Home life

Home improvements

Some of our diarists were making improvements to their homes.

• Workmen came at 8am to put some loft insulation in my flat.
  
  
• 4pm Completed painting of lounge walls and paintwork - room now revamped after removal of existing grate and exposing inglenook fireplace.
  
  
• Early breakfast to await arrival of house decorator at 8am to begin redecoration of our bathroom and sitting-room. 2pm Emptied the sitting room of all its books, pottery, CDs, videos and paintings ready for the decorator to make a start first thing tomorrow morning. It's a tiring task which makes me wonder why we keep so many possessions, especially heavy books; but they're part of the family and the house would feel empty without them.
  
  8.00am Decorator arrived to begin redecoration of the bathroom. Had to explain that 'Lizbie Brown' the tiny ginger kitten we rescued through the Cat Protection League , must not be let out accidentally.

  4pm Helped to clear last of books, videos and furniture out of sitting room. Kitten puzzled by the empty room.
  
  

• Spent rest of the day building a retaining wall in the former railway cutting (once serving a brickworks) where I have been building a hexagonal house for 16 years. The stone fetched from Franksbridge and the quarry spoil heap on the Cammarch. The concrete aggregate from Builth quarry, the cement from the builders merchants in Builth.
  
  
• Today's big event was having a new downstairs toilet put in. Out has gone the old fittings and in has come a shiny new white porcelain model. Realised that had forgotten to buy toilet seat though so had to pop down to DIY store, along with wife, nine year old daughter and two year old son, on Pool Road to get new one. Went for mahogany seat with chrome fittings. Old toilet now sitting in garden like ill-judged attempt at community art installation.