End Sept
Almost the end of our second month in the bungalow. I look around at all the boxes still to sort as June’s not been too nimble on her feet, but our new doctor seems to have picked up the baton. I don’t seem to have stopped and only when I do, I see order forming in the chaos. Relaxation is either a trip to Screwfix or mowing the lawn. I only have myself to blame as I’m retired so I set my workload, unless June needs something specific. The garage has been a time consuming project as I start by 8 and work till either coffee of lunch, depending on how long I last. I’d like to get it sorted before the weather turns too cold. Not sure what’s the most economical form of heating; possible a scrap wood burner? The electric roller doors are a godsend and well worth the investment.
Having had the carpets laid, I finally got round to re-hanging the bifold door for June’s en-suite. A fiddly affair taking two attempts over two days to understand the mechanism and then to adjust it correctly. After setting up an account with Carmarthen Council, I booked a slot at the recycling depot to offload the complete bungalows old carpets and underlay in one trip. The sitting room decorating is now at a liveable level with woodwork and ceiling remaining for next summer. The dining room is next on the painting plan to cover over where the smaller dresser now resides and the brickwork arch needs some holes filled in and then a coat of paint to brighten it up.
I got the previous boiler servicing company to come out and sort the lockout issue. I was left in a bit of a shock when he left saying further work needed to be done which could cost up to £500 plus vat if the fan also needed replacing. “Well as you’ve got is stripped down, you may as well change it instead of me coming back again. “ The techie had sorted out the lockout problem but left us with a very noisy boiler which was either down to mixture or heat exchanger blockage. A £42 cleaning kit only changed the pitch and duration of the boiler noise. Decision time, same company or new local – the latter me thinks.
Mum has been coming over for the odd day each week, but Swansea is now on Covid isolation, so that’s now on hold – sorry Mags.
Just ended the month by plasterboarding the garage ceiling – satisfaction.
Mid Sept
Well, last week was knackering. Dale and son came on Sunday evening to get a head start on laying the carpets. We started at 07:00 on Monday morning and worked through till 18:00 in the evening. I started in my room putting as much as possible into the en-suite, including filling the bath with bedding and tools and using the shower cubicle to hang wardrobe contents. The larger items moved into the sitting room. The old carpet smelt as if a dog had had numerous accidents and with blood stains on the concrete, conjured up various scenarios, especially with some uneven concrete floor!
The contents of the spare room was moved into my room while I painted two walls which were due to be covered with large furniture. The wardrobe and bed for the spare room were moved back as I painted the wardrobe wall. All other items being left in my bedroom. June’s room contents went into and out of the sitting room with no problems, leaving only the sitting room to sap our strength. The 5 x 7m of carpet took three of us to handle to get it square and smooth. Eventually we packed up and went our separate ways. I slept on the settee as my bed was buried. Tuesday morning came too soon and I tried to remember when in the night the bus had driven over me. By Wednesday, all the doors were re-hung having been shortened, spare room wardrobe and bed built, but full of boxes, sitting room getting to a state of semblance and me back in my own bed.
On Thursday, I completed trimming the hedge I started a week ago (when it was last dry) and decided to top off the over-grown conifer out front that was approaching the electricity cables. This worked well until the central branch dropped sideways onto an adjacent shrub. Removal of said offending branch required the use of a tow rope and my car to pull it out. Now what do you do with four Christmas trees in September?
The steel shed is almost complete with doors and flooring to finish off. Electric garage doors are due next week together with a boiler service as it keeps tripping out.
