catch up

Hi

Well I'm not going to go through each day since I last blogged.  What I can remember is this - I finished the wallpaper stripping in the bathroom - including the ceiling in extreme temperatures!!  I had the plasterer back who is saying it will be better to board it over - so I didn't need to get the wallpaper off lol.   The plasterer should be coming around in the next day or so - will be awesome to see it all plastered.  I got the guy over to give me a quote on the floor - he came back with a quote of £800-£1100 depending in which flooring I choose - but I can get the flooring (Amtico) much cheaper than him - but he'll only supply and fit - but worse than that - he can't do it until September!!

I put the job on a website - find a trade - or something like that and I've had no response (got loads of responses at first when my old address was accidently put in!). 

Yesterday Cash came around and fitted the new lights in the bathroom and got rid of some unwanted electrics. 

I have all the bathroom furniture waiting to go in now - apart from the bath - which is the first thing I need!  They have messed me about quite a bit - but eventually said they'd have it by 2nd July.  Its now 3rd and I haven't heard anything.

The plasterer might be able to offer Connor some work which is awesome - he also knows a floor fitter!

Me and Connor did more of the wallpaper removal yesterday - need to get that finished very soon as the plasterer is due any day.  We didn't finish it because we decided the hot tub was more important! lol

What else.....I've not done any exercise, including running for a week.  Its been scorching hot though....I've also had loads of take-out and alcohol - so I've been totally rubbish.   

On Saturday we decided to buy an inflatable hot tub - we ordered it Saturday - it turned up Sunday and we put it up yesterday (Tuesday).  Me and Connor put it up and sorted it out - including a gazebo to go over it.  We all got in it last night and it was pretty awesome lol. 

So now - I am supposed to be going for a run - just 5km - and Connor is supposed to be coming with me - plan was to get out by 10am - but it is now 10.20 and I haven't got my stuff on or anything! Also - bit dehydrated after we stayed up playing pool and drinking until 1.30am!  This having-too-much-fun-thing needs to stop!!

Right - I'd better get ready to run - and I'll try and post some pics later - of hot tub and stuff and I need to start a post to go in my house renovations thing showing the progress of the bathroom - although I need to make sure Andy doesn't see it - I'm supposed to be doing it all and then having a big reveal!

Wednesday

OMG I am sweating!! and covered in steam so it is difficult to know whats sweat and whats just steamy water.  I am trying to steam paper off the ceiling - the tall ceiling! Its killing my arms - its not coming off easily and its 1000 degrees outside...I'm perched right at the top of the ladder, reaching up - steam rises so its covering me...this is NOT an easy job.  I had to just get out of there and I've not even done a quarter of it yet. 

Connor and Emily have left until Sunday - didn't even see them this morning.  The gardeners came, and the path is looking so good - not long to go now and they will have gone all around it.  It was really overgrown and disappearing, so its good to see it being brought back to life.

Andy has a stressful day today - he is working from home but his mood has been right off for a couple of days.  People are pissing him off - and its very stressful and I can't help.  Took him a coke and sausage barm at about 10.30....

Oh....I dont want to do this ceiling!!!  Looks like plasterer is coming tomorrow to assess it all....electrician is coming Monday morning to do lights (if they turn up in time) and get rid of whatever electrics are in there....then hopefully get the plastering finished end of next week/beginning of the following week.  Then....its either floor or bath going in next....but its gonna happen and I'm getting excited!!  Hopefully it wont be long until the annex bedroom and bathroom is done!

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So I managed a little time doing the ceiling - but it was so hard!  I then gave up and after a while paul turned up and we all sat in the garden for some time...having a larf!

We ended up with take-out AGAIN! and playing pool and stuff - another fun night!

Tuesday

wow - was a scorcher today! So how better to spend the day than steaming off wallpaper!!  I managed to finish the walls in the bathroom - and now have to do the ceiling!  Also...there were wires coming into the bathroom and I had no idea what they were for - so ended up going out and getting a voltage tester - only to find out that one is live and the other is VERY live.  So - had to ask David for his electrician!  He is coming on Monday next week.

So after sweating buckets in the bathroom - I recovered and then went into the gym - did sprints and a circuit.  I'm expecting to be hurting in places tomorrow!

I then quickly got a shower, and then Andy got home...I made food and then we sat down - this was quite late - about 9.30pm.  Andy then told me lots about work and how much it is stressing/annoying him and unfortunately I can't help or even advise him....

Connor and Emily have had a nice day - lazed around then went into taunton - spent sometime in the garden...they are disappearing tomorrow until Sunday - then next week I'm hoping they start looking for jobs and stuff!

