Starting Inside

Today was wet, much warmer, and overcast. This morning I cleared up clippings and fallen branches.

I have more than once observed that, after our first month in Downton, the inside of the house has been neglected for the garden.

Certain items, like the toilet seats, the shower hanging loose in the guest bathroom, its blocked sink, and its quirkily arranged ineffective door lock, required immediate attention.

Bathroom 4

Bathroom 2

ShowerBathroom 3There was neither screen nor curtain for the said shower. In our search for a screen, we decided we had to have a new P bath to match it. This meant retiling. That is the task that Mike, of Perfect Plastering, carried out last week.. We were then left with the doddery daubing on the walls and a floor covered with just about the worst possible colour for a room containing a receptacle for human excreta. Mind you, judging by the state of the toilet seat I removed, there was probably a method in the madness.

You can’t have a nice new bath and tiles without redecorating. And it is getting too unpleasant for Aaron to work outside. So, he will begin by decorating this room. To this end, this afternoon, Jackie and I bought paint from Brewers in New Milton.

Afterwards I entered the Oval Path and Elizabeth’s Bed section into the garden album, and printed up the South End set of photographs.

We enjoyed second helpings of the Happy Wok takeaway meal for our dinner this evening. Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Bardolino.

29 comments

  1. You are ever the busy fellow, Derrick and I admire you and Jackie both for your hard work – but How did you have any Bardolino left over?

  2. It’s good to know you won’t leave Jackie sitting on her laurels as Head Gardener over the winter Derrick – sideways promotion to head decorator/designer is it? We’ve had two really hot days in a row, I’m getting excited 🙂

    1. Thank you, Cynthia. It announces that we are not on mains drainage, but have a septic tank which will get blocked up if anything other than toilet paper is flushed down it 🙂

    2. Like Cynthia – (presumably) – I was hoping the writing was perhaps a lavatorial poem or a piece of scatological wit. Something like: “Please do not flush your pet elephant down the drain. Anything other than toilet paper is your problem.”

  3. Entertaining Derrick – there is just no dust that gets under yours and Jackie’s feet. Have a great time and looking forward to seeing the transformation.

  4. The projects never cease in caring for a home, Derrick and Jackie. 🙂 I don’t mind dark flooring since it covers all sorts of possible problems. Shiny wood English polish or wax would work for making it appear new again. I am sure you and Jackie will find a beautiful solution. I painted my favorite bathroom with light lavender walls with a dark “combing ” technique. It turned out like “barn siding” with a cream ribbon painted around the 4 walls, (a foot beneath the top of the room) with dark violets and green stems with leaves. My other favorite had an ocean with sand and sky. I liked the swirls of the waves. I found some fish designed towels in turquoise, light periwinkle blue and sunny yellow. 🙂

    1. Thank you for such a full response, Robin. It took a month for us just to clean the place, which is probably why I don’t like the dark brown – too much covered up 🙂

  5. Isn’t that just the trouble with renovating, you make one thing look absolutely beautiful and suddenly you start thinking everything around it looks shabby! 🙂 Great bath, and the room itself is so quirky, love it!

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