Currently Watching Our Mutual Friend By Paul McGann, Keeley Hawes, Steven Mackintosh, Anna Friel, David Morrissey see related

Stair blabberings:

Since a handful of people have asked what is going on after the stair stripping, I figured it was worth an entry.  The first two images below are taken from the house renovation blog: http://kingstreetfarm.bravejournal.com/  and they portray exactly what I would have liked to achieve in this particular project.  Unfortunately our balustrade has always been painted and since I lack the patience, but especially the tools, to strip all that, well... one can't have everything.

This series of photos makes it all look so easy.  Let me tell you, it is not.  After two not even full afternoons of attempted stripping, I got a pulled shoulder muscle, busted knee, blisters and don't even want to remember what other complaints.  I'm embarrassed to show a progress photo of my own at the moment, so I didn't take one yet.  Let's just say my idea of having it done in a week was...positive thinking.  Today I'm going into the living room to start stripping wallpaper instead.  It should provide time for blisters to heal and above all, moral support.

Some diamond tiling by the front door, for Mish to sleep on, will be the foyer's finishing touch. 

Well, not to complain too much... Today it's one year since we moved in, and it must be admitted...we got a lot done already.  We were also a lot more tired back then!

*EDIT*

For the last day I have been consoling myself in my aggravation by reading restoration blogs during my breaks.  This one made me feel a lot better.  I'll just leave the paint on the bannister and get over it.

Currently Watching Agatha Christie's Poirot - The Classic Collection, Vol. 2 By David Suchet see related

Not much time for outings lately, so just a few shots.

The hallway is getting some attention this week.

Mish was, of course, pouting about it on the first day.

When he was allowed back in he still didn't seem to look too pleased!

Still, no one has a right to be grumpier than myself.  I've been stripping the staircase today.  It is not one of those instant gratification projects.

Mish had an in-house adventure last week.  He should be blogging about it sometime soon...if he can ever wake up.

The Latest Upheaval

I suppose some would say this isn't a bad room.  Maybe it's even half nice.  At least, it was somewhat decent.  Is that good enough, though?  Noooooo....

Day 1 of demolition.  Dog migrates to the backyard.  Floor boards one layer thick above the living room.  Snow is falling on my furniture.  It's wonderful fun to make a mess if someone else cleans it up; making a mess and cleaning it up too, is..well...less so.

I need a dumpster.  Badly.  Guess it's a good thing the driveway is still available.

In the attic, I sat quietly contemplating the scene by the light of a table lamp extension-corded up the ladder with me.  I'm not a professional contractor, nor a circus performer.  Thus the conclusion was a simple one: hit a hole and pull from there.

Like this.  The plaster on the top of the wall needed knocking out to make way for the boards anyway, so it made sense.  Boring, but sense usually is.

The big scary hairy insulation monster.  It reminded me of childhood horrors at first sight.  It's remarkable how, after touching the fear, one realizes it's utter stupidity.  This rule could probably be applied to most other horrors...except snakes.

So I made the bedroom look like a barn...

...with a lot of ridiculous wiring.

Day two: Ceiling out, time for the closet wall.

Sadly, it was knocked out in 10 minutes with a simple hammer.  No lath, one layer thick.  Child's play.

Unfortunately the cleaning up is not.  Did I mention the snow on the living room furniture?

For those concerned (and rightly so) about Misha, he has now had enough time to condition himself against my eccentricities, rather safeguarded against fears of permanently losing his personal space or being deprived of his beloved routine.  His current reaction to the proceedings is rollings of the eyes and sitting in the backyard till crashings and bangings subside, upon which occasion he, step by step, relocates to his usual place by the front door. 

Currently Listening Bach at Bedtime: Lullabies for the Still of the Night see related

Gardening is never complete...but here are some things in the works.

One of my favorite additions, the "Blue Bird" sun-loving hydrangea, just beginning to bloom.

I suppose in 3 years it will climb to the roof of the house.  Waiting is hard.

This was supposed to be purple, guess my soil type wasn't appropriate for such a result.  Now I have too much pink in one place. 

I need more blues/purplies.  Thinking Delphiniums, but afraid the winds with tear them to pieces...

Still sad I cannot tear up and landscape the driveway yet, so this shot was angled to ignore the evidence of such.  Methinks the butterfly bush with be 12ft. tall in a couple more months. 

Whenever I get frustrated, like this ---> , about not achieving my goals and visions as quickly as could (and is) hoped for, this photo (taken a couple weeks before we moved in almost a year ago) is pulled out to make me feel a little better.

There should be thick clusters of tall, spiky Lupine between the yellow rose trees, only an army of snails ate them down to nothing the other week.  Since then I have commenced daily snail patrol, accompanied by Misha on cat patrol.  We make a great team.

Pictured: Mish naps in his garden, which, since he is such a good boy, he never demolished to a great extent, unlike many of his fellow Berners tend to do.  He understands that to sniff the flowers is far better than to dig them out, shake thoroughly, and discard in randomly chosen locations.  What a good boy! 

This has been the intermittent garden update.  Attic/bedroom update will follow, and is guaranteed to not be so pretty.  You'll need to use some imagination.

Currently Listening Morrison Hotel By The Doors see related

The latest absence can be briefly explained with 3 reasons: Uninspired, too busy, brain rotted by Facebook.  I desist before 3 reasons turns into a rant.

Curtains hung in the second bedroom. Project complete minus the floor and insulation slats on the roof boards.

Furniture thrown temporarily in the hall, shot meant to show off the flowing color scheme for the house (hallway also unfinished).

Cramming the master bedroom furniture in for a temporary fix...

...because that room currently looks like this...

...and this is soon to be part of it, if I can only figure out how to crawl along those beams to pull up insulation, wiring and hammer out boards without falling through the ceiling.  Wout said I'm not heavy enough to fall through the ceiling, but I should put my cellphone in my pocket. 

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For the gardeners:

We have new, monster yellow roses.  I thought they were supposed to be miniatures!

My 3 yr. old mini rose tree is certainly happy to be out of a potted balcony garden.

I have two apples on a new stick tree.  These are red something or other...the yellow apple tree is refusing to produce anything since I did not treat it often enough against aphids.  Rather than look ridiculous spraying my tree like a maniac every other morning in my slippers, I will transplant it in a more aphid-free zone...when I get to it. 

The Lobelia just asks for water like a decent annual should. 

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Nothing else of interest to report...as if what I did report was of interest.  Life is pretty full of work, scraping for sleep and playing rollercoaster with the weather.  Is it almost summer?  I wouldn't know.  I'm sitting in a sweater, knee socks and still cold.