Life at No 71

Life remains busy, but I’m making steady progress toward getting the bungalow and garden just how I want it.

I'm now waiting for quotes and/or dates to get the additional electrical work, plastering, and fireplace completed in the living room. Once all that work is done I can get the room decorated and have a new carpet fitted. New curtains will have to wait for a while so the existing blinds and curtains will stay in place until I can afford to replace them. Once the room is decorated and the furniture is back in place, I can unpack all the books, ornaments, and pictures ... this is the room I spend most of my time in and I can't wait to get it finished and feeling like home again.

I'll be ordering the cupboards for my study next week. I've chosen the same as I had in my previous home - IKEA Billy bookcases with doors - as they worked well before and will fit nicely in the space available in the room. Once they have been assembled and fixed to the wall I can unpack all the boxes that are currently stored in the conservatory, so by the time everything is unpacked and put away I will also have regained use of the conservatory ... just in time for the summer. 

We did a trawl of the secondhand furniture warehouses yesterday and I managed to bag some bargains ... a mahogany extendable table and 6 chairs to replace the circular table I bought last year, which is in better condition, is a better size for my needs, and less money than I paid for the circular one, which I will now sell on. I also picked up a new single mattress, a single bed headboard, and a king size bed base, all for the cost of a new single mattress if I'd bought one from a store, so I've managed to save a bit of money there. We'll be moving the two existing beds around tomorrow, ready for the delivery of the king size bed next week. I just couldn't afford the new bed I wanted so will make do with this for the time being. I'll buy a brand new mattress as that will also be able to be used on the new ottoman bed when I do get round to buying it. I'll be advertising for a lodger soon, once the beds have been changed round and I can photograph the room again. The extra money will help! 

Gardener M came round on Thursday to see the state of the garden and discuss plans for the planting. She'll be back on Tuesday to start work, which will be some weeding, clearing, and emptying the majority of the pots. I don't plan to have many pots in this garden, just one on the patio to grow a spindle tree/bush, so the empty pots will be stored in the garage for now. M doesn't want to start planting until mid May at the earliest so I will be shopping for salvias, penstamons, crocosmia, mexican fleabane, lavender, and gauras at the start of May, (Joy, are you listening?), and that will probably be all that's planted this year. The majority of my money has to go on the indoors rather than the outdoors, this year, but it will be a start and will bring some colour to the garden.  

Health matters continue to dominate my life, but things are gradually improving. I have lots of medical appointments to look forward to over the next couple of months, but I am feeling and looking slightly better and friends have commented on the improvement. So that's good!

Socially, things are ticking on nicely with visits from friends, trips to the cinema, the occasional meal out, and a couple of theatre trips. We're off on a coach trip to the Pirate Festival in Brixham early next month, which I'm really looking forward to. Also there's all the u3a things with canasta on the 1st and 3rd Mondays each month, and my Something Snappy photo group on the 4th Monday each month. Once I get past the need for workmen to be in the house I will probably join another group, either starting a proper photography group myself or joining one of the existing board game groups so I have something organised for the 3rd week of each month. 

That's probably about it for this catch-up, so I'll love you and leave you. Back soon!