Just in case.....

I wonder how many items others have that they`ve kept "just in case"... they might be useful or needed in the future?

After the pleasure I got from having my front room redecorated last year, I`m now going to have the back room done. This afternoon I therefore set to, by starting to move items in readiness for the chap to come on Monday morning (assuming we don`t get snowed in again by then!).

On diving into a couple of cupboards, because I need them painted inside too, what a load of junk I`ve found, things that have been kept `just in case`. -
Eight or nine empty biscuit tins, some starting to go rusty.
Another tin with a selection of odd, old kitchen tools - many now past their best, as the cupboard was a bit damp.
Some very old discoloured stumps of candles, which were once white. (plus some whole ones, which I have kept `just in case`)
An assortment of little empty cardboard boxes.
A tub with some medicines in - some pre-decimal days by the prices on them.
A large spider..... thank goodness it was dead! (I did panic until I was sure it was deceased)

What will I be doing tomorrow?... making a trip to the local tip!

Holiday guest

All my rushing around was worth while. My friend arrived as planned and we have a very enjoyable 4 days together - except that the weather decided to change from the nice sunny days of the previous week into cold wind and rain. The gas fires had to be put on for the first time this year. But the weather didn`t stop us going out.

On the first morning we went to a nearby small town where she`d also previously lived (as well as having lived in the same town as I`m in year`s ago), then from there we went on to another largish town, where wandering round the large store there, I saw a Coffee table which I liked. and it had the bonus of two drawers in it - ideal for concealing all the clutter that at times builds up on surfaces in the room I thought. I`d been feeling that my newly decorated lounge just needed something in the middle as when one person sat in the armchair anyone sitting on the settee looked a mile away! So, we measured the table and brought the measurements home.

Next day we went back to purchase the table, as it was the ideal size. Whilst doing so my friend spotted that there was also a small square table in the same design - your tv would look good on that she said! I agreed with her, so have ordered both - they`re coming on Friday.

So we enjoyed our first two days. More about what we did the next day, tomorrow

Changing Rooms 2

And... here it is.... the finished look.



I don`t know what my decorator friend did - he seems to have pushed the walls out somehow! The room seems and feels twice as big as it did before.

I`ve just got one thing left to do, and that is to decide what, if anything, to hang on the wall above the fire place. We used to have a mirror there. I`m not hanging that one back, as it`s beginning to look `worse for wear`, but can`t decide whether to go for another mirror, or a picture, or to have one of my photo`s blown up to picture size, or to leave the wall blank! Decisions... decisions!!
And, I think I`ll in a few months or so change the carpet too, I`ve never been really keen on it ever since we had it years ago.

Changing Rooms

On Monday my lounge looked like this......




On Tuesday it looked like this.....



Now it looks.....

....... you`ll have to wait till tomorrow to find out!!!!

Fresh start

This new year, I`ve not made any resolutions (not yet, anyway), but somehow its made me want to have a clean start. Wanting to really sort all the house out, there seems so much stuff everywhere that I have the urge to tidy it all away and make a new start. So I`ve started in my office room. Papers have been flying everywhere! The shredder has been working overtime and the recycling bin has been filling up.

I`ve also decided to pick up again in doing my daily Counting my blessings blog, but again have started a fresh one instead of carrying on with the one I abandoned last year, as I felt it was becoming boring and repetitive.

I`m also changing something else for something new.... but you`ll have to wait till next week to hear about that!

Freedom

I`m feeling free!

I`ve got the house to myself for a whole week, and what a great feeling that is. My parent went off this morning for a weeks holiday, so I`ve time to be "me", to do as I like, to relax, free from the stress of being on edge with her being there. It`s not until times like this that I realise that I don`t totally relax at any time when she`s here, because I`m always conscious of that presence. Of the frustrating interruptions to what I`m doing, or to my thoughts when trying to concentrate on something I`m writing.

So, I`m going to make the most of this week!