October 17th
Two weeks further into the kitchen refit and we’re almost there. The skip arrived and is just waiting for the last bits of kitchen worktop to be added and anything else lying around the place. The remaining units removed and Patch the plumber sorted out the pipework and a few other jobs. Ben the tiler came with his mate Paul and did a cracking job, leaving me to do the grouting as agreed. Even better, two boxes of tiles returned. The kitchen window got a new seal as it used to leak when we had southerly rain. I am still wondering about spraying the old brown plastic frame before the worktops and sink are fitted. I ended up sorting out the electrics and after capping the cables, plastering, sanding, filling etc, the kitchen received a well deserved coat of paint. The new IKEA light fitting was hung – after the umpteenth visit into the loft – and all is looking good.
The kitchen arrived and was spread over four locations in the bungalow. Having a degree in flat-pack assembly, the one item which needed assembly was the corner unit. Well, the instructions were some of the worst I’ve encountered in over 45 years, with drawings needing a magnifying glass to see, same screws having two reference letters and to crown it all, getting to the final construction to find two panels missing. After contacting Leekes regarding the missing items, we finally found them marked 0/0 on the packing information. Oh silly me, so used to assembling items with packages marked 1/3, 2/3 and 3/3 on the outside. It seems this is a known issue with the supplier.
With the first hurdle resolved and corner unit assembled, the remaining assembled units started to go together well, with only the legs to add. I needed the help from brother in law Steve to move them from conservatory into kitchen and with his old and trusty “skate board”, we managed to manoeuvre them into place before adding the legs. This was after the initial attempt at standing a two metre tall unit upright with flimsy plastic legs snapping off as we took the unit from horizontal to vertical. After levelling up the units, I then had to remove some of the oven unit backs to accommodate the depth of the ovens and warming drawer. Just waiting for Chris to come and fit the worktops this week and final fix of plumbing. Oh the luxury of having a sink back in the kitchen.
I still have the unenviable task of refitting all the ex-vermin infested fibre glass insulation in the loft to cover the water pipes before the frosts set in. I will have to look again at eBay for some full NBC kit before undertaking that job.
On the wildlife side of things, the CCTV system captured a bat swooping back and forth, catching insects attracted to the camera’s night light. This happened twice on the same night for a few minutes each time. We also seem to have a number of cats and kittens using our garden as a thoroughfare. They must be coming from afar as neighbours only have dogs. As the ground is full of stones, they would need a set of power tools to scratch out a toilet.
October 3rd
As Robert Burns famously said “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men” seems rather appropriate at the moment. Having decided to start tiling the kitchen floor myself, with lots of advice from the tile shop and friends, I achieved two uneven tiles before having to stop with a tendon strain to my left arm. After quickly removing the tiles and cleaning up the debris, I phoned the surgery to see if I could get an appointment with a nurse, to be promptly told to go to A&E. So I phoned Leigh, our chiropractor, who fitted me in after lunch. After some painful manipulation, a few well placed acupuncture needles and a tennis elbow strap, I felt ready to rock and roll. Oh NO you don’t, light duties and rest mate! At least he saved me sitting for 8 hours looking at fellow DIY’ers in A&E and getting a sticker saying “I’ve now got Covid”. After a few phone calls, I found a recommended and available tiler.
Now the grand plan has slipped by 10 days. So with electrician on Monday, skip coming on Tuesday, plumber on Wednesday, tiler on Thursday and kitchen delivery on Friday, twoz a tad miffed when Leekes called to say kitchen was coming on the Thursday. Sorry, can’t change date as that’s the manufacturers decision – could you put the units in your garage. Slight hysterical laughter from me at this point – how many people have garages that can store more than a mower, let alone a kitchen?
One of our friends from Worton told us that the people who bought our house had put in planning permission for some major changes. I accessed the plans on the planning portal and was disheartened at the proposed changes. Having already decimated the garden by removing the two ponds, complete with fish and newts, they’re planning on converting the house into something from footballers wife’s or the only way is Essex. It would probably be cheaper to demolish and start anew. Ah well, their choice. Shame they are not being considerate our friends either side with added windows looking straight into their gardens.
On a lighter side, Emma reached the grand old age of 27. We went laden with gifts and took her out for a pizza lunch (with free dough balls), followed by a lovely few hours at the aquarium – while keeping social distancing from the fish. We last saw her in May when she came to look after June and it was great to also see Martin who we hadn’t seen in over a year. Lulled into a false sense of reality by the two hour journey to Bristol, it took four to return home. No accidents, just the sheer volume of traffic on the M4 on a Friday afternoon/evening. Something to avoid in the future.
Ah well, off to my sisters for Sunday lunch as our temporary kitchen (dining table) has too many extension leads to cook more than two items at a time – should be sorted by Christmas – DYI permitting!
