So on the Monday of the week before last , I stripped the bed, took the bedding into the spare room, adding it to the pile of stuff already removed from cupboards, etc. We wrestled the mattress off, and into the spare room, split the top of the bed from the bottom, piled one half on top of the other, and husband emptied his wardrobe and moved it. The paper on that wall was 'ready pasted', that wall had never had woodchip, and it came off so easily. By 12 I was applying the first coat to that wall. No shelf supports had ever been on that wall, so no protruding wallplugs, or holes to be filled.
After lunch I popped out. Husband had started emptying his huge bookcase. I went shopping for a few small items, then drove to the local lodge/hotel to book us in. I got the room key, inspected the room, not much storage space, but we didn't really need it. Just somewhere to lay our heads for a couple of nights.
Back home, at around 4, I put on the second coat of paint, it went on like a dream. Then I cleaned up, made dinner, and we departed for the hotel. The bed wasn't very comfortable, but we went to bed fairly early, for me at least,and got a reasonable night. We awoke relatively early, without an alarm, showered, dressed and went down for breakfast. It was one of those buffet style breakfasts, basically, you just choose what you want from the cereals, yoghurts, tea/coffee, muffins, croissants, fruit, brioche. There are also cooked items scrambled egg, sausage and beans. We wondered why no bacon, but I then pointed out that bacon doesn't actually improve with standing. I remember when we accompanied our Son to uni, we stayed overnight in a Ramada, and the breakfast buffet bacon had been standing,and was like cardboard. There was also a toaster, where you put in bread at one end and it does a sort of tour and comes out as toast.
I had wheat biscuits, a banana, then as I was going to be physically active, toast and marmalade. there was no decaff, so I had hot chocolate, but on enquiry, a member of staff gave me some sachets of decaff, which are available in reception for refurbishing rooms stock. Husband had quite a substantial breakfast, including egg sausage and beans.
We drove home, he put his wardrobe back against the wall, we moved the bed a bit, then he moved my wardrobe and a small chest so I could get behind it to scrape off the woodchip. He emptied his bookcase, and moved that, so that I could scrape off more. He cleared all of the scraped off paper for me. After lunch I began painting the wall behind the wardrobe, and a bit to the side which I hadn't been able to reach before. Suddenly husband called. He'd gone downstairs and found the kitchen flooded. There was water pouring out of the powder drawer. We had to stop the machine, and tried to mop up. Obviously the machine wasn't draining properly, so I flushed soda crystals through twice, but the machine still would not drain. after mopping up, I went back and finished the wall.
I suddenly remembered that an engineer had once unblocked my machine, and found a lot of tissue in it. The previous day had forgotten to change onto my 'painting trousers', had got paint n the ones I was wearing, so had stuffed them into the machine without checking the pockets, Sainsbury's own brand tissues tend to clump when wet, and often stay on the pocket, but I'd used so many tissues when I had my cold that I bought extra in town, They were Kleenex, which just disintegrate.
Because of all the extra hassle, we were later eating and a bit later getting to the hotel. There were no parking spaces at all. So husband dropped me off, then took the car home and walked back. feeling a bit down in the dumps, I bought us a Kitkat each. After husband came back I watched 2 things in iplayer, before going to bed, I didn't sleep too well, probably too wound up to sleep.
For breakfast the next day husband had something similar, but I had orange juice, a croissant which was hard and overcooked, toast and jam, in fact I had 2 slices. Then I found a sachet of the decaff. so just added hot water and milk. Husband went back home for the car, and we were soon checking out.
Later that day I went to Homebase for more paint, I had located where the filter should be on the washing machine. Husband had taken the top off the day before, but no sign of it. Once the machine was actually switched off, I could open the door, I'd removed the inadequately rinsed clothes, but as I was trying to drain the machine the door was shut and wouldn't open.
Husband decide to do some gardening, whilst I painted the second coat. I quickly sanded the skirting board and applied a one coat gloss. As I was pulling the masking tape off the carpet, I heard a yell, and raced downstairs. Into the kitchen and I was paddling again. this time water was running from the under sink cupboard. Husband explained he'd tried to pull the washing machine out, and water just appeared. I sent him outside to turn off the stopcock, and then as the water subsided managed to reach the switch for the cold fill. Once that was off and the water back on, no further water came out, so out with the absorbent cloths and towels again. This was beginning to be depressing! Water all cleared up, then I was back upstairs finishing off picking up the tape. the wardrobe and chest went back and husband's book case,and we were at last able to put the bed back together.
On inspection, husband discovered that the cold fill pipe had actually split. It was quite old,older than the washing machine, as it's been easier since our kitchen was done 18 years ago, to reuse the old pipes, rather than fit new ones.
We managed to clean up the mess, but I was then left with wet soggy towels that I couldn't wash, added to the pile of badly rinsed clothes. I ran our Daughter, who was visiting her Grandma, with husband and the children as it was half term. We have a key to her house, and she gave me permission to use her washing machine. So on Thursday, I went up there, rinsed the stuff that had been stranded in the washing machine, and then put the towels in to wash whilst I went to the Supermarket. Whilst there, I found a duvet cover which would fit in with my new colour scheme, I had bought some valanced sheets online Our old sheets were wearing a bit thin, they are about 10 years old. Then after lunch we went to B&Q, I can't recall what I went for, but husband came with me as he wanted to buy extra long hoses for the washing machine. He found the filter, and removed 1 penny, 2 curtain hooks and various bits of paper. the filter went back the new hoses were fitted,and I tried a rinse with an empty machine and it worked. Brilliant, so my 12 year old machine is not yet for the scrapheap.
Friday was spent sorting stuff and putting it away,and I had a trip to Homebase for a second duvet cover, then Dunelm Mill for curtains, which turned out to be not wide enough, so I ordered more online,and despite the delivery date being shown as Monday, they arrived on Saturday. We had a walk nito town, then later I put the curtains up. We're getting there by degrees.
My photos are in disarray atm, so I won't upload any, hope it's not too boring.
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