22 Foxhole East

f0xh0les

I am going back tomorrow. Shhh!!

Glad my directions were helpful.

We ended up at the House of Swede (left at 10am) it is supposed to be 48 minutes away (Nottingham) but M1 was packed with fully laden cars with duvets and loo rolls on the parcel shelf, and bikes on top, Uni starts back on Monday for most places, all those parents treking about taking the kids back. Took over an hour and a half to get back. Grab DS1 for an eye test (he is perfect) and get home again for 4pm.

Got everything major I wanted, plus DH bought DS3 and 4 a glove puppet each - DS3 has a 6ft snake puppet. DS4 has an owl. Plus he paid!! so NSD for me too.

Tomorrow will be lugging it all to the top floor and putting the stuff up.

Only need a light fitting, and possibly a picture on the landing, and the top floor is complete. Proper achievement. Great feeling.

I have a piece of cloth, it is heavily embroidered and gorgeous, I think it is some kind of Indian wedding type shawl. I used it for on the end of my bed, and somehow either DH or one of the kids, managed to transfer pen ink onto it. It was really cheap in a sale, and has no washing instructions - I think someone was lying on my bed, with a pen in their pocket which had leaked, and transferred a blue smudge on it. Not large, but very obvious.

DH has taken up very masculine embroidery. He is embellishing his costumres. He is actually really good at it. Being one of those really annoying creative types that can paint, draw, sew, sculpt, and now, the swine has taught himself embroidery and has just started on beadwork. So I asked him, whilst he was in a good mood stuck in the traffic, if he could make me something to either go over or onto the fabric to hide the smudge. Which he has agreed to do .
It will make an appearance as a wall hanging on a very large (about 20 feet tall) expanse of white wall at the top of the stairs. Cost £ 0.

So, the 4xcube unit is bought, the 9 x cube unit is bought, the headboard, the 2 x pinboards, the 2 x mirrors for bedrooms, two alarm clocks, the magnetic knifestrip thing and a new draining rack that does not sit on the draining board so stuff actually drys, is all here and ready to be built / hung / attached / placed and installed.

Sadly I am knackered. Too knackered to do anything else tonight except drink generic lemon flavoured paracetamol based cough drink (TM) and watch the Spurs match.

f0xh0les

Apples - I made crumble (of course), baked stuffed apples -which were lush and even the kids had them for breakfast the next day too , Eve's pudding, and dutch apple pie (peeled with a potato peeler, dusted in layers with icing sugar and cinnamon and baked in shortcrust - deep filled deliciousness - really special)

We usually have quite a lot of people offering apples from their trees by this time of year, but so far I have only seen one person on local Fb00k offering. Which is odd as there is a really good crop this year.

apple_muncher

We have had a totally rubbish crop this year! I have 3 trees. There are 2 apples that will be fit for eating next month (cox's orange pippin). Sigh.

f0xh0les

The uncared for wild ones are going mental, absolutely dripping with apples, dropping them down the railway embankments and onto the roads. Can't get to them, but as they are well established, the cold snap did not do them any harm.

I heard a documentary once about apples, Radio 4 or the World Service in the middle of the night. Colonial settlers tried growing the' traditional apple varieties' from seed taken from apples, in the Caribbean, but they did poorly as it does not get cold enough there. They need a cold snap to get a decent blossom and crop, plus the heavy rain knocked the blossom off and stopped pollination by insects. They can grow, but it is hit and miss, and where they tried plantations, it failed.

So I expected the Beast from the East so late would do for the apple blossom, but it has not seemed to here. I suppose in other bits of the country it will be vastly different.

Sayschezza

Scrumpy tip, childs bucket attached to long stick with string stretched tight across the base of the handle. The apple goes in the bucket and with a quick jerk is detached from the tree.

kerri_gt

Sayschezza wrote: »

Scrumpy tip, childs bucket attached to long stick with string stretched tight across the base of the handle. The apple goes in the bucket and with a quick jerk is detached from the tree.

Ohhh, I have one of those extendable branch lopper things...I now see a new use for it

f0xh0les

Headboard for DS1 put up and attached - bl00dy thing came without screws or bolts. Why would you even do that?? managed to find some in a tool box that fit.

Cube unit for DS4 put up and it makes up the end of his bed base. Job done. Extra storage too.

Freezer defrosting merrily. Should be done in about an hour.

Few bits and bobs left to do. One cube unit, 2 pinboards and 2 mirrors.
Not in the mood to bake. Can't stop sneezing. Still have ALL the week's laundry to do though, and I am not doing it until the boys bring it down. Which they have not yet done. Like their homework. Not yet done.

The students are back!!! Not seen anyone walk down the road to the shopin their pink fluffy dressing gown since they left. I just saw one. At 1pm, still in their 'jamas (well this one had long bare legs) Shocking!!

Will not do a shop today, as I am sure the supermarket next to the Halls of residence will be a total nightmare, and the shelves massively depleated by caring parents stocking up for their little darlings. T'was ever thus. Will go Monday morning. Shan't be a student in the place.

Stupid heating came on yesterday, not sure why, hit override as soon as it did.
It did not come back on again.

Same thing this morning. Hit override again. Turned the thermostat down massively just in case it was that. I don't like it when things turn themselves on without being told to. It somehow seems rude.

So, going to go and do stuff before I lose the will to live.

Get that unit up and the mirrors and pinboards, although DS4 has managed to lose the screws already. grrr. so helpful.

kerri_gt

From recollection, the bolts / screws for headboards come with the beds not with the headboard. Which is a bit strange I know but I guess people might change headboards more than bases? Who knows.

f0xh0les

The bed has the attachements for the headboard to the bed, but the headboard itself came with wooden strut/ legs, unattached, that you had to screw on to the headboard before you could screw the bed bolts through them to attach it to the bed. No screws!! Never knowingly uncomplicated. Mind you it was less than £30 and looks a lot more expensive than ones four times the price.

Anyway, after a few near misses I realised bolts would work better than the recommended screws, before I managed to stick a screw through the front fabric, then I found the tap holes which were not where the labels were, but quite a long way away.
But anyway, DS1 is supremely satisfied with new headboard. Now firmly attached.
DS 3 is unhappy he now has no excuse not to keep his room tidy.
Extra storage. ha ha ha ! All mirrors put up, all pinboards put up, all cube units put up. All alarm clocks on the right time and date and alarms set for 7am.
Freezer all put back together and switched back on. Nice and clean and no icebergs. Nothing in there but ice cubes.

So some good came of my enforced day at home. Lots of stuff off the list. Some laundry washed and dried. The rain disappeared around 11, the weather forecast was just wrong.

Just need to get rid of this stupid head cold now. I am so bored of it.

greenbee

Could you possibly come and stay here for a bit and organise me and my builders please Foxholes? I need to get the builders here to get stuff done - which means remembering to chase them about it. And I need to buy a wardrobe so I can clear two bedrooms which currently have clothes everywhere. The last bedroom will have to wait until the kitchen is done as most of the stuff in it is kitchen stuff.