Westacre Day minus 10
Alex has been doing more tiling. The bathroom is now tiled up to the mosaic decoration at hip hight. He says it’s looking very smart. He should arrive in Harrow any minute now to oversee tomorrow’s upheaval.
Hilde has been battling the payroll people in her place of work one last time.
Westacre Day minus 11
Alex got to the bungalow before 9am this morning and finished tiling the en suite. He then tried his hand at plastering a wall – proper plastering, not the patching work Hilde was doing a few weeks ago. Roger was up in the loft again, filling sacks with old insulation, before going to his choir practice.
Hilde tried to get as much of the end of term paperwork done as she could. She doesn’t really want to leave it for other people to do. She also considered what needs to come home with her in the next couple of days.
Westacre Day minus 12
Alex and Hilde had a slow start this morning, lingering over breakfast. But they made up for it with the floor tiling in the en suite started and the ceiling in the extension (lovingly called the East Wing) painted an nicely even white.
Roger had an early trip to the dump and then left for Hartlebury Castle where he performed with his choir.
Westacre Day minus 13
So much got done today. Hilde stripped some last bits of wallpaper, added some more sound insulation to the partition between the bathroom and the kitchen, and painted the walls and ceiling in the new porch. Having plaster means we can start decorating at long last.
Alex’s greatest achievement is levelling the floor in the en suite. We’ve been talking about that all year, and finally it’s done. The floor levelling compound looks like something unspeakable and brown, but it does settle level.
Roger spent most of the day in the loft, making space for new loft insulation to go in week after next.
Westacre Day minus 14
Hilde went back to Roger’s bungalow for the first time in nearly two weeks and was very pleased with the change. The plasterer has done miracles, and it now is finally beginning to look like a place where a person could live. Onwards and upwards!
Westacre Day minus 15
Hilde did another day’s work in the office and got flowers from a grateful tutor. Before driving back to Westacre, Alex had another stab at fixing the toilet cistern (he never gives up, even when he says he will). Meanwhile, in the bungalow, the plasterers are nearly finished.
Westacre Day minus 17
Alex was at home in Harrow today, and did domestic things like having another go at fixing the toilet cistern (it didn’t work and he’s now officially given up), doing some washing and cooking Hilde some dinner when she came home from work.
Hilde was working at City Lit, making decisions about the programme in 2013-2014, long after she’ll have left.
Meanwhile, in the bungalow, the electrician has placed some new sockets and the plasterer has tidied up some walls and ceilings. It will look different when we get back there.
Westacre Day minus 22
Alex and Hilde have escaped the DIY madness for a little while. They’ve travelled to Belgium, where Hilde’s cousin is getting married on Saturday. News services may be suspended for a while.
Westacre Day minus 23
As Alex put it: there is a kitchen sink in the work surface, with a tap that makes hot and cold running water and a fully functioning set of waste pipes connected to the waste. Not bad for a day’s work.
Especially since the day’s work also involved moving more stuff around in the bungalow, so the plasterers have access to the main bedroom and the en suite.
Hilde has (hopefully) had the last difficult day at work, and can relax for the last two weeks. But first there is a wedding to go to in Belgium.
Westacre Day minus 24
The professional plasterers have started work. They have replaced the ceiling in the extension (lovingly called the East Wing) of the bungalow, and have plastered the new porch. They will keep going for a couple more days.
Alex, in the meantime, has fitted some of the kitchen cabinets, cut the worktop to go on top, and was still working at 9:30pm, trying to fit the sink.
Hilde was doing her London job, trying to find ways to attract more people to the City Lit Welsh courses.