From here to Utility, part 4

Tom has been building away and working really hard, as he aims to finish the utility/workshop by the end of this week. Mike is beyond excited at this prospect. I get the impression that I will be redirecting his post to the workshop after a while.

Although all is very clearly under control, there still seems a lot left to do to the untrained eye, especially as the supposed-to-be-pre-assembled cupboards came as a flat pack. That'll double your work, especially as the main use of this space is for storage - ie a lot of cupboards! However, nothing if not inventive, Tom has been getting help where he can. The plasterer found new flat pack assembly skills he didn't know he had yesterday and a similar fate awaits the electrician tomorrow....

Who knows - by the weekend, I may well have gained a utility room and lost a husband.

The difference from those before pictures a few weeks back is quite striking, though! No longer a dingy out-building!

Work takes over....

Haven't posted for a few days. This is mainly due to working every minute I can to get what has to be done finished in time for the next Awards ceremony. I like my work (managing awards schemes) and love the bits where I get to go and visit schools, colleges, learning centres etc.

However, the ceremonies are fun when you get there but getting there can be a pretty painful and time-consuming process.

This Wednesday's is in London, at the Science Museum. I'm looking forward to it in lots of ways but just wish that it wouldn't involve so many hours in the run up.

I'm really looking forward to Thursday night when I can just flop into PJs, curl up in front of the telly and enjoy not having a deadline for a day or so!

Raising a geek....and a bouncer...

We helped out at the show that my mum-in-law appeared in on Saturday. The oldest was keen to help his Grandad Front of House and this was all arranged. However, not content with this role, he decided that he had to have the right clothes. At this point his not-so-inner geek took over and I was asked to provide a waistcoat to go with the musical bow tie he'd had for his birthday. Every aspect of the outfit was carefully considered by my 6-going-on-60 year old and this was the result:

Very smart, I'm sure you'll agree.

The little one, however, decided that the waistcoat that had been found for him (so he didn't feel left out) was not quite his thing. He opted, instead, for a more John Travolta-style look and lacked only the medallion, chest wig and BeeGees soundtrack by the time he was ready....



I don't know what my extreme sons say about the nature/nurture argument but all I know is, they don't get much more different than my two.

Like father, like son

At a band practice. Their heads even lean the same way!

A lovely day out

We went to Portsmouth on Friday, along with what seemed like the rest of the world, and visited the historic dockyard. The only disappointment was the fact that tours for HMS Victory were booked up for the rest of the day but other than that, a great time was had by all. We were particularly glad to see the Mary Rose for what is likely to be the last time for 3 years, as she's getting dried off and having a brand new museum built around her. The boys really liked the Mary Rose, although it was declared to be a "bit of old wood" by the oldest, in one of the less romantic statements of the day.

Best of all from the 6 year old's point of view was Action Stations, which is where you get to try out being in the modern navy, complete with firing at helicopters, flying a simulator and climbing "rock" walls. Not surprisingly the hundreds of kids were competing with the dads to get a go on most of the activities!

From here to Utility, Part 3

Things are hotting up on the Utility front! We now have walls ready for plaster and the outside is starting to be dealt with, ready for new windows and doors. All very exciting. There is even a hole for the famous extractor fan. Mike is very chuffed!

A wintry walk

We went for a stroll on Friday, while we were spending the day with Mum and Dad, with the intention of finding sheep or cows to say hello to.

They must have known that we were coming, however, as none were to be found in the usual field! Once we got up to higher ground, we could see that they'd moved up to a less accessible field. Like I say, they knew we were coming.

It wasn't an entirely fruitless journey, though, as I managed to get some lovely pictures of my Mum and the boys. Mum is traditionally fairly elusive on photos I take (usually because she's taking her own) but these ones are lovely.

The little one explains something in depth to Mum....

The little wry smile that I know so well....

3 of my favourite people, all on one photo!

From here to utility, part 2

The utility/workshop is moving on apace. We have insulation (Tom even takes his coat off in there now from time to time!) and, as of yesterday, a sort of wooden cage which I believe will be a ceiling and the arch separating the two spaces in a couple of days! It's all very exciting to see what we imagined we might be able to do actually turn into reality.

Some pics below:

After the 3rd day....

