fudge

Wednesday 10 February 2016

It's All Happening Around Here!

Or NOT as the case may be ...

I thought I'd be doing the great bathroom reveal by now but the fates have conspired to eat into the allocated bathroom time and there are still a few things to do before it can all be put into place.

Last weekend was supposed to be the final push until we got a call from the farm to say that there was a problem with flooding.

The farm flooded a couple of years ago and we spent weeks clearing up and drying it out so something needed to be done ASAP to avoid that happening again.

The UK has been battered by storm Imogen over the last week or so with high winds and heavy rain.  Apparently there was even some snow in Somerset yesterday although we didn't see any in Taunton.

Anyway, SD and I spent most of Sunday digging out drains at the farm.  Being in the country there are no mains drains and so the responsibility for maintenance falls to the house owner.

The problem the farm has is that it backs on to fields which are already waterlogged and the water table is now higher that the drains.  The other problem it has is that behind the house is a yard which, when SD's Dad was still farming was part of the milking parlour.  The people who farm the fields now raise beef cattle and the yard hasn't been maintained properly and the drains have become blocked, mostly it has to be said, with cow shit!

Normally this doesn't cause a huge problem as there is also a soak away which deals with the surplice but that's waterlogged too at the moment.

Anyway,  after SD's Dad (who is 80!) declared that he was going out there to try and dig it out we hotfooted it over to avoid finding him face down in 3 foot of mud and shit!

Got to say, it wasn't the MOST fun I've ever had ...




We started at the far end and cleared the drain running along the edge of the field which had become blocked with leaves, mud and a few discarded feed sacks.

Yes, I WAS in there too up to my knees in freezing water with a shovel in the stickiest mud I've ever come across!


SD did take a couple of pictures of me but, in SD time honoured tradition he managed to make me look dumpy (how it manages to do that seeing as I'm 6ft tall I do not know!) so I'm just posting this photo of me with the mattock - hard to believe that I didn't know what a mattock was before meeting SD ...



Then we worked our way up cutting a new channel so the water could drain down from the yard and away from the house.

So that was our plan for sorting the bathroom out of the window BUT, I'm so excited about some of the finds we have had for the bathroom that I'm going to share them now anyway even though they aren't all in the right places.

SD found these great metal signs on EBay and they are perfect for my 'workshop' feel






And I found this one at The Range (my new favourite shop!)


It will hang on the wall above the bath once we get it sorted.


These taps were a find in Dunnelm
 They started out life with a set of hooks underneath but SD has taken them off and they will sit just above the tiles running along the side of the bath and under the sign above.  I'm hoping it give it a bit of an old municipal baths (meets workshop) kind of feel.

I love this 'we are open sign' also from The Range
I think it's going to hang above the toilet pointing toward the bath and the other sign.  (See my cute little DAB radio? - It was a Christmas Present and I love lying in the bath listening to Absolute 80's!)

I can't wait until it's all properly finished and I can post some proper photos.

Obviously being me there have been a few other ... difficulties ...

I must have knocked the light fitting when I was painting the ceiling (yes, it bit the bullet on that one!) and now the pull switch doesn't work so no lights!

As a temporary measure we are using a halogen light that SD had which actually gives a lovely glow in there and has the added benefit of acting like a heater - I'd be quite happy to keep it!

Yesterday I ran out of things to do in there until SD is free and I was bored ....

You know where THAT'S going don't you ...

There was this bit of loose wall paper in my dining room and a bit where the kittens had scratched at it quite badly over Christmas ....

Anyway, lets NOT talk about that right now - it's barely noticeable really, just one alcove and half the window stripped of paper ...

SO, POSTIE!!!

How's the little fella doing?

Well, good and bad news really.

The bad news being that there was so much tissue damage on her stomach that the stitches didn't hold properly and several of them just came away leaving an open wound.

We took her back to the vets last night and they have removed all of the stitches that were left as they really weren't doing much and could cause an infection.

She had a bumper shot of antibiotics and I am picking some more up today and we are going to have to just treat it as it is.

This means bathing it several times a day which I have to admit I'm a bit squeamish about but it's got to be done.

The good news it that it isn't holding her back ALL!!








As you can see, she's been busy trashing my house!

She spends much of her time sitting on my shoulder like a small, purring black parrot trying to eat my hair.

She really IS the most affectionate, resilient cat I've ever come across.

I think she might even be wining SD over a little ...


9 comments:

Sarn said...

Well, really! How VERY dare SD take photo's of you that make your 6ft svelte and sylphlike figure look DUMPY!

So glad little Postie is doing well despite her difficulties.

Hope the drainage/flooding prob is now solved after all your hard work with a mattock in the sticky mud and other unmentionables!

Hugs, Sarn xxx

Sarah said...

I know Sam, it's OUTRAGEOUS isn't it! I think he has a special talent ;-).

Postie is adorable and although it will take a little longer for her to heal she will hopefully be fine.

God, let's not mention the unmentionables - it is NOT an experience I want to repeat so I really hope we have it sorted. xx

joeh said...

I would hang the "Champion" sign right over the toilet!

Unknown said...

Postie is doing so well! What a champion. I can't wait to see the bathroom...and the dining room!!

Val said...

Postie is quite photogenic, and I am glad we were not treated to a view of the wound.

When I read the first bit, I thought you said, "SD and I spent most of the day digging our brains out." Something else I would not want a photograph of!

Sarah said...

That's where SD said it should go Joe!

She is isn't she Holly :-) - the bathroom is SO nearly done - the dining room ... well, not so much.

I struggle to look at it Val so I wouldn't inflict it on anyone else. SD would be very surprised to hear that someone thought I might HAVE a brain what with me being all 'weak of head' ...

Polly said...

WOW what a great job you did with the mud and the drains and ... stuff, I looked up mattock, I never knew they were called that. Glad to hear Postie is making good progress. You have some lovely things for your bathroom, looking forward to seeing the photos x Polly

Sarah said...

It was a tough day Polly and I suffered for it the next one but it seems to have worked thank goodness! Postie is getting better every day and she really is the loveliest little cat. Still working on the bathroom although it SO nearly finished. I've decided that I need to give the ceiling another coat of paint and that the coving would look better grey rather than white but the light is fixed and all the woodwork covering the pipes is finished so it's really all just cosmetic now - reveal post VERY soon x

Sioux Roslawski said...

Postie has used one of her 9 lives. She'd better be careful--she only has 8 more. (She is cute. Have you and Surfer Dude officially decided that Postie is yours---forever and ever?)

And hey--if you're a follower of Val's, you have great taste.