All change....

At last, dear friends, we are on the homeward straight and await the last tradesman for some minor adjustments to the room we have been refurbishing. We are inordinately pleased with the result, all the more for knowing it will be warm and snug through the winter months. There is something delightfully pleasing on seeing the results of upheaval suddenly turned into a place of warmth and comfort; my dear late father would certainly be most pleased that it was finally completed for it was not perhaps his favourite room in the house, it has to be said, for it had a tendency to be somewhat cool. Why, I can almost see him looking down upon us with a beaming smile upon his face, dear reader. 

We have also taken the opportunity to have the airing cupboard doors replaced whilst we had the relevant tradesman with us and oh, what a fine job he has done indeed, customising them to suit our little home. They have replaced a rather tardy set of doors that we inherited which really were not suited to the job in hand, having buckled with the warmth of the airing cupboard and did wax and wane in quite the most annoying way. I had long abandoned the hope that they would ever shut properly, my dears. The new customised doors really are a thing of utilitarian beauty that appeals to my simplistic eye and more importantly shut properly and firmly, much to my delight.

As part of the upgrade, we have been looking for a "new" sofa. The male guardian and I have always believed in upcycling thus when my dear late parents offered us a most serviceable sofa when downsizing, we eagerly snapped it up. This most solid piece of furniture was bought at one of those delightful of furniture auctions when I was a mere sapling and had been in their possession for some years. Grateful for such a finely made piece of furniture, I set about recovering it, and reader it has lasted the male guardian and I for over twenty years (already having been bought at auction and owned by my parents for many a year). Sadly it was decided earlier this year, as we sank ever lower in to the upholstery with spent springs abound, that it 'twas perhaps time to consider a replacement. My dears, what a minefield. I keenly searched for another second hand piece, hopeful to upcycle as ever. It is, dear reader, incredibly hard to find a well made resilient piece that one hopes one will buy and not have to replace in ones lifetime; a piece that is not a nod to fashion nor throw away as much appears to be, but a solid, well made piece of furniture that will stand the test of time such as that we had been fortunate to be given many years earlier. After months spent searching, we took the long considered option of looking at a new piece. Those who know the male guardian and I, know that this is not taken lightly and much research, checking, testing and considering is undertaken. At last, dear souls, a choice was made. The establishment visited on a number of occasions, sat on, bounced on, indeed almost turned inside and out, specifications discussed (for one is able to make a number of personal amendments to the specifications) and discussions had. Finally, a decision made and we eagerly await the piece, delivery imminent after being made in the workshop of the chosen establishment. It is a classic, solid piece of furniture that we hope will stand the test of time and the rigours of daily life. 

So much has happened in this first half of the year, why I do believe I am quite exhausted by it all, my dears.