We were supposed to be having some floorboards put down at the weekend. When we cleared the room out in preparation, we realised it needed decorating. Badly. Well, not badly decorating (although now you mention it...) but - oh you know what I mean. Then Lovely Husband suggested that now might be the time to get rid of the Hideous Stone Fireplace, circa 1979, that we've lived with since we moved in.Within minutes, he was wielding a mallet. He doesn't need much excuse. An hour later it was gone. Which was just as well as it turned out. Whoever installed it had done a terrible job. The wood-burning stove wasn't fitted to anything. All the stuff we'd burnt over the past six years (wood and paper mostly, you'll be relieved to hear) had piled up behind the Hideous Stone in a giant sooty heap, waiting to poision us, one day, with its noxious fumes. So now, as well as painting the walls, the fireplace has got to be Sorted Out. It'll be worth it in the end, I'm sure. Not least because we'll still be alive to tell the tale. Plus, like I got an idea for a story out of it, like womagwriter.
I wonder it that Beatle's LP is worth anything??
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Meanwhile, lovely Kerry tagged me for a bookish meme so here it is...
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.
Well, there are books all over the desk at the moment due to Room Upheaval, and the nearest is "You Must be Sisters," by Deborah Moggach (one of my favourite authors). So the fifth sentence and following three are...
"They were sitting on the verandah, and over the grizzled head she could see all the people standing around in the garden. Actually it was rather peaceful with Miss Price, because one didn't have to make an effort.
'...so I tried the green ones,' Miss Price was saying, 'and quite honestly they were the size of saucers. Never was anything so huge.'"
I hasten to add she was talking about the size of the tablets she'd taken after lunch. I'm hopeless at swallowing tablets myself, so that sentence fills me with dread.
I think lots of you may have already done this one, but if not consider yourself tagged.
13 comments:
Oooh I love renovation/redecorating stuff (as long as it's not me that's doing it!). What are you going to replace the fire with?
What a horrible shock. Mind you I'm sure it will look gorgeous in the end.
We've spent several years redecorating our house and I'm brilliant at getting tiles off walls, painting etc. Make a hell of a mess whilst I'm doing it though.
calistro - I must admit I don't really enjoy it any more, though I used to! We're getting rid of the wood-burning stove and having an open fire with a small, cast-iron surroud instead. The chimney has to be saftey checked first though!!
debs - I've decorated so many different places over the years, I do it under protest these days! It will look so much better though. Talking of which, I'd better get back to it...
Oops Karen! I just stumbled on your other blog and left a rather windy comment. Is it meant for a particular readership? If so, sorry! On which blog do you welcome commentary from the general riff raff?
No fireplace experience here, but I do remember a friend's mess--she had to re-paint an entire room when the fireplace mal-functioned and smoke billowed out in the room. They went to a "fake" fire.
faye - I think the blog you're referring to is my old link, which now belongs to another Karen Clarke - not me!! It is a bit confusing, but I couldn't think of a way to let people know I'd moved, other than leave a comment on their site and hope they'd find me. Anyway, I'm sure she'll be very pleased to hear from you :o)
We've had the smoke billowing situation too - no wonder, considering the mess we found behind the fireplace!
Wow, sounds like you had a lucky escape with the fireplace. The open fire sounds lovely! You'll have to take a picture when you get it done.
Clarkey,(I don't like Mrs C, too old sounding) a bit of plastering is going to be needed methinks, what colour are you painting the walls. Happy decorating Tommox
Sounds like it's going to be lovely. There's nothing like an open fire but preferably one that's connected to the chimney!
yvonne - I will do. I just hope it actually will look better!!
tommo - I do feel a bit like I should be wearing a pleated skirt as Mrs C!
There's going to be plastering aplenty this coming Saturday, and the walls are Buttermilk. Which I've a horrible feeling is a variation of Magnolia.
lane - I hope it'll be lovely, but I've vision of us sitting here this time next week, knee-deep in soot :o)
My house is in chaos *sigh* the bolier which has been leaking for two months has now been condemned - thanks British Gas Homecare! - and the bathroom tap is broken and leaking everywhere! I give up! I now feel the need to go and find the 'other you!'
hi karen
I didn't notice you were a librarian before. You should definatley think about submitting to the new secret thing that is being unveiled soon (I told you I would spam you). We need writer-librarians. We all do. But me especially.
x
It'll be great, and well done for getting a story idea out of it! I've yet to write my wallpaper stripping one up - that's this week's target. Haven't finished stripping the wallpaper either, so if I run out of inspiration I can just pick up the steamer again...
helenmh - Bloomin' boilers. That'll be the next thing to go...
jenn - I'm intrigued. I shall keep my ears plaster-free.
womagwriter - That's the trouble at the moment. Plenty of ideas, no time to do anything about them due to DIY-ing!
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