SNEAKY PEAKY SUNDAY

 

Well at last it is Sunday! We decided Sunday would be a day of rest, especially for Paul, who is working so hard on getting the new kitchen fitted in. At last all the units are in and the new ovens etc working. I may need to go to a evening class !, to be taught how to use these new fangled appliances ! But I'm sure it will be worth it in the end!

Paul's almost finished the build on the kitchen but as is usual with these things, there are extra's like repainting the old larder cupboard and decorating the kitchen walls etc. The wallpaper is here and it's the willow pattern, Paul's favoured one. I favoured the Marigold but Paul was not keen, if he's been saying either, it would be the Marigold but he wasn't so Willow won out.

We also changed the shade of green we had planned, due to the change of paper and that's set to arrive on Monday along with the paint for the larder cupboard.

Now you may remember just how much I love my kitchen cupboard handles and although we did go with new handles when we ordered the kitchen, I suggested to Paul we look at if the old handles would lift the kitchen from the ultra modern look. At first he was, no lets have a change, but then when we compared the old ones against the doors then the new ones, I'm pleased to say the vote went with the old handles!

And by the skin of our teeth, and taking the ones off the larder cupboard, we had just enough for all of the new kitchen doors and drawers! So I thought I'd let you have a sneaky peak at part of the kitchen since you have been waiting patiently ;)

You can still see the chaos behind this new peninsular, which I'm trying to tackle now that the boxes of kitchen parts are all open and used. Naturally we also have more things than can fit in the new cupboards, so plenty of decisions on what stays and what goes. Or if you are me, asking Paul to add more shelves using parts from the old kitchen, where possible.

Also on Friday the landscape garden people turned up to start on the flower garden circular paving area. Because Paul fitted the kitchen, we could have someone come and do the paving, a job Paul really didn't want to have to do.

Once it's done , it will mean there is a paved way from the house to the back gate and also another area that won't need lots of maintenance apart from a sweep now and then. It stops the dogs from churning up the grass that was there , turning it to mud as they chased each other round the circle. More about that on the garden blog.

Another thing is, they hired a mini digger to remove all the earth for the mot and had a lorry with a grabber arrive to collect it from the end of the drive and was all done and the soil gone by midday!, We'd have been digging by hand and trying to scatter the extra soil round the garden which would have been hard and taken ages. 

However we just have loads of cardboard and packing to recycle along with a load of old units! Still plenty to get on with but nothing like moving tons of earth, then bringing in tons of hardcore, then laying paving. This way the kitchens happening and will be in by middle of the week and so will the flower garden paving, perfect!

Our headliner today is Stevie, an old photo since too much is going on. Not much is happening in my doll world at present apart from me admiring them as I wander past.

She is wearing warmer clothes and not what is seen here, so done be reporting me to the bad doll mum society! I'd show an up to date photo accept I still cannot get to the cabinet , but should be able to in a couple of days. 

So I wish you all a happy healthy fun filled week ahead.

Dee

SUNDAY SUMMERY

 So it's Sunday! Another week's vanished while Paul works on the kitchen but we are almost there with the new units going into place, the hob is up and running, the dishwasher is in and not up and running yet and the electrician will be back Tuesday to fit the ovens and finish all the electrics.

Which will then mean all the doors and drawers can be fitted and it will look like a kitchen and not a work in progress. There will still be more to do , so will be a while yet until it's all done.

Still the search continues for just the right Morris & Co wallpaper to lift the kitchen from the plain and bland to the next level. We are now looking at the third green colourway of Willow Brough and another pattern's arrived of Bird and Pomegranate with a dark blue background. I'm supposed to be looking for lighter brighter but there are just so many gorgeous wallpapers in the WM range, it makes it hard to find the one and settle on it!

Bird and Pomegranate

The third willow brough colourway in greens.

Marigold pattern in a lime green, colours are not showing true.

And it's also been hard to stick to the original idea of greens with a light background! Soon I'll have to bit the bullet and give up the search and go with the willow but not quite yet...

We did however find tucked away part of a roll of the seaweed Morris and Co wallpaper that's up in the breakfast/dinning area of the room, which means we have enough to paper the small section of wall where the larder cupboard used to be, which will save us buying a whole new roll just for one drop.

It will be great once the kitchen is in, as then we can remove all the old parts of the kitchen we put into the breakfast/dinning area to use while it was being done and put the table back, which will allow the sofa to go back where it was and I'll be able to get back into the doll cupboard and finally give the whole place a good clean. 

