curtains - one at a time. Firstly, hooking on each end, and then a hook in the middle, and then arranging the rest of the hooks at random, roughly at regular spaced intervals.

The spare room now has curtained windows! I contemplated the situation - yes it does clash a little, but it doesn't look as bad as I originally thought - so I may not buy a tub of cream paint to cover over the pink paint... it can wait until I repaint the room to go cream.

In dusk and artificial light it looks rather good, if not quite so good in regular daylight, where the colors do clash a tad.

My next task was to organize the correct plastic wall plug lumps, screws, and drill fixture - ready to put up my lovely shiny silver bathroom cabinet - instead of the old ugly ancient one. My friend who gave it to me has better taste than my parents who left behind that ugly old one, lol.

Drill, drill slot-ins, screws and plugs at the ready, it just waited til the right time and day - IE when I had time for things to go wrong, in case they did...

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This was the result of the bag of screws shown in the last blog post. My promised 'Christmas' gift of a brand new underwear cabinet. Ho hum, well yes, it is SUPPOSED to be a bathroom cabinet, but...

Here is the piles of stuff that I needed to put into the drawers and the bathroom cabinet yet to be placed onto the bathroom wall. Here it is all tucked into place - neat and tidy and a brand NEW item of furniture! I had two slots free so popped my incense and candles in.

Next up, the floor is now empty in the spare room, as we took the carpet to the tip. Henry, a broom and vinegar water will soon be applied...

Next task was to replace the washed/ironed curtains. My question as to whether the lovely pink would clash with the now-spotless and sweet-smelling burgundy curtains was answered...

...YES! Oh well, the rest of the pink satin gloss paint can paint the coffee room doors and I will buy a tub of cream to cover the spare room pink. In the meantime, replacing the plastic thingys in the curtain slits and hanging the burgundy drapes will enable me to re-wash the net curtains and the windows will soon be looking great!

THE PLOT 3

Here are my seed potatoes all laid out with the correct end facing the window (light). February's first weekend arrived. Saturday might have given me opportunity to dig over my veg plot, but I had gone out for most of the day to Shoreham and Brighton on a coffee-shop trip. By the time I got home, I was a little too pooped to tackle a 2-3 hour dig job.

Sunday arrived, and I was able to pop down the plot for 20 minutes before the appearance of a band of black clouds with a rainbow chased me homewards. I was amused that one end of the rainbow appeared to linger near to where one of my close friends lived - but it would be more likely a pot of coffee than gold at the end of it, if so!

The above photo was taken on my second trip, lasting almost an hour, taken after an early lunch. It shows the far right hand corner of my plot, with my 2016 crop of garlic and broad beans growing away nicely. In 2017, I plan to move the fruit crops across from the far left hand side into this space.

This is the fruit crops for 2016 - my rhubarb has begun to grow for the new season already; I have 3-4 gooseberry bushes and a bunch of blackcurrant bushes, and some mixed species raspberry canes. I additionally pinched a couple of the free clumps of raspberry canes from the freebie site out front of the plots and popped a second one of these in today...

This photo shows you where my 2016 potato crops are going to be grown, once chitted. As you can probably tell, half the area has already been dug over - but the other half has not. I had hoped to finish this task today, but the weather had other plans for me. I did get some small jobs done though - there are now  a few weeds less in my plot.

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I am slowly persevering with fixing up my bedroom. I recently dusted and tidied up my guitar/candle corner as you can see. The next task on my agenda was to take down the first of three strings of Tibetan prayer flags to wash through as they were getting dusty being internal ones. This produced the following sight - and the need to fix it...

...which I did.

The next adventure had to wait on my friend to have spare time at an appropriate slot on a day that we both had vacant. Due to my work and her family, this did not occur til the final week in January. The day arrived and a couple of hours were given to our tasks...

Firstly, she brought around her 'old' bathroom cabinet - and it is so much nicer than our crappy ancient dirty stained one/mirror, as you can see. I have yet to remove the old and fix the new into position, and this will likely entail a blog post in the next couple of weeks once done. But here are the new and old, which I hope explains why I am so excited to have the new/her old!

The next task was to grab a cup of coffee - a happening which often happens when two coffee-lovers meet up! Then we collected a few items from her house and brought them round to mine. From this last photo for today, I think you can estimate that there was some screwing going on...but can you guess what?