After the 6th day....

When it's all too much

This is what happens when you have a late night last night, a day hurtling around the house and top it all off with a big roast chicken dinner. You just find it hard to take the pace......

Let it snow!

Woke up this morning to a lot more snow than we've seen for a while. Apologies to Canadian cousins - this will look pitiful to you. But it's been described by the BBC as a "snow event" here...

As you can tell - someone had fun driving up our hill early this morning!

There are advantages to having to work from home due to school being closed, however. Having been pretty angelic all morning and allowing me to work, the boys and I spent my lunchbreak building snowmen.....

and throwing snowballs....

From here to Utility

You'll be pleased to know that I'm done with the bathroom updates. Now what happens in there is purely between those 4 (rather lovely) walls.

However, nobody could accuse us of standing still! Phase 2 of renovations to Rhodes Towers has now commenced. Our very tatty outhouse/workshop/not-garage is being transformed into a utility and work area. Here's the before shots...

Having witnessed the conversation between Tom and Mike tonight, I have every suspicion that as much time will be spent on perfecting the model-restoration corner as the rest of the room. I forsee many more conversations like tonight's, where my eyes begin to glaze over and theirs gleam. Let's face it, it's a boys' paradise - where questions like where can he spray paint most effectively (better have an extractor fan near that area at just the right height) and should we have a window at the back of the room so that he can look up and stretch his eyeballs when he's doing the fiddly bits (the answer is yes) are considered absolutely valid and treated with utmost seriousness. I certainly got the impression that Tom is looking forward to dealing with this kind of detail and Mike is planning never to leave this haven, once finished. I've told him that I draw the line at a fridge in there, as then at least he'll have to come out to eat.

Tom, however, must be relieved to have a bit more space to inhabit for the next few weeks. Compared to our 6 ft square bathroom, the workshop must feel like a palace - albeit a very draughty one!

PS I like the idea of the new window but not for the same reasons. I'm less concerned about Mike's eyesight and more interested in natural light!

10 things to do when you've got half an hour to yourself

The boys are all playing in the attic/den, satisfying their appetites for lorries, tractors, cars and all things motor.
So I find I now have half an hour to myself and am wondering about the possibilities.....
Here are my top 10 things to do with an unexpected half hour:
1) Check facebook, email and blog - in that order
2) Do some singing practice (possibly)
3) Have a nice cuppa
4) Read my book - currently half way through Julie Walters' autobiography, satisfying my nosiness
5) Finish the jumper I'm making
6) Play the piano
7) Choose some songs for the next set of concerts I've got lined up
8) Do my daily reading, rather than leaving it til I'm falling asleep later
9) Check prices out for our anniversary trip to wherever in April
10) Look for CD and DVD storage on the Ikea website

Any better ideas. anyone?

Ta-daaah!

It's all done! The bathroom is officially finished and I christened the shower this morning. It's so nice to have a lovely room like this. Very glad that we had it done nicely, by someone who knows what they're doing (as completely opposed to us...), as I will always appreciate the loveliness, even if I've only just nipped in for a couple of minutes!

So thanks to Tom and roll on Monday and the start of the utility and workshop....

A bathroom update

Tom's better and has been working hard to finish everything off in the bathroom over the last couple of days. Should be done tomorrow and I'll post the final picture.

In the meantime, here's tonight's almost there shot.

So excited about it all being done. However, just realised that this is basically a picture of the toilet. Sorry about that, but it's hard to take a picture from a different angle. Will try harder tomorrow when it's all done. Rest assured that there will be no more toilet shots when the work on the utility and workshop starts....

Early years adventure

Number two son reached the milestone this week of going into the last room in nursery. He's now in "Early Years", which is the pre-school room. He's gone up a bit early, not because he's superbly gifted (though, of course, he is - in some way or another, I'm sure!) but simply because he loves it there so much when he's been on settling-in visits. There's more room and he likes the way things are set up in there, I think. The other key factor in this devotion is Miss Berry, who is his absolute favourite teacher. She was with him in the baby room and he's been very excited about joining her since she moved to work with the older children. This is true love on his part.

Anyway - he is remarkably cute in his little uniform and smart hair cut. Couldn't resist a picture....

