Well, the builders laid down their paint brushes yesterday, got their brooms busy and packed up and left. We still have the scaffolding up, but that will hopefully soon be dismantled. The house is looking gorgeous - a soft custardy yellow limewash and Heritage grey-green paintwork. We miss our bright cheerful seasidey blue, which brightened the house up on a grey winter's day, but have to admit it's not to everyone's taste.
Now we are busy cleaning windows inside and out, and redecorating the sitting room, main bathroom, and sundry other bits which were looking tatty. There is an amazing amount of tidying up to be done too, but we will get there.
Meanwhile my health suffered yet another set-back last week, when the pollen went into overdrive (mainly Dock in the paddock I suspect, along with the usual grassy suspects). An afternoon spent painting the bay windows in undercoat had me feeling like I was suffocating, and I had to take extra anti-histamines to cope, and then it was back down the Doc's and back on another short course of steroids. Even those didn't fully work, so I have had to see the Respiratory nurse again and now have a temporary add-on steroid inhaler and a change of anti-histamines (which I hope will do the trick). First course of those this morning and my breathing feels good, so fingers crossed.
Meanwhile, cheered up by the fact that the end was in sight with the builders, I spent yesterday wielding a paintbrush and a vacuum cleaner in the sitting room. Unfortunately, the paint we had mixed appears to have been mixed a shade lighter than we wanted, but it's too late to do anything about it now, so it's just being sloshed on anyway, although my OH is not amused, his nose already being out of joint because of the change from blue to green on the outside paintwork. I hardly dare say I am planning to remove 4 slightly shabby old pictures from the hall wall, so I will have to be very tactful about those (having been turned down when I suggested this before . . . sometimes LESS is . . . MORE).
I have also set up a dedicated sewing room in the attic, in the room which is now a sort of spare bedroom (in that it has a bed in it . . .) but used to be the play/sleepover room, and is nice and roomy and light from two velux windows. I have moved all my books up there too and look forward to being able to settle down and work in peace soon.
I desperately want to get out into the garden, but have to hold fire until the pollen subsides as there is no point in laying myself up again because of it. A shame my OH isn't a gardener . . .
