Progress

Well, progress indeed....the new flooring is down in the bathroom and it looks amazing, both Gav and I are starting to feel better now, even getting one room "sort of" finished is good.  The only down side is that since finishing it we've had to use it as a storing room for furniture and bits and pieces from all the other rooms that we've had to empty for the builder to start work.  This is what it will look like when completely finished...

 ...I wish

I have a thing at the moment for re-purposing wardrobes, old wardrobes.  I see them as cupboards for more than just holding clothes....Ha! Narnia sprung to mind then.  An old armoire opens up a world of possibilities, they make fabulous storage space in all rooms, which is why when passing a charity shop in Shrewsbury the other day Gav and I lugged home a small art deco gentleman's wardrobe (they're the ones with drawers at the bottom).  I haven't posted a photo yet because i'd like to show it to you when it's in situ to get the full effect - but it does look stunning in the bathroom.  The drawers at the bottom are wider than the top and it has a faint art deco design across the front with gorgeous bakelite handles on the doors and drawers, i can't wait to fill it with towels and pretty things.

We're looking for a similar thing for our en-suite bathroom, which is slightly more contemporary, I found these images of pretty wardrobes and i have some good ideas.

I love this ladder... 

 

...i found a really nice one in Ludlow a few weeks ago, but Gav thought it was expensive, it was nicer than this one, a lot wider and not actually shelving.  I wanted it to hang towels over and i've not seen one like it since, so i may go back and get it, if it's still there!!!

And of course, i'll need this, where else am i going to put my champagne?

We also have this shelf unit in the shop, it's very nice and for sale, but not many people realise this because it's filled with stock, I may just have to steal it for bath stuff!!!

and.....i just love this...

So... we're well on our way to getting rooms sorted.  The builder has been here for two days and is doing a great job.  I think he finishes the current room the middle of next week, I hope that includes the plastering.  Then we can start the painting whilst he's working on the bedrooms.  We're still looking for rugs and haven't found anything we like yet, but there's a local auction coming up soon with a nice one on the list.

Gav and I are off to Bridlington/Hull on Monday morning just overnight to see family and swap christmas presents.

 

We should get there by early afternoon, just in time to have a breezy walk along the sea front and then the whole family is out for a meal in the evening.  I can't wait to see everyone.

Lizzie will be holidaying with our friends Cecilia and Peter and two big German Shepherd dogs, Bella and Tyson.  I took her to Gooseberry Hall this morning for a practice run and she loved it.  Slept for two hours when she got back.

"I would be most content if my child grows up to be the kind of person who thinks decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.”

- Anna Quindlen (adapted

Rest, Relaxation and Music

Last night Gavin and I had the opportunity to have a night away and toddled off to the Guildhall in Gloucester to see Steve Hackett in concert.  What a performance.  Gav has recently finished producing their DVD "Fire and Ice" which was filmed at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London Last year....

"On 30 November 2010 Steve Hackett and band returned to the Shepherds Bush Empire to resounding applause after many stops abroad with the "Around the World in Eighty Trains" tour. While snow fell outside in a London blizzard, within the atmosphere was burning. The band on fine form and hot to trot was joined by special guests Steven Wilson and John Wetton"Fire And Ice captures the whole concert"

We booked into a really nice bed and breakfast not far from the Guildhall and my Beautiful Girl came up to look after Lizzie and open the shop of us this morning (with help from my lovely friend Jenny who braved downpours and flooded lonely dark roads to collect her from the train station at Craven Arms!  thank you Jen (and Jess), you're a sweetie).

These photo's of Steve and the band are from the Birkenhead gig last year

It was nice to get away from the mess here, even just for one night.  However, there is progress, the builder is due to arrive a week on Monday to do the structural work to the rooms and Gav's started fitting the flooring in the guest bathroom.  On Monday we're off to the Halls Auction viewing in Shrewsbury as we're looking for persian rugs for some of the other rooms.  We've found this gorgeous runner for the middle floor corridor, we needed it 25 foot long and i love the colours in this one:

The shop is getting busier, i still can't believe the amount of visitors there still are in Montgomery.  We have loads of stock and it's disappearing nicely, even the vintage stuff (which is going out at a worrying rate - because it's more difficult to buy in).  The phones that Gav's restoring are going out quicker than he can do them, some of the more quirky ones are not lasting more than a day in here - but we're not complaining.