Monday

Hi

So Emily left to go back to Southampton to sort the van and the flat out - and Connor started unpacking all his stuff.  I started a real effort to get the wallpaper off the bathroom wall - and it was about 28 degrees outside!  I was sweating!!

All day Connor was stressing about Emily - as there were problems with getting the train home - delays etc.  I said we would do a BBQ, so Emily was trying to get back for that!

I stopped on the walls about 5.10pm as Simon - the guy who did our kitchen floor was coming to give us a quote for bathroom floor.  He was supposed to be here at 5.30pm and turned up at 7.10pm.  He saw the other bathroom floor (that carpetright did) and asked why I got them to do it! lol.  I honestly don't remember why! Simon went in and was slagging it off - especially some of the silicone around the edges - and I did some of it! lol Although only cos I was replacing some that was bad in the first place!  Anyway - just have to see what his quote is now - although I know I can get the Amtico flooring cheaper than he sells it - I'll bring that up after the quote!

Mercky is currently paddy pawing and sucking my arm!

So...I picked up Emily from the station about 6.30pm and we got out into the garden for a bbq....was really nice to relax - we'd all had a hard day!  When we lost the sun, we all came in and played pool...until about midnight - then we had to get to bed as Andy had to be up really early!

Da weekend

My alarm went off Saturday morning for the Park Run - I lay there debating it so much that when I decided I wasn't going I was far too awake to go back to sleep! So I got up - and I texted Connor as he should be up early to move house! He was in bed!  I hadn't called him until 9am, and he said they'd be leaving soon as the van was already packed.  He left about 10.30.

They got to our in the smallest van ever!  They'd already figured out that they were going to have to do 2 trips - and its about 2.5 hours each way.  We unpacked the van which didn't take very long! and they had some lunch and then debated what they were going to do - come go back, pack the van and come back again - or go back - sleep there and do 2 trips in the morning.  They had to get the van back to Southampton by 5.30pm Sunday, they also had a bed to put down and had to clean their flat (which included some painting!), and had to sort out a couch going to the tip.  The best thing to do - was to get back - load the van and come back again today - they had so much to do.  That is what they decided to do.  As they left - me and Andy said - they won't come back again today lol.  They didn't.

Once they had left me and Andy decided to have a game of pool - this ended up 20 games of pool (score was 10 each), loud music - drinking and take-out!!  Because we started early - we were falling asleep at 10.30 - so we got an early night!!

Sunday

Apparently Connor and Emily were up at 8am - and as I predicted everything took them so much longer than they anticipated.  At 10.17am I got a message saying that they should be leaving in about 10 minutes.  At 12.20 I got a message saying - we haven't even left yet this has been a nightmare.  So I have no idea how something that took 2 hours - they thought they could do in ten minutes!! lol  They got to ours at 2.50pm.  We were watching the England game - it is the world cup - and we beat Panama 6-1.

So - we helped unpack the van again and get some stuff into the attic - and then they left again - they had to get the van back - they knew they could not get it back in time.  They drove all the way back - and couldn't drop the van off - nowhere to park it or drop the keys off etc.  So they parked it where Emily works and will have to go back on the train tomorrow to take it back! They had 2 options to get the train back - one was at 7.55pm and one was at 8.15pm...the later one would take much longer and had more changes.  They were in time for the earlier one when Emily realised that she had left her phone at the flat!  Connor got one of these rent a bike things - and got back to the flat, only for Emily to call him on her phone and say she'd found it!  So - they missed the earlier train - and got to ours again at about 11.45pm!!

(It is Monday morning now at 9.38am and as far as I know Emily hasn't left yet to sort the van out and she was supposed to be getting up at 6am-7am).  I might be wrong though - she could had left already!

Friday!

Morning!

I'm sat here with my coffee....I have just given the plasterer a weeks notice to come and sort the bathroom out! eekkk....that means I have to get in there today and get the woodchip off the walls! No messing around now!!  I then have to finish the bedroom because if he is gonna come and do the bathroom - it'll be good to get the bedroom sorted out too.

I'm a little sore after last nights run!  But I weighed myself and I've almost lost a stone - less than 1lb away....but I've done a lot in the gym/running in the last few days and had no alcohol and not large meals - mainly cos Andy hasn't been around - and we are about to hit the weekend - so it might go up again before it comes down!

Just sent Connor a message asking what the plan is, as he is supposed to be moving in tomorrow!  he just replied saying - Were picking up the van today, Emily is going to drive it and we're gonna come tomorrow, not sure what time and then Sunday we gotta drive the van back as it was £90 cheaper to not drop it at taunton.