A couple of old photos today, due to not being able to get into doll cupboard! The lovely Chloe leading the way from back in the summer last year when she arrived and Zak on trend from the summer in green which seems to be my colour of choice at present.

On the doll front nothing's been happening due to the work on the kitchen, which is probably a good thing! At least no dolls are heading this way! 

I have to say after seeing all the lovely Gotz dolls on the facebook group, it's made me wish I'd kept quite a few of my gotz dolls but there you go, we live and learn ! 

So I will wish you a wonderful happy healthy week ahead and hope to maybe share a photo of a nearly finished kitchen next weekend.

Dee

NB

So we are trying to decide between these two, I'm leaning one way and Paul naturally is leaning the other , nightmare! Would be interesting to know which of the two others prefer?

STREET ART

 I have been meaning to share these photos for ages , probably since early last year but keep forgetting due to all the other things going on. So am sharing them now.

St Mary's Church, which is just over to the left behind this wall, the Lavender fields are just outside of Hitchin.

Elizabeth, the queen mother, whose family, the Bowes Lyons lived in St Paul's Walden which is also a few miles outside of Hitchin.

It really brightens up what was just a plain concrete wall which leads to stairs to the above level parking area.

ITS ALL ABOUT THE KITCHEN

 At present!. It is slowly  coming together but the light is a mere dot at the end of the tunnel!

This is my beloved larder cupboard, that I made Paul move from the breakfast/dinning area of the room into this kitchen space. I love this cupboard, which Paul made for me  to my design, with it's bi-fold doors and cherry wood shelves. I had a small dilemma today wondering if I should forsake my larder cupboard for a bigger maybe floor to ceiling step in one, where we could keep the toaster and coffee machine plugged in and ready for use along with the mixer etc.

However when working out what space would be left between a walk in cupboard and the side of the fridge freezer on the right hand wall , to enter via the kitchen door, it would be not a lot along with the fact that the walking cupboard would remove the openness of the space. If it was reduced in width, it could work but may be harder to enter and would still remove the openness of the space in the kitchen.

After talking it over with Paul, we decided to get rid of the coffee machine instead! ( I don't drink coffee and the machine only gets used now and then) so the cupboard is saved ! and will just have a makeover.

Phew! Mind you there are still things that need a home! But it's slowly getting there.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

 

Valentine, who celebrates his birthday today, wishes everyone a Happy Valentines Day 

BROWSING AND NOT DOLLS FOR A CHANGE

 Well the electrician has been here for two days now chopping holes in the kitchen walls for the cabling for the various appliances and plug points, so the place is full of dust! I'm also stuck and not able to get on with much, so decided I'd share some wallpaper samples etc with you all.

Firstly the new kitchen units are in the colour bone! So basically white. Now we all know I'm never going to have a totally white kitchen and the only reason I landed up getting bone was because the greens they had available were either every dark green or greens that looked more grey! 

So we will be putting in some dado height panelling on the pieces of wall that are not covered by the units and these will be painted green.

We are going with Farrow and Ball Breakfast Room Green. I was also looking for a lavender/purple in which to paint the bottom half of my stand alone larder cupboard. Did consider the one above but then decided on another F&B colour.

Brassica. I'm still to decide if we will just paint the bottom and leave the top cream or paint it all Brassica. I need to get a sample pot of the Brassica to be sure first.

Now, we are putting some panelling in the breakfast room side of the area which would also need painting and it turns out this green would also go well with the Morris and Co, Seaweed wallpaper in that room. The paint is darker than shown on the label and since there are a few different greens in the wallpaper it blends in well.

Which is helpful as we will only need to get one tin of paint to cover both jobs.

We are considering these wallpapers for the area of wall above the panelling in the kitchen.

or

But will not be able to make a discission until the kitchens in and walls are cleaned of dust.

That's not to say we won't find a totally different one in between time!

Now since I was getting wallpaper samples for the kitchen, I added a few extra for our bedroom. Not that it will be getting done any time soon but I am nothing if not forever hopeful !

First I will show you the wallpaper that's been sitting waiting in it's wrapping for the last seventeen/ eighteen year! That Paul's now say he really doesn't like any more ! I did mention that if he'd ever got round to putting it up, I'd have at least got my moneys worth out of it! Now however I'll have to sell it on at a big loss.

I still love this wallpaper but it has been a very long time and I'm willing to find another to take it's place.

 

one

two

and three.

