Renovation - Computer Images

 

Here it is at last, the kitchen that I sat and designed with our brilliant kitchen guy.  He did his magic and got it all pictured on his computer programme, and now at last Alan can see what has been inside my head since we first looked round the bungalow.

While Alan is the technical guy, I am the one with the vision for what could be in a place, so we work well together ... once we both get the other's vision. 

The kitchen is the same colour scheme as the one I currently have in the annexe, as we both thought that it would suit being in a kitchen/dining/living room space.  But it has a lot more units and a built-in washing machine to the left of the sink.

The table and chairs are just an 'artists impression to show how the space will be used.  We will probably have to make do with our old dining table at first, but may change it when funds allow.

Of course, I will still have some open shelving for my cookbooks, is a kitchen even a kitchen without cookbooks on display!!  😄

We are going back to our old 'American style' fridge freezer but without the water/ice dispenser shown in this picture.  We loved this free-standing design when we had it in our Welsh kitchen.

The French doors on the left of the picture lead to the garden, and will eventually open onto decking with steps down to the garden, and the glazed door on the right leads to the small hallway, the front door and both bedroom doors.

I have to say, I am really pleased with how it all looks and the sheer amount of storage space we are going to have behind all those cupboard doors and large drawers.

Finally here is an 'artists impression' of the dining and living room end.

The main differences are, that we will have our main television on my sideboard as we are not 'television on the wall' type of people, and my bookcase and Alan's tall lamp will be in the large alcove.

  The multifuel stove we are getting is a more traditional design, and Alan is treating himself to a smaller leather reclining sofa, as his current one is too big for this space.

But the main thing is that Alan can now see my vision ... now if I could just learn to understand the finer points of underfloor heating, solar panels and their batteries, and having three water heaters it would be perfect.  😉

Sue xx

Final February Shopping - Blowing the Budget ... and Family News

My final shopping of February, and sadly I really blew the budget this month with a total spend of £70.07, meaning an overspend of £17.70 ... there are far too many sevens in that little round up.  😄

For the first time that I needed to buy toilet rolls the ones I like weren't on special offer.  I honestly can't remember when I have got my timing wrong before.  But hey, I bought them because I needed them and happily I have my emergency Facebook Marketplace sales money to top up my usual monthly budget money.

Happily it's a new month and a fresh £50 for my purse on Sunday, where on earth is the time going!!

It's been a day of bad news today, so my blowing the budget is neither here nor there really.  My eldest grandson found out his fiancée, who is the mother of his two younger sons, was cheating on him and they have split up, with her throwing him out of their home.  My second eldest grandson has split from his long term girlfriend just before his 21st birthday, in a fit of spite (I don't know what happened as she dumped him), she cancelled all his birthday party plans and his Mum had to ring around everywhere to reinstate things.  Then to cap it all my older son's fiancée's grandad died last night so she is devasted.

On the bright side my younger son and his partner have just had their offer accepted on a lovely little bungalow in Thornton-Cleveleys, their first ever home purchase.  Their survey is taking place today.

There are always chinks of light even on the saddest of days, you just have to look for them and cling on.  

Now after all the phone calls ...

Sue xx

Bungalow Renovations - Where are the Floors?

 

Yes, that's me stood on the 'floor' in what will be our living room, I can just about see out of the window.

And that's Alan stood in the only room that still actually has a floor.

Come into the living room he says with a smirk!!

The fireplace shows the level of where the floor was until Alan took out first the floorboards and then the joists.

Everything just looks so strange.

Alan has been working really hard over the last two weeks to strip everything out ready for the next stages of the renovations to take place.  He's exhausted every afternoon when he gets home for a hot bath, but he says he's loving it.

Gosh, men are strange. 😄

The room that I was stood in when I waved out of the window.  

So, where are all the floors and joists then?

They are in the garden under tarpaulins, ready to be chopped up one day to give us years and years of kindling for the log burner. 

 Another job that crazy Alan says he's looking forward to!!

Copper pipes in the kitchen waiting to be taken, along with the old copper water tank, to the scrap metal merchants.  Seemingly the price of scrap copper is at an all time high at the moment.  We are just clawing back some money whenever we can.

Hope you have a lovely weekend. 

Sue xx

Adding to the Cash Stash

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I was singing the praises of the soup maker that we have had for years (see here), but then I had a change of heart while I was washing the pots.

The one downside to this particular model is that you can't submerge the glass part in water to give it a really good clean and with my back issues I was struggling to lift it.  The only way to properly get it clean was to lie it on it's side leaning over the washing up bowl of soapy water and scrub it carefully.

So I lost patience, and after a chat with Alan who said he didn't want it either, I advertised it on Facebook Marketplace.  It sold within two hours to someone who really needed it, and I was very happy.

Ten pounds to add to my little cash stash, which while I am currently managing on such a tight budget is a nice little back up so I can buy anything big that I might run out of.

Or, as I have only £3.28 in my purse to last me until the end of the month, it might have to be used sooner.  😄

Sue xx

Valentines Promises and Freebies, Shopping ... and a Health Explanation

 

We didn't do much for Valentines Day this year, with health and bungalow 'stuff' going on and family visitors for two days last week, it sort of slipped under the radar a bit.  So, we exchanged cards and I promised to buy Alan an axe when he sees one that he likes, he needs one for all the wood chopping he wants to do now that virtually all of the floors in the bungalow are up and the joists are coming up next.  

Once he gets chopping we will have enough kindling for the log burner for the next five years at least!!

He went to Booths to get himself something and was supposed to be buying me a sliced loaf while he was there.  Instead he got distracted by a pretty girl giving out samples in store and offering free toilet rolls to anyone who bought a box of the 'Cheeky Panda' tissues.

He said he knew that this would appeal to me, I laughed and agreed and said it could be my Valentines Day gift ... and then asked where my bread was.  😄

Booths - £8.65

We did go to Booths the next day for a coffee and a chat after meeting with our kitchen designer, so I bought some buns instead, along with some eggs and biscuits.

I didn't need anymore shopping as I am still barely eating properly at the moment.

Yesterday, after a very painful visit to go and see my Mum, I was feeling sorry for myself and toying with the idea of not blogging anymore as I am currently finding it so difficult to do so, but after a comment from Sue this morning I had second thoughts.  So many of us have been blogging friends for years now that it seems wrong to just vanish.  So instead I thought I would share what I am currently going through so you have some understanding.

During lockdown in 2020 I had a lot of back pain and it was discovered a year later, when I managed to get to actually see a doctor face to face and have various tests, that I had undiagnosed osteoporosis in my spine.  This had led to a thoracic wedge collapse and three other broken vertebrae, along with two nerve impingements.

After diagnosis and trying lots of pain relief medications, it turned out that most didn't work for me, the ones that might have I was allergic to, and the only pain relief in the short term was Naproxen and in the long term paracetamol.  So basically, on doctors orders, I have been on eight paracetamol tablets a day for the last five years. The gastro-enteritis that we both suffered a couple of weeks ago completely knocked this finely balanced pain relief out of sync, including my blood pressure medications and has led to this health crisis.  The doctor at the hospital prescribed Naproxen again and said that I should see my own doctor about future pain relief, and maybe a further round of scans for my osteoporosis.  It is all this pain that has sent my blood pressure sky high again, so I have had to take readings ... yet again ... for a week before this weeks visit to the doctor.

That's it ... health update and recap for anyone that didn't know about my condition, and I will try not to mention it again.  Other peoples health issues ... as far as I am concerned ... can be quite boring at times, so if I start moaning shoot me!!  😉

Sue xx