Naughty Lizzie is now a chocolate brown retriever instead of a golden retriever after deciding that the soaked soggy soil in the garden pots looked better all over the yard as opposed to sitting neatly in the pots!!!  Not entirely happy from doing all that she decided she'd have fun rolling around in it - needless to say she's been sent to her bed (at least until she dries off anyway), then a bath is in order i think.

We're all off out to the Montgomery Town Hall Quiz Night tonight.  We have a team of seven and Nicci and her friend are coming so i sent them off to learn all the kings and queens of England since William the Conqueror!!!!!   Anyone would have thought i'd asked them to strip off and run naked around Montgomery singing the Welsh National Anthem!!!! 

So i gave them a rhyme to learn, it's six only lines each:

Willie, Willie, Harry, Steve

Harry, Dick, John, Harry three

Edwards one, two, three, Dick two

Henry four, five, six then who?

Edward four five, Dick the Bad

Harry's twain and Ned the lad

Mary, Lizzie, James the Vain

Charlie, Charlie, James again

Will and Mary, Anne o'gloria

four Georges, William and Victoria

Edward seven, George five

Edward George and Liz Alive

Wish us luck!

House woes

Both Gav and i are so fed up of our home looking like a warehouse and it's hard at the moment not to feel depressed walking around here, dodging piled up boxes of both new and vintage shop stock and furniture in places it shouldn't be! 

This is currently our living room (soon to be our bedroom) we have a gorgeous en-suite bathroom behind that far wall, you can see the wardrobes (in pieces) stored here and our bed is in the other corner, in pieces too. 

Our bathroom, we removed the hideous carpet, revealing an even more hideous floor, which consisted of some gorgeous oak flooring interspersed with chipboard!!!!  Gav's replacing the chipboard here.

The cupboard is from the shop, it'll eventually be going in the bedroom

The middle floor corridor with what will be the living room at the far end!

The soon to be living room at the end of the above corridor, this is the awful wall panelling that we're removing (that's my job this week) to have the wall re sealed and insulated.

...and gav's job replacing some of the floorboards in this room too.

Top floor corridor with dressing table in pieces!

It's enough to drive us mad, but the builder should be here next week to do some work for a week or so and then we can finally start moving this furniture into the rooms and tidying and clearing walkways. 

Gav and i have been looking for new rugs and curtains and to cheer myself up i've been looking for inspiration on how to decorate some of the new rooms. These  rooms are the "home tour" photos of the fabulous Kelly Rae Roberts.  I love the simplicity of these rooms, they radiate calmness and happiness and i'm using her style as a basis for some of the rooms i'm doing up.  The bedside cabinet is to die for and i have loads of spare chairs/suitcases/trays here!!!  Enjoy

Uuuhhhhhggggghhh!!!

Had a fab birthday yesterday, but.....

.....I'm never drinking again!!!

I didn't even drink that much, just a bottle of wine at the Checkers

(which i shared with Gav)

....oh.....and a few Lysh G&T's before that

So delicious...but as you can see...not much in a bottle!

Gav cooked a gorgeous meal for us, i had birthday cake and "I love You" candles.  Loads of pressies and cards and also....

Gav booked my party for my 50th birthday celebrations next year.  So excited, he booked the "Cover Sluts" again for the night and i'm thinking up some good rocking tunes for them to play!

Thanks to all you lovely people who sent happy birthday wishes and extra special love to my lovely hubby, my gorgeous girl and my amazing sisters (Karen and Cathy) and mother (in-law) for spoiling me.  Love you all lots.

Now...where did i put those headache tablets?