Stairs

 

I am happy to report that I no longer have to climb a ladder to reach the ‘gym’ in our loft room.  Last month our new customised steel staircase finally arrived all the way from Holland.  It’s a hefty beast but fortunately the delivery guys were happy to help Paul carry it into the bungalow and lift it into position.  I’m amazed they managed to get it in without breaking anything.  I wasn’t much help really, just hopping around and squeaking “don’t trip on the step, mind the glass door, mind the paintwork…”

 

The staircase is quite steep – we have plenty of floor space but limited headroom as you climb upwards.  However, it is much easier than using a ladder and it definitely looks more stylish.  I have no excuse now not to visit the pain cave!  Oh, I’ve just remembered, the balustrade isn’t finished yet and I suffer from vertigo…

 

Unhappy Hound

 

Someone has stolen my chair!  My beautiful red, lookout chair by the window.  Just the right size for me to sit and stare out of the window, ready to terrorise any unsuspecting visitors.  I am really not a happy dog.  Just take a look at what has taken its place….

 

I’m a French Pyrenean Shepherd dog, not a ruddy French Poodle!

Topsy Turvy

A few days after Kat and Craig returned to the UK after their wedding they hired a van and drove up to Lincolnshire to collect the furniture that we had been storing for the last four years. 

 

red sofas

After they left it looked like we had been burgled!  The stylish red leather sofas in the sitting room had gone, as had the king size bed and bedside cabinets in the guest room.  Rick was bereft, his favourite chair at the window had disappeared.  Paul was delighted to be able to reclaim his garage that had previously been stacked with boxes and a wardrobe.  

The bedroom furniture was quickly and easily replaced but buying new sofas has not been so straightforward.  After a lengthy trawl around the shops we finally found something that met our requirements – stylish but comfortable (must be high backed) and dog proof.  The wait for delivery is several weeks, hopefully towards the end of May, so in the meantime we are using our garden chairs to sit on.  With the chairs grouped in a semi circle facing the television it resembles a sitting room in an old people’s home.

garden chairs

Paul has been happily re-organising his garage.  Sarah probably needs to remind him that a container of furniture will be arriving from Australia later this summer.

A Danish Wedding

 

“So, me and Craig have been thinking about eloping….!”

 

Kat and Craig have been together for about four years, both stationed at RAF Brize Norton.  Their romance blossomed under the blue skies of Cyprus on Kat’s first posting out there.  Kat first got married when she was 23 years old – a beach wedding in Tobago witnessed by friends and family.  Sadly the marriage did not last but we have happy memories of that holiday/honeymoon in Tobago.

 

“I think it’s a great idea.  What are you going to wear?”

 

With our full blessing Craig and Kat flew to Copenhagen on 12^th March and enjoyed a week exploring the cafes and sights of the city on rented bicycles.  At the end of the week they travelled to a private island where they had their wedding ceremony, staying in an exclusive tree house on the edge of Roskilde Fjord.    The photos show a very happy couple!

the wedding celebrant was very tall!

Kat made her own dress from white satin

the tree house had a glass roof so they could see the stars at night

A magical wedding.

Homecoming

 

When Sarah was home for Christmas I guessed that things were not going too well between her and Chris, her fiancé.  A few weeks after her return to Sydney she announced she was coming back to the UK.  I was so surprised, you could have knocked me down with a feather!

 

She gave notice to her employers, arranged for all her worldly goods to be packed up and shipped to England, and booked a one way ticket home.  Paul collected her from Manchester Airport on 8^th March. 

 

Rick waiting for Sarah's homecoming

Sarah has worked for her employers in Sydney’s CBD for over ten years and the company was not prepared to lose her!  Thanks to the magic of modern technology she is able to continue in her publishing and multi-media role working from Lincolnshire.  Currently her office is located in my garden room but at the end of May she will be moving to brand new office space close to Lincoln.  The modern concept of shared working space will hopefully give her the opportunity to meet and interact with other people.

 

In the meantime one half of my precious garden room is given over to a desk, computer and two over-sized monitors.  The other half has been commandeered by Paul with his young plants and some very snazzy lighting to make them grow straight.

 

I have been overjoyed to have my daughter back home but at the same time it has been difficult to witness her sadness and disillusionment.  She had such high hopes and exciting plans when she set off to Australia all those years ago.  But she is strong and determined to maintain her independence in the future.  It is early days and it will take time for her to meet people and make new friends but I know she can build a new, exciting and rewarding life in England.

 

Daughters

 

It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog.  No excuses really but March was a particularly eventful month.

 

Sarah’s three year relationship came to an end and she made the incredibly tough decision to leave Australia and come home to the UK.  She had lived in Australia for 13 years.  I still can’t quite believe she is back.  She is temporarily living with us until she buys her own home in Lincolnshire.

 

Kat is clearly delighted to have her sister back but she also had her own ‘event’ by eloping to Denmark with her boyfriend – they got married in a forest and honeymooned in a tree house.

 

Like I said – an eventful month!

Cold February

 

There’s not much to write about in February; I tend to hibernate when it’s cold and grey outside.  Earlier in the week I celebrated my birthday by staying at home and drinking Prosecco and eating garlic prawns instead of joining the coffee morning group at the village hall.  That says a lot about me I suppose.

I ventured out yesterday for my weekly dance session.  I have just about mastered the Bossa Nova but I'm not too sure about the new Night Fever routine they want to introduce.  We don't take this dancing too seriously though and we have a lot of laughs.

It’s a bitterly cold day, I think the wind must be coming from the north east.  I literally marched Rick around the village early this morning, not wanting to pause and get cold.

When I got home I immediately set about cleaning the oven.  It’s a job I have been putting off for months because I hate doing it.  I use a sodium hydroxide cleaner that is fearfully corrosive but cleans like magic and means I don’t have to spend ages scrubbing with a brillo pad.  I was very safety conscious and togged up with double rubber gloves and glasses to protect my eyes.

 

The result is very pleasing.  A clean and shiny oven. I might just do a quick Bossa Nova around the kitchen!