second job on our own

Before they left the builders plastered the walls of one end of the living room. We decided - or actually i insisted (!) - that we paint it a couple of coats of white undercoat. While it will undoubtedly get covered in dust etc as soon as work continues in January - I was not sure I could handle three weeks sitting in a room with dry plaster coloured walls after months of the pumpkin orange the previous owners had left us. Dave found his new calling in wall sanding and he did a stirling job teetering around the room on the wobbly ladder. Then it was time for the paint - this time we made sure the first coast was watery enough - so much so that we covered ourselves and the living room floor in spatterings of paint. But, it was so worth it.

 Once we had a lovely clean white living space we brought down all of the furniture that had been cluttering up the bedroom and borrowed a sofa from mum and all of a sudden we had ourselves an actual living space with side lamps, a rug, curtains, sofa, coffee table, television and to top it all of a working log burning stove. Only one thing missing.....the Christmas tree.....

Was great to have three weeks to really live in the house and also got started on stripping the banisters. Under mum's instruction we got to work at the wood panelling under the stairs and the banister. I then spent an entire day battling with the end post - which appeared to be covered in the thickest brownest and stickiest paint known to man. Quite satisfying but exhausting. Still a lot of work to be done on them but...at least we know what many of our January evenings are going to be spent doing!

Happy New Year Everyone - or all three of you who read this!! Will try and be better with updating in 2011!