Now can you work out which was Paul's favourite and which was mine? I'll tell you in a day or so.

Now it's getting late, so the electrician will soon be done and I can start the never ending job for trying to get rid of all the dust for the next couple of weeks no doubt!

IT'S THE FIFITH

 So time for those doll photos already !

Starting off with Angel ( she says she doesn't need another a in her name !) Who has been through the clothing and pulled out something nice to wear to keep herself warm now she's here.

Over in Germany, Ursula's girl Wanda is checking over the thirty four year old cyclamen ! Yes thirty four! A family treasure, so Wanda is very anxious nothing is wrong and she can report back to mum that all is well.

From Chris , up north, we have three of her lovely girls and their toys.

and a pretty no navel lass with her hound 

and this beautiful red head with her wild haired doll.

From Gregoropolis we have three of Steve's girls looking lovely in some primary colours and also covering the blonde, brunette and red haired groups, that yellow really sings and lifts the spirits.

  

Here in the village Zak's trying to get pass the girls, so he can remove the chalet since it's not meant to still be out !

The girls are so busy chatting they don't even notice Zak's removed the scenic chalet ! Just wish I was close enough to hear what's so fascinating! 

Over at RoRoPo, Adelheid and Rick are helping mum put away some Christmas decorations! 

They complain mum's always late doing these jobs! But then I ask why it's always mum's job? Mm

But good you are both helping now

Many thanks to all who sent in their photos. Still time to have your added, so send them in.

Dee

SUNDAY SO SOON!

 

Yes the week seems to have sped round and vanished! Not that we've not been busy sorting out the kitchen.

More Paul , obviously than myself, whose taken out everything but the kitchen sink! Honest, well and the range is still in and connected, although with the electrician coming tomorrow, Monday, that will hopefully be disconnected and can then be moved out too, giving us open space.

But gradually Paul's been opening the boxes and making up the units ready for after the electricians done his first fix. He's also painted the ceiling, wile I have been on sweeping and moving/sorting duty along with making the tea!

I've also been sourcing the other bits and pieces we need to get the kitchen totally finished! Since we didn't completely finish the kitchen last time, we've agreed we done move on until it's complete! 

Because we moved our larder cupboard from the breakfast/dinning area into the kitchen side, it meant we removed the cupboards and worktop, where I used to set up the Sashas living room ( I know I had to bite the bullet and accept it's not meant for my dolls ! ) But this means we also need to decorate that end of the room. But not before the kitchen is complete! More about that end when we get to it!

I've been having a bit of trouble with my left hand and the arthritis in it and have been wearing one of those fitted gloves, on that hand, which does help. Although with it's fingerless ends and only needing to use the one, can look like I'm a big Michael Jackson fan and am about to start moon walking!!  I have to say that as old age begins to show it's face, I'm so much more understanding of just what things are effected if you don't have any strength in one of your hands. Which is very annoying as I'm only really a slip of a girl!!! 

Todays headliners are Saffy and Lucas, who are watching events in the kitchen from the dresser and are no doubt now dust covered! But at least Saffy is keeping Lucas from going to 'help' dad!

On the doll front, one doll's left, a non Sasha and Angela did arrive, so not bad really ;) Which since I'm just dealing with the house at the moment was a good result!

I will wish you all a happy healthy week ahead along with a little reminder about some doll photos for tomorrow please.

Dee

FEBRUARY 1ST

 

February all ready! Normally January appears to be a long month, yes I know it's still only 31 days but I think once Christmas and the New Year have been and gone and everyone's spent, eaten and drunk more than enough, January seems long and cold. But this year it's seemed to have rushed by! This could be because we've been busy sorting things out re the house, so had plenty to do.

Starting the month is Angela, my new girl who arrived this week at the end of January. Amazing how despite not intending to buy any dolls a couple have already arrived.

However Angela had a little bit of Fate attached to her!  A few weeks back, my friend Gill had shared a photo of her Angela twins, that she'd had years back and seeing them reminded me just how much I'd liked my Angela back then but sold. The red hair and the blue eyes along with the lacy white dress. So I thought how I'd love to get another and did have a quick scout round ebay etc but nothing.

Then low and behold up one popped on the Sasha Bazaar! I quickly sent an email and luckily got in just in time. So an Angela returns to the Village clan.

She is in minty condition and still has the tags attached to the back of her dress and her tube. So although unplanned , I'm very happy she's here.

So Photo day is on the fifth as usual. Please send your doll photos in.

Have a lovely healthy month