"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it."

greenbee

My handyman was ill on Tuesday, so couldn't come in, but it wasn't a massive problem as I was away from Wednesday until late yesterday. A bit of a PITA not to have the bedrooms back to normal this weekend, but honestly I have plenty of other things to do.

Very late back yesterday due to the snow - flight was delayed back into Heathrow, and the there were lots of road closures. Although the route we took was clear, it was slow. New taxi driver is nice and although sensibly didn't come into the drive, he did bring my suitcase to the door. I must sort out some kind of remote control/sensor/wifi connection for the outside lights. And change and recharge the camera batteries for when i'm away next week.

3rd load of laundry on, and a long list of things to do. I'm away at some point pretty much every week for the next 3 months, so I'm going to have to be organised. However, I do feel much more positive about work after spending time with colleagues, and am going to make an effort to go to Sweden whenever I'm not booked to be somewhere else. Next 7 weeks travel is fixed (although I need a couple of details to finalise my travel bookings). Another 6 weeks after that are tentative, mid-May is almost planned and I'm working on things through to June now.

I need to remember that all this travel saves me money (food and heating) and it can also help with exercise (as long as I'm disciplined). It does make fitting other things in a little bit complicated (including all the holiday I need to take!), and I have to work out how the food shopping is going to work to make sure I eat properly.

Hopefully it'll keep costs down enough for me to be able to cashflow a lot of the work that I want the handyman to get done while I'm away. The list keeps growing as lots of little things are added to it...

greenbee

Leek and potato soup is in the thermal bag.

Fridge now contains some smoked mackerel (which needs eating), 2 grapefruit, and bit of broccoli, a rather tired savoy cabbage, some carrots and a couple of fennel. I also have a swede, a celeriac, a small BNS and a kohl rabi as well as onions, kiwis and apples and 4 eggs.

I plan to walk to the shop for milk later, but otherwise will try to run down this lot, which needs eating, between now and leaving on Tuesday.

I've ordered some fabric samples for blinds (want to get on with it while I have someone around who can put them up!), and worked out which windows I just need to measure as I'll get them to match existing ones (I need some more magic blinds, and they might as well all be the same).

Logs (well bits of floorboard and joist mostly!) brought in, ash taken out, kindling refilled (and kindling bin in garage), coal scuttles filled. So I'm already for the cold tonight.

Laundry still ongoing. Think it's probably time to get outside for some fresh air!

Karmacat

Heavens, greenbee, your life is so complex! Glad you got back safely, at any rate, in this snow. Very interesting to hear you actually *use* your thermal bag right now - how do you find it?

greenbee

I love my thermal bag I mostly use it for soup - chop and get it hot while making/eating breakfast, then bung in bag and it's ready for lunch. I guess you could do the same at lunchtime for the evening...

I hate not having enough information to be able to book flights and accommodation for things that are only a couple of weeks away, but unfortunately I have to rely on other people!

greenbee

Lots more bits done this week - spare room is now pretty much back to normal (just needs the floor washing before the rug goes back down. I've put most of my work clothes back in there, but can't seem to find one trouser suit. It has to be around somewhere... I've also identified two 2-wheeled suitcases that I never use which can go to the CS whenever I get round to it. The car is getting quite full so it needs to be soon!

I've now got a mirror on the back of the airing cupboard door, hooks on the office door, a new roof on the log store and a piece of marble going in to the gap in the hearth on Tuesday. I need to measure for blinds and place the order (6 to order, one I'm still waiting on the fabric sample for), and then find some time to do some clearing up in the garage so that there is space for work to be done in there. Hopefully by the end of the month the utility room will be done. Then I'll need a bit of a break to recover before braving the kitchen (but hopefully a few of the outside jobs will be done as well).

I'm finding it hard having someone in the house again when I'm working, but it's better than the builders Plus I'm away for a reasonable amount of time most weeks. I just need to be sure that the house won't be a tip during my very tight turnarounds over the next few weeks - the utility room will need to be left clean and tidy so I can do laundry.

Banking is down for maintenance (it's run over schedule) so I can't pay, which was my plan when I sat down. So I guess tidying and measuring and paperwork should be dealt with!

greenbee

Another week and more money spent but also more done...

Utility room should be finished this week (if I can make up my mind about the paint colour!) but we're not moving the heating pipes until next Friday as I need to be here to make sure it's all working. There are lots of bends in the pipework so it can be a bit of a PITA to refill it once it has been drained. The units are looking fantastic and are designed to fit my stuff in which is obviously a huge benefit. The new blinds are due for delivery at the end of the week as well so those can go up.

If there is time I might ask him to do a bit of outside work (waterbutts, putting in a post and some wire, and possibly doing a bit of the ivy removal from the hedge as I'm way behind. I'm away quite a bit over the next couple of weeks so it would be a good opportunity to get ahead and then I can have some peace and quite when I'm (briefly) home.

I saw my mum over the weekend and came home with a carload of stuff. Bedside table, underlay for the rugs in two bedrooms, a blind that has broken which I will either mend and return or use the fabric from, a couple of alabaster table lamps and masses of incandescent lightbulbs as my dad seemed to have stocked up for several lifetimes! I've also had lots of odds and ends delivered.

Next weekend I have to do some planting, as my poor bare root shrubs have been in the garage for a couple of weeks already.

Better go and start packing (and run a bath) as I'm off again tomorrow for a few days.

juliejim

Safe travels!

Jue

greenbee

Thanks Jue

Karmacat

Hope it goes well, greenbee

greenbee

Thanks... was exhausting but successful.

Home for 3 days - utility room is nearly done, but I'm somewhat frustrated by the fact that he didn't bother working while I was away and left everything till I was home so a. my day off was spent dealing with people and not recovering from a week of people and b. I couldn't start moving everything back into the utility room over the weekend and making the house habitable. He worked late on Friday and we're closer than we were to being finished.

I cleaned it up enough to be able to use over the weekend (I'd arranged for my cleaner to come on Friday specifically to do this... so she had to do other stuff) as I have all my laundry to get done (including changing bedding) before I'm off to the US for work next week. I haven't thought about packing yet.

I'm keeping going with the garden tidying. About 1/3 of the hedge is now done. There is very little growth at the bottom and in the middle once the ivy is going, so I need to make a huge effort to clear out the ivy at the bottom so I can at least put willow whips in there. I have lots of willow, and it will be about the only think I can get into the ground as there are so many roots. I'll also try to dig a few holes either side and plant things that will help screen the holes/thicken it up over time.

I'm very tired, but keeping going with the garden between loads of laundry and hoping I get everything done before my 8am pickup tomorrow.