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

greenbee

Roof is done, scaffolding down, electrics in the office, studio, and airing cupboard done - just a few odds and ends in the hall/landing plus the rest of the heating controls to do on Wednesday. Chrome face-plates are being replaced by white ones room by room as we add/change things. So the office and studio are ready for decorating - colours for the office are sorted as they're a combination I had in the last house. Studio needs input from work. 

Sideboard was ordered and delivered in a couple of days, which means more stuff has been put away. 

Cat prison has been sold on FB - they're too big and strong for it now anyway. We've had a dramatic week with spaying/infection/biting of wounds but I think they're now on the way to recovery - although one wound clearly needs an eye keeping on it. 

Garden progress is good, with compost bins built, old compost heap shifted into them, and shredding mixed in with the newer stuff. Old stuff is destined for no-dig beds which we need to start creating soon (asparagus crowns are on order, and it's coming up for sowing time for quite a few things!). Cardboard is in the greenhouse waiting to be put down. 

Lots more shredding to do still, lots of bamboo in the pile which needs taking out as it won't shred. It's going in the garden waste bins a bit at a time. Leaves from the pile are going in a separate builders' bag to the dead leaves swept up early as there are lots of twigs in with this lot. Shredding will also be going in a builders' bag, both by the compost area so we can add them into the new bin as we add grass. Hotbin is on order to accelerate things/deal with kitchen waste. First of three herb/salad planters has been shipped over from my mum's, and two more should come over in the next few weeks.

I've messaged a decorator who is recommended by neighbours, but suspect that his waiting list might be quite long - if he can't fit the two small rooms in fairly soon we might do those ourselves, but book him for bigger jobs (the project management is going to be horrible). 

Electricians are quoting for solar - an in-roof system to minimise the likelihood of squirrel problems, with a battery, EPS and possibly a microdiverter to the immersion. There's a LOT of available roof, so we want to make the most of it. I need to ask about the possibility of separating the UFH from the rest of the heating and running it via ASHP using solar rather than oil.

Locksmith has been emailed about more keys and asking for a recommendation for someone to fix the patio doors. Doorhandles are on order for the back door which has internal handles which are about to break. 

Outstanding mortgage is coming down nicely - not as fast as I'd like, but now it is smaller the progress is much more obvious. 

Main issue at the moment is car problems with the car I've had less than a year. It's under warranty, but so far the fixes don't seem to be working. I'd been putting off sending it back as I really don't like the place it went to the last couple of times and don't trust them, but it started making knocking/scraping noises again yesterday (luckily I was nearly home), so a call to the AA tomorrow is in order and then getting it booked in with the dealer in the other direction which generally gets better feedback. Depending on the outcome, and the progress with the solar, and car values I may replace it with a plug-in hybrid. Or supplement it with something small and cheap - only having one car and living in the middle of nowhere can be problematic!

Cheery_Daff

I hear you on the one car front! We have two between us, and I am always very grateful for a back up when one goes wrong. 

Sounds like you're making excellent progress on the house, well done!

greenbee

This was supposed to be a house that didn’t need anything doing to it (obviously no such thing exists), and I honestly only bought it because I was fed up with looking, running out of time to retain my mortgage, and nothing else suitable was on the market. I’m not sure it’s a long-term option as there’s no shop or pub in the village - my original plan was edge of large village. Not edge of ‘blink and you miss it’ village!

I need to give it enough time to fix everything anyway, so just need a plan for keeping the spiders at bay this year. Next ‘indoor’ job for my handyman needs to be working out how to get insect netting on the windows (which may involve moving roller blinds). But today the weather is ok, so we’re on outdoor jobs.

greenbee

Heating controls are almost done - just the towel rails to go. Windows and gutters have been cleaned removing evidence of the roofing work. 

Office is lovely now it has enough sockets and I'm working out how to make the furniture fit better. I've also had some conversations with the electricians about cabling for internet access - wifi isn't great for work, and even with mesh coverage in the house isn't brilliant. As so much stuff needs to be plugged into the back of the router I've got myself a switch and a selection of patch cables (my days of crimping my own cables are over thanks!) and am going to do some experimenting. Running cables under floors/above ceilings isn't easy here as the floors are glued hardboard - we can do them if the floors have to come up anyway, but otherwise I'm thinking trunking round the edge of the ceiling and then adding coving (I've done this in previous houses) to cover it. 

I've got some bits from Ikea to repair an old desk, and am cleaning up a pedestal that's been in the garage to see whether it'll be usable in the office. It currently smells a bit musty, so it might not be salvageable. 

I'm still trying to shift stuff on marketplace, but it's slow going at the moment. Still, I have the storage space, so hopefully more will go eventually.

More gardening today - snowdrops and aconites planted, more stuff cleared up.

AA checked the car and it's drivable to the dealer - so I'm taking it to the other dealer. Called to book it in and the experience was hugely different to the previous one. I've also managed to book an optician appointment - so just the dentist left to go.

I also need to check whether the cats need wormer this month, so need to try to weigh them so they can be given the correct dose. Previously I've been able to stand them on the kitchen scales - I don't think this is going to work anymore!

Decorator should be in touch to look round/quote/book work sometime this week. And hopefully the tree surgeon will turn up. So lots of money going out, but all planned for!

redofromstart

I weigh myself without the animal, then with the animal and do the maths as a rough and ready method 

greenbee

Yes but I don't want to weigh myself 

South_coast

🤣🤣🤣       

kazwookie

Weigh an empty cat basket, then again with kitten

greenbee

kazwookie said:

Weigh an empty cat basket, then again with kitten

After the last couple of weeks of vet visits for spaying/check-ups, they're not massive fans of getting into their carriers when I want them to. But I might try a box with treats, then with treats and cat! 

My desk is now all put together, the pedestal is cleaned and back together. As the weather is vile I can't do gardening, so I may do some cabling instead. 

greenbee

The cabling is done, so I now know what I want the electricians to do - I just need them to come back! They seem to have disappeared with some bits of the current job still to do (I haven't paid anything yet). I also know what I want done next (fairly disruptive as it means emptying the biggest bedroom, the sitting room, and potentially taking the floor up in a bathroom - luckily one that isn't used much at the moment). 

Decorator is coming to look round on Tuesday (he's booking for May/June, so I need to work out what the electricians will have done before then), optician and car are booked for next week, tree surgeon is booked for the following week (as long things go to plan). Dining room furniture should be turning up sometime early next month - it's been delayed due to the problems with the Suez Canal. 

The vast pile of dead shrubs has now been almost completely dealt with. We have lots of builders' bags full of 'brown' to mix into the compost bins once we start having green to go in. I've got a hotbin in place but not yet set up composting. There are lots of larger branches and roots still to process, but they may well make good fuel for the firepit in the future. Asparagus crowns have arrived, so I need to decide where the bed is going and get it built. I've also got lots of wildflowers on their way and seeds - so need to get some time in the greenhouse soon!

I've got a LOT of Ikea bits in a shopping basket - bookshelves for the small room I use for video recording. I reckon I can solve my book storage issue along with the 'set' for work videos by putting lots of shelves in and a table I can move around. I think I've also found some armchairs that will work in the garden room. My mum also unearthed a folder full of hand illustrated calendar pages that have never been framed that will also go in there - I ordered two different style of frame to try out and have just ordered 11 frames to match the one that worked. I've got plenty of other pictures to frame, so the other one won't be wasted. 

Lots of other bits of furniture are still circulating round. I've moved a small bookcase into my bedroom, and two other small ones into spare bedrooms. Lots still to do, and money spending rather than saving going on!