A happy little man

Just catching up after a manic couple of days. Mike and number one son went to the Black Country Living Museum on Sunday, as they do every so often, to help out the Transport Group with the running and maintenance of the old vehicles there.

Son #1 loves this and has his own set of overalls and high-vis vest so he's all safe. He's very much one of the lads there and is, by all accounts, well looked-after by the whole transport group whenever he's there. I'm grateful, however, that they do remember to tame their language when he's in the mess room!

Mike took some photos this week- a selection below! 2 boys, very much in their element.....

A January serenade

Had a lot of fun tonight in Ladbroke, near Southam, where me and a gang of others did our now traditional "sing from scratch" Gilbert and Sullivan show.
We are a merry band (and the numbers vary, according to the show), who sing and act the principal parts and the paying audience get to sing in the chorus parts. It's always a huge laugh - often more so for us than for the audience! - and tonight was no exception. My sides ache from laughing during rehearsals and offstage and stifling giggles whilst on stage.
Tonight's effort was Trial by Jury and I was the jilted bride, complete with veil! The guy who played the judge is a truly funny, funny man and he knows he can make me and another couple of our regulars laugh just by how he says something. He is merciless and yet so understated that nobody who didn't know would guess it was him causing the hilarity.
This sort of thing always reminds me that being musical offers so much more than just the music. It brings friendships and giggling. It introduces like-minded people who can instantly find each other's wavelength. And, more than anything, it's a chance to air a gift that gives pleasure to you but might also be loved by other people.
I just love it.

Growing up fast (part 2)

I seem to be constantly reminded at the moment that the boys are not little any more.

The little one is just going up to the pre-school room at nursery, which he totally loves. We have to go and find his little uniform over the weekend. I will be posting photos.... That is now where he'll stay until he goes up to primary school next year. That's just too scary to contemplate. Particularly for his prospective teachers.

The trouble is, he still feels like a baby to me. He even likes to cuddle up like one still. I suppose he'll always be my baby but I do feel as though he's starting to really grow up. The only solution is to have another but that is not on the horizon and is unlikely to ever be, given the trouble I had last time! Anyway, we've just given away all our stuff to Mike's cousin and his partner who are expecting a baby in June. Amazing how much room you can create by giving away pushchairs and cots!

So I suppose that I'll have to get used to not having babies or even toddlers around at home any more and enjoy the fun that older children bring. Oh - and get my cuddles where I can with babies of friends and family. Don't say you weren't warned.....

A lesson in patience

We appear to have broken our builder. Poor guy has had less than 3 weeks in our house and has gone off with a viral infection. Hoping that he'll feel better over the weekend and then our bathroom should be done by Tuesday. Get better soon, Tom!

It's starting to take shape though. A small model was keen to pose in the latest update shot....

In the meantime, we appear to have skip thieves. Our neighbour asked if he could dump an old PC in the skip, which was no problem. He did this and now it's gone. So unless he's changed his mind, somebody has nicked it. More fool them, to be honest, as it was totally kaputt, which is why it found it's way to the skip in the first place.

Now we are six

Number one son turned six today. This is staggering on several levels. Not least of which is the fact that we have had him for 6 years and haven't broken him yet!


I can remember the events 6 years ago so vividly. We arrived home with this precious bundle, completely unaware of just how much our life would change. We knew it would a bit but were stupidly ignorant of the upside-downess that our existence would take on.


I remember my husband walking him round the house, introducing him to his new home and then settling down for the first of what would turn out to be many boys' sessions in front of the TV.


The thing I probably remember most vividly was the way his hands and feet just seemed to be too big for the rest of his scrawny frame. His hands just hung in front of him, as if he had no idea what he was supposed to do with them. I suppose we knew then that he would be big, working on the puppy with big paws principle, but I don't think we took as much heed as we could have done. His current size and build follow on from those big paws....



He and number two are, quite simply, the most amazing, lovely, loving, frustrating, astonishing, funny, exasperating, entertaining and not to mention hungry beings that we've ever come across. It sounds like a long time but it's flown by and I can't believe that the baby I held for the first time six years ago is now a young man with likes, dislikes, a witty voice and more than enough idea of the myriad possibilities of being six (and, apparently, accordingly bigger).