Sunday, June 24, 2012

Chaos around here............

Does anyone know whose idea it was to move my house around????They need to be shot. I do not like chaos and chaos is what I have.  I started out by measuring repeatedly, and then shifting things about and rolling up rugs, cleaning the empty places, and getting the pathway clear to the middle of the kitchen. 
That white thing is the toybox

 A
 piano in the middle of the kitchen. Not quite what I had in mind. Anyway, I positioned small rugs near the tiles, so the wheels of the piano could be on them and not on my floor, and then sort of got the piano to this place below.........
 And at that point, I realised that all the maths and all the wishful thinking would not get it any further. It took hours to get it that far. And also, if I pushed it any further, I would be trapped in the new study, and that would not have been good. I cannot tell you how heavy it is. It had an iron inside, I think. So I called for help, and one of my friends, Bob, came to get it into the kitchen. I had the angles and the heights and all the rest sorted, so it just had to get there, and get there it did, with the aid of the rugs.
 My tree had to move to the small table opposite the piano, next to my rocker. And after Bob left, I sat on the floor and scrubbed the scratches it left, even with the rugs, off, all the way to the door to the lounge. In fact, I was totally shattered, but could not stop. So I got the new study organised as much as I could, and on Saturday, I eased my aching bones down the stairs at 9 just before Jean arrived with scones to help me assemble the Ikea expedit shelf thingy which is now at the door of the study.
 It is the white thing at the bottom of the photo above, and I need some baskets for it. but it works. See? The new study is 99% done. All it needs is my computer. I took one look at the wires, cables, funny plug thingys and the 2 towers, 2 keyboards, camera ,2 mouses (mice?) and had a panic attack. So I stopped at that point and backed up this computer. Just In Case, because it hates being switched off. And to get it to its new home, it will have to be switched off, won't it. Joy of joys.
 I love it. Jean and I got the dangly pots on the wall in place, and I will put up a small shelf or 2 when I have the towers in place in the corner. There is a lower table there for them and the printer, so I do not have to have them on top or under the desks, and I can sit in that chair, and swivel round from desk to desk and round to the bookcases without getting up. Perfect. I have to say it works amazingly well. Or it would do if this computer could be magically transported to its new home. Like now.

And after an epic tidying,/shifting/cleaning morning, I went to a friend's 50th birthday tea. Insteasd of a party, Lesley had a tea party over a couple of days, in aid of the MacMillan Haematology Unit at our local hospital. No personal gifts, just a donation to the unit. And TEA was served.
 A REAL ENGLISH TEA!!!!! This was our table. A real proper tea with scones, and jam and cream and little cakes and sandwiches. And all the rest. This table had a great deal of gluten free food for 2 of my friends. I tasted some of it and it was delicious, I have to say. In fact we all tasted everything. Twice. Or maybe 3 times. Divine.
 There were 34 people there - all sitting at tables throughout the house and into the garden. If the weather had been better, everyone would have been outside with sunshades. But this is England, and I am still in winter garb.
And yes, I drank tea. I was at a tea party, after all.  Black tea. 3 cups of it. I had to take this photo to record the day I drank tea, because as a rule I never do. Maybe I could drink black tea more often. I will see.

And then I walked waddled home to shred more paper. I did not need any supper. At all.

And I have been shredding paper most of today. Under my desk was a mountain of papers waiting to be shredded, but I have been reluctant to shred them - I was worried that I may need something for lawyers etc, so I just let it mount up. But yesterday, I thought, for heaven's sake, in this day and age, anything they may need they can get because it is all computerised. So I shredded nearly 7 years of papers. Well, maybe 5 years. I appear to have the same mountain in my files, and that will all have to go too. The shredded paper goes into my compost, and it is brilliant.

The white toybox in the top photo has now been dragged to the sewing room, and it is sitting there in the bay window. Chaos reigns supreme in there, but that is not next in line. Yet. I have to get the computers moved. Then the old study will be dismantled, and the walls repaired and painted, hopefully by another friend who did the new study last year. (I do like all these retired people who like having jobs to do!!!)  Then we (I will rope in more friends at this point) will assemble the breakfast nook, buy a big mirror to reflect the light, hang a picture or 20 and get a rug for the floor. I think. And only THEN will we move on to the sewing room. Probably around September at this rate. 2020.

I am off to Bath to see the consultants tomorrow. They will not be deeply thrilled with the ridiculous state I now find myself in. Exhausted. But happy.An idiot. With a new study.

I would be happier if the computer was moved already, of course.

6 comments:

Vee said...

Well now, it's coming. Is that the new location for the piano? I say this with my own sitting directly behind me in what we use for an office and a spare bed. Your office looks terrific. So organized and orderly and clean and all. Oh the tea party looked great fun with lots of yummy foods. I wish we did tea parties here.

Crystal said...

The study looks just divine, Linds! With a few flowers in vases, a cup of coffee and music playing, you are going to enjoy many hours of creating in this space. Well done, "Idiot"!! (Just saying, you know!) The tea party looks just wonderful - so many tasty goodies in that photo! I hope tomorrow goes okay for you :)

I too have a piano that has no proper space of its own - oy!!

Debbie said...

The study looks great. And that piano, oh my!! I have one almost exactly like it and it is incredibly heavy. I cannot imagine trying to move it by myself. Knowing how heavy those things are, I'm sure it DID take hours to get it as far as you did. I know you will be so glad to get everything organized the way you want it. Good luck with it all. Now, if I could just get myself inspired to do the same thing at my house!!

Stripeyspots said...

I don't know what I want more, that beautiful, shiny new study or a nice cup of tea! Well done!

Needled Mom said...

I'm exhausted just reading the post, but the new study looks fabulous. I just hate it when I have all sorts of wires and plugs to sort out.

Kelli said...

I've said it more than once .... you are a better woman than I.

I would have looked at it all, sat on the floor/pile/whatever, and cried.