Well, Dang It!! (and a bathroom update!)

I haven't really got the hang of the reviewing malarkey.

I thought I'd done all the right things.  I read up on a few websites about the best way to approach potential companies.  Checked out the proper proceedure for disclaimers etc.  Thought very carefully about what I was hoping to achieve and then fired off my very first email.

I'd decided to target Wilko seeing as they were the ones I mentioned and I am using their products.

I checked out their website for an email address but the only way I could find to contact them was through their customer service online form.  That was ok but it had a limited word count so it really did mean that every word counted!

I got an immediate response saying that one of their customer service team would look at my email and get back to me within 48 hours - which they DID!

"Dear Sarah,

Thank-you for contacting Wilko Customer Care.

It is always wonderful to hear when a customer is as happy about our product ranges as we are!

I have taken a look at your blog and it is a really good read. I’m really pleased to see how well the Pearl Grey bathroom paint suits your walls.

We can advise you are able to review our products on your blog. You could also review them on our site and on our social media pages to share your great finds with our other customers if you wish.

We are glad to hear we have exceeded your expectations.

We wish you all the best in transforming your home, it will be great to see what you do next.

If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us."

How lovely - except ... well ...  They seem to have completely MISSED the point where they ask me how much free stuff they can send me ...

So, either they missed the point deliberately and were just being really polite OR (which is more likely) I was so reticent about asking for stuff that I actually FORGOT to ask for stuff ... 

So yes, might put that on hold for a bit ...

Anyway, I popped round to see my neighbour yesterday, she's selling up but it's proving to be a difficult business.  She's already seen one sale fall through when the surveyor the couple buying brought in tried to knock 100k off the price of the house by saying it had damp, subsidence and needed a new roof!

It turns out that it doesn't have/need any of those things but did just require some new flashing on the roof which she's had done.

It's on with a different agent now so fingers crossed.

'I'm not happy' she told me, 'I'm not happy at ALL with Jo from across the road'.

To be honest, Jo isn't the type of person who makes anyone jump for joy any time - EVER!.  She has a tiny dog, not sure what it is, it could be a Pom a Poo or some such ridiculous new 'breed'.

Talking of which, I'm sorry, but I can't help finding all these new breed dogs just a little silly.  Who on earth thought it was a good idea to mix a Standard Poodle with a Labrador?  Both breeds are known for being slightly mental and I know from bitter experience just how temperamental a Standard Poodle can be because my transvestite plumber had one and he brought him round when he was fitting my central heating.

The damn dog wouldn't let me up my own stairs until I'd fed him an action man and several pieces of red Lego!

I think someones having a laugh and it isn't the people who pay sometimes hundreds of pounds for a dog which is basically a mongrel!

Anyway, Jo never speaks to me.  When we pass in the street she looks me up and down and her mouth shrivels up to the size of her dogs bum but I knew that Janet had always had a good enough relationship with her.

'She's one of those you know' says Dennis pulling his best Les Dawson face.

THIS one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'You know ', he flaps his hands around and wiggles his eyebrows.

'O N E  O F  T H O S E .....'

And, just in case I haven't quite caught his meaning (and didn't already know) , he adds, with exaggerated lip movements:

'Bats for the other side if you know what I mean ....' 

Janet sighs and shakes her head at me.

'That's rather beside the point' she tells him sternly.

It turns out that Jo's niece goes to college with Dennis's grandson and she told him that that Jo had said Janets tennant had been running a knocking shop from her flat and Janet knew all about it and didn't DO anything! 

Which as WE all know is complete rubbish because Janet DID  give her notice to leave once Jo told her about it  (and when she asked the lovely Chinese lady was quite happy to confirm that she was indeed a Madam although she assured Janet that no business was carried out in the flat).

So Janet lost a very good tennant who had kept the place clean, paid her rent on time and apparently made very good jellied eels.

Janet is understandably put out to hear that her good name is being muddies in this way.

SO

How's my bathroom coming on?  I know you are all dying to know!!!

Well, SD has just about finished all the wood work so that the pipes are finally covered behind the sink and along that back wall.

I've done most of the painting (although a second coat is needed in the alcove where the bath is) and we have started to play with accessorise.

I know, I should wait until it's all finished but I'm SO impatient to see how it will look!

As you know, I'm going for a kind of 'workshop' look so the wall's have had a coat (and some of them two) of grey paint.  I've sprayed the mirror above the sink with a metallic paint so it now looks like this:

   
   I think it needs something more though - I'm actually contemplating getting a bicycle chain and edging the mirror with it to give it a kind of steam punk look ...

And THIS arrived!!!

  
I can't tell you how much I love this!  The shelves are made from the drawers of a tool box and will be perfect for the bits and pieces that we need day to day next to the sink.  I'm going to put the toothpaste and brushes in the measuring jug.

I've also been checking out EBay for an 80's Pirelli calendar which I think would fit in perfectly but so far they are either not quite right or too expensive so I'll keep looking.

I also forgot to show you this which will also be going in the bathroom:

Tiny little oil can

  
And SD had a root around at the farm and came back with these:

Some of which may well end up hanging on the wall.

  So yep, other than the fact that I'm not getting any free stuff the bathroom is going pretty well at the moment.