Oh dear....Emily driving the van...don't think she'll ever have done that before - and driving it all the way back? wow.  That will be quite a lot in petrol - and stress. However, they have a plan and that's good.  Just hope they are okay!  I found it very stressful when we moved and Andy drove the van - although I suspect that the van we had was massive compared to what they will have.

anyway - I'll update later on todays progress!

Well....it is now 20:53 and Andy is on his way back from the train station - I'vr just had a bath - and I've ordered Moddy burger - and dessert - so yeah I'll have messed up my diet yet again.  Today - I striped some wallpaper!! yay! Got a fair bit done in the bathroom - it is coming off fairly easily.  The plumber came again to fit the valve and stop the water running outside.  He found out that the water has been set to 100% rather than auto circulate - meaning it is not learning when we are using water and how much and adapting - it is keeping it hot 100% of the time - also the immersion heater was switched on!  Its like somebody has sabotaged us - costing the most amount of money possible!  Hopefully the bills will go down now!

Anyway - Andy just pulled up - see you later!!

Thursday

Hi

I had to get up early today as I knew the plumbers were coming to do the first fit on the bathroom!! Yay! David called last night to say that they'd be here today!  Went from hearing nothing from him for months (he first said they could get the first fit done by the end of April - and its now near the end of June).

So - Gary and the young lad Josh turned up - and started on it.  They asked about sinks and I started to doubt what I had planned (making a table top myself and getting freestanding bowls).  I ended up ordering 2 cabinets with built in sinks.  I said to Andy, Helen and paul that I was going to keep the whole thing secret from them and then do a big reveal when it is finished!)  I think it would be so cool to do that - but I also wonder if I can achieve it - because I like to talk too much about what is going on!!  I discussed all my plans with Lissa on messenger...and will continue to do so and see if I can manage to keep it from the others until it is done.

So - don't think there will be any images on here until it is finished either in case any of them get sneaky!

So....the first fit is now complete on the bathroom - I now have to get in there and get woodchip off the top half of the wall...how annoying - asbestos all on the bottom (which has now been removed) and woodchip on the top!  Then I need to get the plasterer in - and get the floor done - then get them back in to fit the bath - then I tile - then they come back to fit the rest....them I paint.  I also have to sort the lighting out - and I am struggling atm with what to put in there.  Andy is also going to try and re-wire for the lighting so if he can't see the bathroom he needs to do that first!

Once the plumbers had gone - I went to the Planet Flooring - the guy from there did our kitchen.  I looked through their LVT - which is a luxury vinyl (same as kitchen and existing bathroom) I took a few samples and arranged for him to come and give a quote on Monday evening.  When I got home I looked at the samples in the bathroom and picked on - then looked online and saw that I can buy it for £27.99 per sq meter - whereas he was selling it for £40 per sq meter.  So after the quote - I'll see if he will fir it if I buy it!  I need 9 sq meters - so his prices would be £360 plus fitting - or I can get it for £251.91...so £100 difference!

Anyway - at 6.30pm I went out with the running club - Thursdays are different because not many people go - well, not as many as on Tuesdays.  So they run as one group and they are all pretty good runners!!  I could tell straight away that the pace was much faster - couldn't hold much of a conversation and was having to push myself harder.  We went a really nice route - same one we ahve done before that hits a hill!  I knew I'd never make it up the hill and I was dropping behind before we hit it.  A really nice guy who has a dog on a waist-lead stayed at the back a lot with me - and I know that him and his very tall skinny wife run marathons - and I was voicing my concerns about getting up this hill and saying that I wish I had dogs - namely two huskies that could pull me up the hill - when he just unclipped the lead and said - here take Billy!  So I ended up with Billy the sweet-looking-bit old looking- doggie strapped to me - and the dog literally pulled me up the hill lol.  I was still last and still struggled - and still had to force the dog to stop briefly on 2 occasions - but I got up the hill!!  Billy then stayed with me and he basically was always trying to catch up with his owners - and was very gently pulling me along.  It really helped - I don't know whether it was psychological - or whether he was really helping lol.  We ran 8.99K in one hr 2 minutes - so practically my fastest 10k pace! 

OH I didn't mention....Wednesday evening, I did an abs/core circuit training session in my gym - and incorporated short runs on the running machine - and hit 500k this year!!  Woo hoo!!!

So - tonight put me at 509k!

My hips are killing me lol.  BUT they are not as bad as they were (I think) but I need to rest them!!