The Show Must Go On

By now I had fully intended to wow you, and myself, with photos of the beautiful, style haven that is my finished home. But, erm, well, almost.

As I write I am surrounded by spare lengths of coving that adorn the living room floor (where else can you put strips of delicate plaster over 8ft long?), rolls of insulation hanging out in the hall way, boxes and boxes of books and CD's still not even unpacked.

Now, I wouldn't like you to think this is due to lack of effort. On the contrary every spare moment has been spent jay-cloth in hand, Mr Muscle my trusty companion as I wade through the many many layers of dust. Fact remains, it takes a good 12 hours (without breaks - well the quick check of face-book aside) to clean one room.

That is only for the cleaning, let alone the ever expanding snagging list... put felt on the roof of the shed, fit the left-over pane of glass and hang the door in the kitchen, paint the window seat, paint the kitchen floor, paint the downstairs loo, touch up the marks in the newly painted hall-way, entirely re-paint the dining space, hang curtain pole and curtain in kitchen, hang curtain in bedroom, get curtains made for living room.......

I could go on, but I won't. Sufficed to say, life is one long list of non completed tasks. The more time passes the longer the list gets when the jobs you have previously completed need re-doing.

I am beginning to realise that this is the joy of home-owning. All that aside the house is looking great!

When I'm Cleaning Windows

Something is not quite right.... an eery silence has descended. Where is my 7am wake up knock, accompanied by coughing, spluttering and (undoubtedly) swearing in Polish? Where are the endless mugs that litter every room with half drunk cups of coffee? Where the industrial saw in the kitchen?

That's right kids, the builders have gone and I am left feeling strangely bereft! After such a constant presence in my life for 9 months, it feels odd to have the house back, when I say back, I never had it to be begin with. Somehow it always felt more like their house than mine, forever apologising for getting in their way, mortified when we ran out of milk (which they drank!).

Still one door closes and another opens, my brief feeling of emptiness has been swiftly replaced by an even more demanding presence, the dust!
Since buying the house we have lived in a temporary stylee, belongings in boxes, ignoring rooms and allowing the dust to accumulate. I am now faced with actually moving in and cleaning up and oh my lord what a mammoth task it is!

Keen as mustard, on Sunday morning I set too, I had committed the whole day to the task....(jealous?!) Surely enough to conquer 3 rooms at the very least. After wandering aimlessly debating exactly where/ how to start this ludicrous task I opted for the kitchen. Gloves on, Mr Muscle in hand I was ready for anything.

2 hours later, 3 cupboards cleaned, 4 hours later, approximately a quarter done. It was at this stage I really began to wish we had packed everything neatly into storage. .. 6 hours later, I hit the half way mark and began to loose the will to live. But I would not be beaten, so it was that 12, read them, 12 hours of solid cleaning later, I finally had a clean kitchen...

So, only the rest of the house to go.... then there's the decorating!