Cheery's country living adventure

Cheery_Daff

Certainly has been extremely gloomy! Chickens are going to bed about 3.45 at the minute - not because I'm putting tbem there, it's just too dingy to bother staying up! 

Kitchen fitter is coming to collect plinths tomorrow. Everything feels like inching closer...

rtandon27

Definately Gloomy lately! We've been shutting the blinds around 3 each day to keep the light and warmth inside.

I'm hoping to get out more at mid-day for the next few weeks as the whole office is now wfh for at least the next 6 weeks! The mid day light & fresh air should in theory help the winter blahs!

Baileys_Babe

rtandon27 said:

Definately Gloomy lately! We've been shutting the blinds around 3 each day to keep the light and warmth inside.

I'm hoping to get out more at mid-day for the next few weeks as the whole office is now wfh for at least the next 6 weeks! The mid day light & fresh air should in theory help the winter blahs!

I like the idea of a mid-day walk for light and fresh air and then remembered how wet it has been, feels like weeks, it cant be as we had snow for a few days recently. I am wanting some crisp bright days.

EssexHebridean

I usually do a walk at lunchtime on work days as I found a few years back the extra daylight really helps ward off the black dog trying to call as the days get shorter. I do draw the line in really grim weather days though! In fairness down here yesterday was actually lovely - beautiful blue skies in the afternoon. 

Cheery_Daff

A lunchtime walk is a great idea. I so often just get caught up in what I'm doing and think I don't have time, but it's so important.

I've done my last day in the office this year. We had an email yesterday to say in-person teaching would continue, but other than that and other 'business critical' things, we're working from home. But since I mostly only went in if I had to anyway, and the face that everything I'm doing next week is online, it doesn't really affect me. Oh, except that they've cancelled our Christmas do 🙄 Completely understandable - we do it as an all day conference in a hotel wiith a Christmas dinner - but still disappointing.

Hey ho.

So today I'm off, although I'm co templating doing some stuff to catch up from not having electric at the beginning of last week. We'll see.

Kitchen fitter is coming to collect plinths - he also needs to put in a couple of shims to make sure the granite is properly supported all the way round, and he's sealed the granite joints with silicone, and they feel really bumpy and like they're just going to get really grubby and wear away over time. Most of what I've seen says they should have been sealed with epoxy, not silicone - why can't people just do things properly?! So I'm going to have to ask what his plan is for making those smooth (in the knowledge that we may end up just buying some epoxy and doing it ourselves).

This is all why out immediate response is to at least attempt everything ourselves - aside from very specialist stuff, we can often do just as good a job as the professionals (albeit more slowly and with more cursing) and it's far less hassle overall! 

Anyway...Mr Cheery has been dismantling the temporary kitchen while I've been at work, so I might start putting stuff in kitchen cupboards today! Might also do a bit more painting in the bedroom, and he can do a couple of tip trips while the kitchen fitter is here.

Getting there!

EssexHebridean

I saw a tip the other day which I WISH I’d thought of when we had to refill cupboards. The idea is that obviously you first plan out what’s going to go where in terms of how it will work with the flow in the kitchen. You then stick a post it note to each cupboard door saying what will be going there which makes loading them in a s you empty boxes quicker and easier as you don’t keep having to stop to orientate yourself with an unfamiliar layout. Remembering how much hesitation, and debating what we’d agreed, and opening cupboard doors and then closing them again happened when we did ours, I will SO be storing that one for future use! (I also wonder whether it might have helped cement in my mind what is where, although perhaps everyone who had a new kitchen done FOUR years ago still occasionally opens the wrong cupboard to get a plate out? No, probably just goldfish-brain me, in fairness!) 

A shame about your Christmas bash but possibly for the best right now - disappointing to have to miss out again though, especially after a year where I imagine face to face interaction with less immediate colleagues has been limited. 

I bet it feels good to see the back of the temporary kitchen! 

rtandon27

Happy to hear the temporary set-up is being dismantled Cheery, must feel so good to be using your new kitchen!

Cheery_Daff

We took the cupboards and worktop from the temporary kitchen to the tip this morning, and yes, it felt very good!! 😁😁

Thanks for the tip EH! I remember reading an old post on the Down To Earth blog about organising the kitchen and where to put things but couldn't find it this morning. Some things have an obvious home (eg we have a pull out spice rack!) And I think we've settled on food on the fridge side of the kitchen, and everything else on the oven side, but other than that it's all to play for. Exciting!

greenbee

Have fun. I still rearrange the odd thing, but I designed the kitchen based on my belongings. What I should have done, but didn't is requested pegboard in the base of the pan drawers. As they are non-standard sizes it isn't something that's easy to do retrospectively. I don't actually need it for the ones with pans in - just the ones with crockery in!

badmemory

One thing about what goes where that I decided a long time ago.  Anything that you might need whilst having to stir a pan should be within easy reach of your other (my left) hand.