Moregeous Monday Moments

Another busy week! But hey, I’m getting better. Last week’s Monday’s Moments were published on Wednesday and this week it’s Tuesday so we’re definitely heading in the right direction.

So what’s been our focus this past seven long days which have whizzed by in an instant? Wood, wood and more wood really, in lots of different forms, shapes and sizes. I can’t get enough of it, ahem, as you well know, and as the interior here on site starts to shape itself, my favourite material is popping up everywhere.

The new woodburner looks deceptively warm, but what you don’t see is the howling gale through the boarded windows and the open space through to the garage. We keep firing her up and have bought two cages of seasoned hardwood logs to give the illusion of heat, but in reality, until the new windows go in and the holes get sealed, it’s still thermal undies central for us! However, what has warmed the cockles of my heart is the new pattern created by our giant parquet – OMG I’m in love.

I’m not so in love with all the cuts needed to the edges and Mr M’s tuts when I get one wrong (who knew he was such a hard parquet task master?!), but it’s that famous renovator’s phrase – IBWIITE. You know it.

You can see the firewood cages at the timber yard below and what are intended to be firewood logs in front. Guess who nicked one of the birch logs to make a garden table?

Up in the Daddy Dormer, fast becoming known as the Boy Cave, the now fully painted deep blue panelling is looking as sumptuous as the ceiling overhead, showing off the rich shading of the original beam. The Hush acoustic flooring has been laid over the chipboard as I wasn’t happy with the noise transfer to our bathroom below this dormer. I’ll blog the process properly this week as sound impact noise has been a bit of an issue here, as it is with many home renovators and sadly, many new home buyers too. It’s an interesting subject, though infuriating if you’ve paid a lot of money to have work done and can hear every single sound from the room above.

Mr M & I will be moving rooms (again) when the new bay windows are fitted over the next few weeks and honestly, I can’t wait to sleep in that cosy bed deck area!Talking of windows….. could they be a bit bigger? A little like Alice post-shrinkage, I was dwarfed in the workshop when I stood next to these sapele monsters today. Boy, we’ve waited very patiently for a long time to be able to order both of the double height bay front. We agonised for years over this big investment for the house so it was a little scary placing the order. Ten years. Ten years of cold winters, loud street noise, rattling panes and poor paintwork but they’re finally made. Well, getting made anyway. Today we saw them for the first time in bits n pieces in a workshop in Salford being spliced and sliced together by the skilled joiners who are going to give me beautiful bays. And double glazing no less, how very posh!

They are so tall, or I’m so small. One or the other 🙂 The temperatures have dropped again this week, hearty warming curries and comfort food has been much needed. I made these stuffed peppers with whizzed up red onion, fresh tomatoes, garlic, tonnes of parsley and half a jar of than known foodie essential, Doritos salsa. I can highly recommend this Italian snack hack, it worked a treat. Delicious with meatballs and charred aubergine ciabattas.It can’t all be Instagrammable interior heaven on our Monday Moments you know. We all need a bit of a reality check now and then, so here’s a shot to chuck you into the deep end of a landlord’s life. Grim huh? This is what nine years of no vacuuming looks like. I can’t fathom it, I really can’t but some tenants just want you to leave them alone.In all my years as a landlord I’ve never seen anything quite like it, the rolls of accumulated dirt and dust. Every square inch was the same in this teeny studio, but you know something? The shower cubicle was immaculate. Go figure.