Frump to Fab - A Whole New World.

candygirl

Not hot here, so I'm well jel Omg am watching a docu on Netflix about Walter Mercado! Never heard of him before, but think Liberace x Derek Acorah! It's fascinating 😂😂

maman

I think your doors are amazing too LL, definitely character features worth preserving.  Although those of you with UPVC doors are probably better off in terms of energy saving and keeping warm.

I meant to say that all the kind good wishes for our anniversary were a bit early but welcome all the same. It's next month and it's when we intend to make our first foray to a restaurant. 

It's hot and sunny here today and I  made an effort to get dressed up to go to Aldi! I wore my black and white wrap dress. It's from a company called Nobody's Child and they pride themselves on being sustainable. 
https://www.nobodyschild.com/clothing/dresses/lenzingtm-ecoverotm-black-and-white-ditsy-willow-wrap-midi-dress.html
I'd definitely buy from them again but I really don't need anything at the moment. 

Other than chores, I've not done much else that's exciting except watch football on TV.

I have been watching Mrs America. Fascinating period piece from the 60s. I've just finished reading The Flat Share by Beth O'Leary. Interesting book that received good reviews, a bit more complex than my usual chick lit. Also I caught a lovely art programme on BBC Sounds by accident. It's called Great Gallery Tours by Simon Schama. This week he was at the Courtauld . I'd recommend listening and calling up copies of the paintings on computer screen at the same time. Next week he's at he RIjksmuseum in Amsterdam. It seems amazing now that when DH and I went there before Christmas we were blissfully unaware what 2020 was to bring.

thepurplepixie

LL I think the world is divided into people who like moving/buying and selling houses and people who hate it.  I hate it.  I find the whole selling houses business so stressful.  I think some of it might be that by the time I was six I'd had six homes and was on my third school.  I want one last move, closer to children.  We are close to two of the GC but their father, my son, moved away with work, the other 3 never came back from uni.   The joys of the south west, not much going for bright kids, before you know it the GC will follow them.  I long to be able to pop in, or be popped in on, by my kids instead of planning visits.  My husband can't face it but I am working on him and hoping I eventually can.  I've been here 25 years, we moved for husband's health, mental and physical, but I've never felt this was home.  I want to be back in a city, close to facilities and family.  One day.

Moll

I dont believe it DG has done the first week of isolation ,,,,,,,,,,,and Sheffield hospital have phoned today to say the operation has been cancelled AGAIN, due to staff going down sick .( Hope its not the virus)  So we are back to square one , They said there are 27 operations to be done , and she is 3rd in line .   but dont know when ?  Thankyou all of you for the comments ,  xxx   I just want it to be over

Moll

LL i actually love your front door as it is x  Its got character

maman

Hugs moll. Sadly cancellations were commonplace before coronavirus and I suppose the NHS is even more stretched now so any staff off sick will exacerbate the problem. Not that it makes it any easier to cope with for you and your family. But she's close to the top of the list so fingers crossed it won't be too much longer to wait. 🙂

helensbiggestfan

Moll, sorry to hear of the delay.  How annoying.  Fingers crossed it won't be too much longer.  

Actually I love the doors too, (They remind of a Hobbit house or something out of Beatrix Potter). I just don't like the colour. And the paint job is really poor, its badly cracking and I don't  want The rain to damage the wood, so I want to get it done fairly soon.  Before the green It was a lovely cerulean blue (think that's how you spell it) - that deep blue that you find in Greece, especially Santorini, which Looks so lovely against white washed walls. You can just see bits of it showing through the green.  So I might restore it to blue. Then I'm going to add Window boxes to both the front windows and bay trees either side of the front door.  

When I sold houses I was astonished to find that a lot of people won't buy a house with a green door, apparently it's considered unlucky.  So I used to get the site agent to give them a white one. I couldn't give them any other colour because that would have meant  going back to the councils planning dept and would have caused long delays.  Once the builders were off site they could then paint the door whatever colour they fancied and the planners couldn't stop them.  Maman is right about the draughts though.  Old houses and their original doors look cute but they are devils to heat.  

In Some old houses you get a small lobby area with an additional door, Usually a glass door, to let in lots of light before you step into the main hall.  I had this in my last house, a Victorian terrace.  It made a huge difference Both to the amount of light in the hall and in keeping out the draughts. I am aiming to get one put in here, partly to cut out the draughts, but also because the hall is quite gloomy.   I fancy part of the glass to be stained glass, so when the main storm doors are open During the day the sun will shine through the glass and make pretty patterns.  😁.  

Pixie......I just love doing up houses....😀. Although we did live in our family home for over 24 years.  But even then I kept making changes and improvements.  Tbh since leaving the family home I haven't really felt truly settled. I don't wish to sound ungrateful but without my husband everywhere is "just a house" Iyswim. It's just not the same without him. I do like the homes I create but there really isn't the same emotional attachment to them.

 I understand your wish to move closer to your family and I think it's a very good idea.  I think my next move will see me doing the same.  My boys both live on the other side of the city and I think I want to be closer to them, especially when the grandchildren start school so I can be on hand to help out after school sometimes.  I am aiming to move in a couple of years.  

chanie

Green doors.... bad luck... pass me the smelling salts as I have just painted my door green.  I didn’t know it was considered back luck.  I wanted blue, but they didn’t have in the shop and the green was the next nicest colour.  

Helen i love your front door and I imagine it will look lovely, whatever you do with it.

moll how frustrating about your GDs op.

savingfortomorrow

My door is a Pvc composite in a dull colour to blend in with the windows.  The difference  with heat retention  is massive. It was the best money spent as the hallway is no longer like an ice box.  It took me so long to pick one that a house could have been built 5 times over but it takes time to decide on flash or demure. 

thepurplepixie

Moll, so sorry to hear about the delay.

LL I like houses and like making plans and changing things, I think it is the uncertainty with selling and buying, you have no control.  We used to have a holiday flat and when we tried to sell it all seemed well, asking price offer almost immediately and then the usual wait, then things seemed to drag on a bit, got to week we were expecting to exchange and buyer pulled out.  The next week we had the financial crash and we lost £20k overnight.  Actually it took us about 2 years to sell at £20k less than original price so not exactly overnight.  I suppose that has made me dread the whole process.
My nearest child is 100 miles away, one is 300 miles away so I definitely want to be closer and hope it happens next  year.  I'm not sure how it will end, DH and I both want something very different, I have a  feeling that if I just do it he will follow but who knows.  Since his accident, 30 years ago, everything has revolved round what he needs/wants, I just feel like when is it my turn?  But of course it isn't easy in reality, do I really walk away from a disabled man on the chances he will see things from my point of view just once?   That sounds very selfish but maybe once every 30 years it is OK to be selfish.
  There are practical considerations as well, I'm starting to hate driving and the 600 mile round trip to visit son isn't something I enjoy.  The area I want to move to has brilliant public transport, I would be walking distance to a railway station where I can get a train to any of my kids, also walking distance to decent shops and a bus service to a large out of town shopping centre with all the big shops, bus going the other way to city centre with cinemas, theatres,museums etc.  Next year.