23.09.2023 Backlog summary and slow progress.

 ~o~

 Saturday 23rd. Cloudy and almost  no wind. A wet morning is promised. With possible heavy rain and thunder but improving later. 

 Up at 6.15 after at least six toilet breaks in the night. No more coffee after 6pm tonight!

 9.00 It rained lightly as I had a short walk. I ought to prioritise some indoor project while the weather isn't suitable for "running away." 

 The bathroom blind  is fitted. Narrowed, but not shortened yet.

 I have all the venetian blinds to trim to size. The beam across the lounge ceiling is still waiting to be painted white. Which would mean lifting the large carpet. Or rolling it over half its length. The black painted stairs need to be painted white. The rest of the lounge ceiling needs to be boarded.

 Plans for insulation of the exterior walls are at a standstill. Major and costly work even as DIY. Material choices still wide open.

 The space at the foot of the bed needs to be re-arranged for winter firewood storage. To save too many trips to the stack in the greenhouse. Indoor storage also accelerates drying. The grandfather clock, a cupboard and the aspidistra on its wooden stool. Will all need to find a new home. The clock can stand in the north east corner. Where it won't dominate the bed. As it does now.

 The TV needs to be wall mounted. I bought eight, long, heavy duty plugs and screws for this task. Then the ugly cupboard underneath the TV can go. Or be found a new space. It's two, large drawers are quite useful.  Back upstairs in its former dormer resting place? The cracks under and around the eastern, lounge window still need to be filled. No lintel was fitted when an outside door was converted to a window in the dim, distant past.

Outside, I need to clad the eastern gable around the new and smaller, 1st floor window. I can't make my mind up what would be best. Rustic, 1-on-2, vertical battens or planks, smooth T&G planks or [more] grooved plywood?  

 I need a new, main entrance door on the rear, north wall. The present one is thick floor boards screwed to cross battens. The wood shrinks and expands. Is cold, and almost impossible to draught seal. I could cover it with grooved plywood. That would help to stabilise it and provide increased insulation but no extra light. 

 Second longcase clock moved into the NE corner of the lounge. That ugly chest of drawers must go! Once the TV is wall mounted.

 I really want some light through the entrance door. For the north facing entrance hall. I priced a commercial exterior door but it was absolutely ridiculous. Even for a simple, insulated plywood sandwich! Which I could easily make myself. 

 The remaining concrete "patio" still needs to be broken up into manageable pieces. I can lose the concrete rubble easily in the northern area of the garden. Only a short wheelbarrow walk away. Where I am steadily raising the level around the observatory base. Presently overgrown with willows, oaks, etc.

 Paving slabs would seem the best option laid over sand. What about ants? The garden is saturated with them! Not sure how well sharp gravel would work just there. I don't like pea gravel as a walking surface. Too slippery! This area is north facing and in the shade of the house. So would normally be damp. As would slabs for half of the year. Is the northern house wall resting on the remains of the old, concrete slab?

 The present, very ugly, self-stabilising sand and gravel mix is picked up by my shoes when damp. It also grows weeds. The grass outside the gravel makes my footwear wet. Something needs to be done and soon. Gravel would need to be contained. To avoid the mower throwing it everywhere.

 The view of the rearranged lounge looking south.

 The buddleias are still waiting to be planted. I can't decide where to put them!

 The garden hedges along the drive need to be cut right back down again. They have more than doubled in height since last year. General tidying and gardening outside is still badly needed.

 Where to start? Something easy to get me motivated.

 I have moved the 2nd grandfather clock into the far NE corner. The aspidistra is decorating the other northerly window. The log rack is now back indoors and fully loaded. The moisture content of the logs is too low to register after months of sitting in the greenhouse. 

 The view west along the leg of the L-shaped lounge. Looking towards the bathroom and entrance hall. The main entrance door is around the back of the house. The greenhouse blocks easy access to the southern door. Which would otherwise be exposed to the S-SW prevailing winds. The lounge ceiling has dropped in one place and will eventually be boarded with T&G.

There was still plenty of room for the small cupboard and a spare armchair beside the log rack. This will avoid crowding the TV watching chair and frees up the main walkways. Everything is well away from the stove. 

 11.15. Warm sunshine and wind. I had to open up the greenhouse doors to get a through draught.

 12.30 Bathroom venetian blind narrowed and fitted. Privacy at last after 25 years! Not that much can be seen through the intervening trees. The phone camera has distorted the image but I have done my best to correct it. Taken from the lounge looking across the entrance hall.

 All my indoor images are to goad me onto improving the place. I am well aware of the hideous truth! Publishing these images, warts and all, motivates me to do more. I also see things in pictures which go completely unnoticed by eye. After two decades of familiarity.

 6.15. I have been mowing! The grass was damper than usual. So clung to the mower. Still, I got it all done.

 Shopping produced some organic sausages. So I shall be dining in style. Perhaps I'll sit at the dining table. To celebrate that it's not chicken and mushrooms again. 😏 Dare I have a beer? I deserve one. I think I'll go with sausages, chips and a few mushrooms. Throw on a couple of fresh tomatoes. To make it a healthy meal.

 The truth? I sat and watched Netflix with the tray on my lap. A glass of beer on the coffee table. Followed by chocolate biscuits and coffee. Oh, the shame!

 

~o~