The reason nothing on the house is getting done...

 

 

The Bedroom Project

So we have spent the last few weekends trying to get a few projects completed before the arrival of the baby. Weekends in March and April have largely been overtaken by the Bedroom Project, the Nursery Project and the Downstairs WC Project.

Here is the low down on the Bedroom Project. This is it emptied of furniture. The front wall needed to be re plastered as the plaster hadn't been applied properly before and had lifted away from the wall.

The removal of the radiator in order to facilitate the plastering nearly led to the Replacement of the Living Room Ceiling project but luckily we managed to catch that little disaster before it became..well.. too disastrous.

Here is the removal of the old plaster and t'husband doing what he does best, project managing, which admittedly looks a lot like watching and chatting...

And the new plaster in progress. Love a bit of smooth plaster which is good as this wall took forever to dry. A good few weeks....

Then there was the sanding. Oh sanding how I hate thee...which is why t'husband did it.

Essential tools of the sanding trade. Paper, mask, ample supply of warm brews accompanied by lots of encouraging words...

I didn't photograph the next stage but between the sanding and the wiring was the wood worming. Apparently, the fumes are not good for a woman in my condition! Then there was the wiring. I am so impressed that I have a husband with all these rad skills.

Then there was a painting which was something I could help with. However, painting skirting boards at 35 weeks pregnant leads to all sort of contortions.

And finally there was the fitting of the carpet and the reinstalling of the furniture. So a few days of plastering, a few weeks for plaster to dry, several weekends of sanding, wood worming, wiring, painting and carpet shopping and that is our bedroom...DONE!*

*With the exception of a new light, some bedside tables and putting pictures up.

And from looking at this, it's just in time...

And none of this would have been possible without the skills, patience and hard work of a good and loving man. I am indebted to t'husband who promised me all along I would have a bedroom ready for when the baby arrived. You totally rock and I love you....

What Goes Up...

To burn off some of the copious amounts of calories consumed over Christmas, our kind friends the O'Neills asked us to come and spend some time with them in the Lakes. They suggested a bit of skiing which I couldn't, unfortunately, take part in due to the passenger I am now carrying that makes these things difficult. So they suggested a nice walk and some fun in the snow with a stop for tea and cake after.

What I didn't realise was that the 'walk' was more akin to a hike. A three hour hike, up a hill, at 25 weeks pregnant with nary a toilet in sight...toileting issues (or lack thereof) aside we had a marvellous day. The weather was amazing...

The terrain challenging...

...enough to feel a sense of achievement at the top...

And the views were immense enough to warrant catalogue style posing...

But what goes up must come down and the descent was precarious and hilarious. I ended up deciding it was safer to scooch down on my bum, rather than risk slipping and falling. Anyway, I lifted my heels off the floor at the top for milliseconds and before I knew it was sliding high speed down the peak with no real means of stopping…all I could hear was t'husband screaming from the top of the hill ‘Who let the pregnant woman go first!?’ I eventually managed to anchor myself with a walking pole after sliding about 70 metres. Scare-larious…

Due to high jinx above, I was made to follow t'husband down the hill as he slipped and slid in his inadequate for ice, snow and descent shoes. Mrs O'N and I tried hard to contain our giggles at his flailing arms and legs but failed. Was exhausted with laughing by the bottom…


A brilliant day...

Christmas in Pictures...

There was snow to get us dreaming of a white Christmas...


Gifts!...

Decorations...

Preparations.
Including cooking for the 5,000...


Seating the 5,000....

Eating....

With family (the aforementioned 5,000)...



Drinking...
With friends...


Visits...from family....
After this young lady below visited...

..and wore an apron so charmingly, helped to not only cook breakfast but also clear away afterwards and paid due attention to the man of the house t'husband decided he wants a girl...!


There were also visits from friends and friends' young families...


All rounded off with another flurry of snow...
A really, really lovely Christmas and thoughts now turn to what the new year will bring...good times!