In before Christmas?

I'm slightly embarrassed by the increasingly long gaps between these blog posts. Jon would rather I waited to even post this as some things are still only half finished, but I was keen to share some progress. The aim is to be fully moved in before Christmas, and the pressure is definitely now on as I have rather optimistically (and not 100% backed by Jon!) agreed to host a few Christmas drinks and dinner sessions...

I was actually away on a shoot for 2 months, so poor Jon has been carrying the house renovation baton in my absence (although who am I kidding, he was doing that anyway!) Although probably getting lots more done than if I had been there.

At every opportunity, when the weather has been ok (so not often in this green, wet country we live in), he has been outside building the shed and doing the cladding for the back of the house. it takes a long time to prep and measure up all the wood before cutting and putting it all together, and as you can see from the photos, although it's getting there it's not quite finished yet.

Whilst I was out in real Africa, Jon was creating our own little taste of Africa in the downstairs toilet! I had so been looking forward to seeing what the gold and black cheetah wallpaper would look like in there and it did not disappoint. We have decked it out with matching black radiator, tap and accessories and I love how this cupboard room as been transformed. Jon drew the line at me adding additional African tat (as he likes to call it) though.

Speaking of tat, I had a day off work last week and arrived at the house armed with literally a sackful of the stuff. My aim was to start to try and make the living room more liveable and cosy. I first had to give the room a thorough clean, as with all the sawing Jon has been doing out in the kitchen, dust has managed to spread and settle on every horizontal, and actually even vertical, surface throughout the house.

We were actually both in France visiting Jon's Mum and step dad when the carpets for the lounge and bedroom went in. Jon had done all the time-consuming prep required to get the rooms ready (including fitting some bright purple underlay, which got the neighbours talking), but it was absolute bliss to come home to something having been done in our absence. I really love the bedroom carpets, the lounge carpet was a bit of a compromise as Jon wanted something super comfy underfoot, whereas I had been keen for a more tough, hessian style, but that's what doing up a house together means ;-) Just our stair and hallway carpets to go now...

The garden (aside from the shed) is done! Jon did the decking and the brickwork around the path while I was away. We bought pea gravel for the path as I was keen for it to feel 'soft' underfoot and ordered lawn turf from a local supplier. I went to pick it up after work one evening and not realising quite how wet and heavy the rolls would be, managed to get mud / grass / worms all over my clothes and the car before a kind man offered me some assistance. Although the garden beds look a bit bare and dead at the moment, I have planted lots of bulbs, so am really hoping that come next Spring it will start to come to life a bit more. I had just got back to Dad's feeling quite satisfied with all our work out in the garden, when Jon sent me a picture of the black cat which, pre-Maisie, I had been encouraging to come into the house, now taking a shit in one of the beds! He is no longer welcome!

Maisie

I know it sounds pathetic, but I actually can't believe how much I missed her while I was away, despite a whole host of other incredible animals to distract me. Almost as much as Jon! When she finally arrives at the house, we will have officially moved in.