Saturday

It was band practice this morning. I decided not to play so took the beginners for the first hour, did some filing down in the storeroom and then sat between two children to point and help them keep in time. All in all it was a good morning and I will probably play next week. The photo shows one of the rooms we use for practice, taken at the end of the morning when we've cleared all the equipment away. We practice in the old Magistrate's Court so the carved wooden barrier in front of the stained glass windows is the Magistrate's Bench. It's listed, so is out of bounds to the children ... just in case!

I'm expecting a Tesco delivery with the rest of the food for the next month or so but apart from that, my only plan is to tune into ITV2 as they are showing the last four Harry Potter films over the weekend. 

Good News!

A sneaky photograph taken in the consulting room when the Registrar had disappeared to find some leaflets for me.

It's good news so far. The physical examination hasn't raised any concerns - there's no sign of a lump or any other change that would indicate the presence of cancer. The Registrar set my mind at rest when she said that pain as a symptom of breast cancer is only evident in approximately 1% of cases and she has recommended a tablet I can take for pain relief if I feel I need it; I can't remember what it's called and I've left the leaflet in the car but it's not a prescription medication and can be bought in Holland and Barrett. I'll see how I get on before buying any. The next stage is the mammogram just to be 100% sure, but she is not expecting a negative result and I'll get an appointment within the next two weeks.

I was only in the hospital for two hours instead of the three hours stated on the letter so on the way home I did a bit of food and toiletries shopping and also called in to the furniture store to look at the armchairs. I liked the one that matches my sofas (which I linked to in yesterday's post) so will do a final measure of the available space, just to be sure, and then will go back after band tomorrow and order it. I don't have the energy to go back today so will get some lunch, then settle down for a quiet afternoon to recharge the batteries.

Waking Up!

I'm talking about the garden, not me! I had a bit of a wander round to see what was happening and was delighted to see that the pieris is starting to flower. Each individual flowers is tiny, only about 5mm long, but the plant is covered in buds so it'll be beautiful when they all flower. There's plenty of green growth around following the recent rain so I need to get outside and do some tidying up to give everything the room it needs.

It's not a job for today though. I've woken with a terrible headache and don't have the energy to be outside continuously bending, so will carry on with sorting and organising indoors. Yesterday I worked through two big plastic crates, reducing the contents to half a crate, so my first job will be to find homes for those things and then maybe pick the next box to start on.

I'm supposed to go to a band committee meeting tonight but, if this headache doesn't disappear, I may check to see that there are enough people going to ensure a quorum and if so, may send my apologies. I think I need an early night.

The Living Room (2)

Here's the other end of the living room. The small chair in the corner is the one that will be in the music room when I've cleared enough space for it and in it's place I'd like to fit another armchair. I did buy one when I bought the sofas but that one has found a home in the dining room, so I have the option of buying the chair that matches the sofa (here) or looking around for something else. I haven't made my mind up yet. The side table is the other one of a pair which will be sold and replaced with something more suitable for the space.

Finally ...

... the dining table is clear! From now on I'll have all my meals sitting at this table - a self-imposed rule to stop eating in front of the TV. I always used to sit at the table to eat but have got into bad habits since the table disappeared under a heap of boxes.

The protection will stay on the table for the time being as that's going to be where I sort out some of the boxes. If you're wondering where all the boxes have gone ... they're in the music room until I get round to sorting them out.

It's not quite as bad as it looks as about a third of the boxes contain things I want to keep and which just have to be put away. 

I spent most of yesterday moving furniture around and have ended up with everything in the correct room, with the exception of the chair that will eventually live in the music room but is in the corner of the living room for now ... there just wasn't enough space to squeeze it in! It took ages as I kept taking rests to summon up the energy to carry on ... but at least I slept well last night. The next stage is to hoover each room again (new carpets, lovely as they are, are dust monsters!) and then start clearing all of these boxes.

The Living Room (1)

The only thing I achieved yesterday was to move the davenport desk back into the living room. It's been in the music room out of harm's way and now needs a good polish, but that's for another day! It doesn't look like it in the photo (I used my phone again!) but the walls are white and there isn't such a yellow tinge to the sofas and carpet.

