24/25 April - progress at last

We made lots of progress at the weekend although it doesn't look as if we have done anything. Matt decided to sacrifice watching a game of rugby with his Dad. Considering Cov rugger club are on the verge of relegation it was a sacrifice indeed. So, instead of watching Cov lose 13-0 to (?) we spent the day sorting out the garage. It's become a bit of a dumping ground sinced we moved in and was piled high with boxes and the clutter the previous owner left behind. I found some ancient looking but useful gardening tools, a petrol lawnmower, a couple of metal buckets that would probably cost twenty quid each in a junk store and several old garden chairs. I piled the unwanted things in the side port ready for a trip to the tip and then sorted out some of our boxes to create some space to move around.

The weather was glorious. David followed Matt around copying everything he did. This mostly involved making lots of noise hammering an old water tank we found in the garage. I've decided to use it as a planter for potatoes so Matt drilled some holes in the bottom and we relocated it to the end of the garden. I spent a good hour turning over the small patch of earth we've decided to use for our first attempt at growing vegetables. Below the surface the soil looks quite good. Lots of worms must be a good sign? I've also realised this gardening lark requires lots of upper body strength, something I am severely lacking.

Luckily we took Dad's advice to make the most of the sunny weather on Saturday as the weather took a turn for the worst on Sunday. Matt screwed down the floorboards in the hall and kitchen. The really annoying clanking board near the microwave has finally been silenced once and for all. We also moved the wardrobes into our bedroom and the old white chest of drawers into Chloe's room so we can start preparing David's room for decorating. There are still lots of boxes to be sorted. As soon as Matt finishes boarding the loft we can move quite a lot of stuff up there to create some space. We really want to avoid using the loft as a dumping ground so only the crucial things we want to keep will go up there. I have no idea what we are going to do with the rest of it.

St George's day

It's St George's day today and David is proudly wearing his England shirt. Matt is off to The George in Borough for a few pints with some of our friends after work. Alas, I will be at home watching TV.

Progress on the house has really slowed at the moment and we are both conscious of needing to keep the momentum going. The clanking floorboards in the kitchen and hall are really getting on my nerves. Everytime I use the microwave I step on the loose board and the sound reverberates around the house.

Mum is helping me choose curtains for Chloe's room. I can't decide between a classic pink gingham or a Cath Kidtson style number with tiny roses and candy coloured stripes. She's offered to make them but I am really conscious of the other quilting projects she is working on at the moment. We also need to buy a couple of floating shelves to display some of her bits and bobs and decide on a chest of drawers.

I really want Matt to finish boarding the loft. As soon as this happens we can move some of the boxes up there and make some space in David's room and the dining room. I pretty much know where to find everything now but it is still really frustrating rooting through boxes to find sellotape or a fountain pen.

April update

The sun is shining, Chloe is asleep and David is eating soil in the garden. I couldn't be happier.

Our bedroom and Chloe's have both been painted. Furniture is still a problem and there won't be carpets down for a long time yet but at least the hard part is finished. Chloe has a blackout blind in her room but there was an error on ours so we've had to reorder. We're still taping up the dust sheet to keep the light out which is a real pain, especially when it falls down in the middle of the night.

All the floorboards have been screwed down upstairs which was a major undertaking - it means access to pipes etc. will be much easier in the future. Jobs such as this take up so much time with no visual change but they are vital in the long term.

Progress on the house has definitely slowed down now that Matt is at work and we still both want a life at the weekend. Last Saturday Matt spent the day enjoying fabulous hospitality at the FA cup semi final so no work was done. This weekend I am joining part of a hen do during the day so Matt will be left on his own with the kids for the first time - another day without any work. We're also going to Coventry on Sunday so this only gives us Saturday morning to achieve anything. Still, we are determined not to become slaves to the house and still do the things we want to.

We're back online

We're finally back online after over two weeks without the internet. In some ways it was great to be disconnected with cyberspace as I am guilty of wasting too much time wilfing however, it also made me realise just how reliant I am on it, especially now it's much more difficult to go to the shops.

When I get a mo, I'll write a full update.