The side table is one of a pair, both of which will be replaced as soon as I see something more suitable, preferably with a taller nest of tables, as that means the large sofa can be moved closer to the davenport to make space for an armchair at the other end of the room. I'll also be looking out for a set of pictures/photographs for the long wall, and need to find somewhere else to place the WiFi thermostat for the central heating (the white unit on top of the davenport). That's the best corner in the room for it but I don't like it where it is so may have to organise a small shelf behind the photograph so that it's hidden from view. The photo is of my late partner and will always be on display.

My Reading Corner

Over the next few days I'll be sharing some photos from around the house to show the work that's been done and my current ideas for the finishing touches. 

This is my favourite part of the living room - my snuggle chair/reading corner and I'm happy with how this has turned out. To finish off I need to find a suitable snuggle blanket. I have a new off-white knitted one which hopefully will be okay but I'll have to see whether the colour of the blanket fits in with the room. If it doesn't, then it'll be a shopping trip to find a replacement. I also want to have one or two floating shelves on the wall above the radiator for family photographs and a couple of ornament, and maybe a small side table.

Saturday

The good news it that every room that should have, now has new carpet. Even the living room! The bad news is that they forgot to bring the vinyl flooring for the bathrooms so that has to be done next week. The colour in the photo isn't very accurate - it's more of a 'stone' colour and is a good match for the new sofas. Today's task is to assemble the double bed so that I can move back into my own bedroom.

It was the first band session since the Christmas break this morning so it was lovely to see everyone again. As to be expected at this time of year there were quite a few off sick but despite that, the playing standard was good. My beginners aced their 'have we remembered everything' quiz and the results showed that they hadn't forgotten anything, so we're in a good position to carry on. I can feel that it is going to be a good term!

The Music Room

Most of the stuff crammed into this room has been moved from elsewhere in the house to clear rooms in preparation for the carpet fitters. It should be a straightforward task to move it all back to where it belongs over the next week. Once that’s done I plan to move all the boxes from the dining room in here, so that everything that needs to go is all in one place.

I came away from the doctors with a prescription for eye drops (irritation from dust, nothing serious) and a referral for an urgent mammogram which means I’ll be seen within two weeks. The urgency is more to do with family history as my twin sister has had breast cancer twice, rather than a concern that the pain I have is a symptom of the big C, but it is a relief that I won’t have to wait long to know one way or the other.

I’m just waiting now for the fitters to arrive. Fingers crossed that the laminate floor in the living room won’t be an issue.

The Front Garden (2)

This is the patch of garden outside the kitchen window. The big shrub is a buddleia, Wisteria Lawn, which suffered badly during that really hot spell last summer. The interior of the shrub is brown and looks dead but a gardener friend has advised that I leave it alone and see what happens in the spring.

On the left of the photo you can just see the edge of the trellis but the climbing plant needs to be replaced this year. The previous one was too vigorous for that position and kept blocking the boiler vent, so I gifted it to my sister and it is now growing quite happily and twining around one of their trees. I haven't decided what to grow in its place yet but know that I want an evergreen flowering climber, preferably white flowers. 

I had to bathe my eyes to get them open properly this morning so I'm hoping that it's down to a reaction to all the dust from lifting the old carpets or maybe a bout of conjunctivitis, rather than a development relating to the existing more serious eye problems. Luckily I have an appointment to see my doctor later this morning about something else so can get some immediate attention, whatever it is.

Apart from that, it's going to be another easy day. The house is ready for the carpet fitters tomorrow so I can just sit back and relax!

The Front Garden (1)

It's all looking a bit drab at the front of the house. Later in the year the hebes will display their pink foliage and the lavender will add some splashes of deep purple and it'll all look a lot brighter.

I didn't make it to the quiz last night. I started vomiting in the afternoon and that was it for the rest of the day. Today, I'm tired but thankfully no long feeling sick.

The plumbers didn't turn up as promised and have now rescheduled for next Monday. It's frustrating, especially when there is so little left to do … I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will turn up, do the work, and sign off on the job. On the plus side the curtain fitter arrived on time, sorted out two more curtain poles and I now have the curtains in the dining room and the music room, leaving just the ones for my bedroom to be delivered. 

My new tablet has arrived but I can't get it to charge so it may have to go back, or at least ask the supplier to provide a replacement charging cable ... yet more frustration I could do without. I think it may be a day for pulling up the drawbridge and having a little pamper time!