Carmarthen....

Popped to Carmarthen this morning, wanted to pick up all the ingredients for Harry's cooking lesson on Thursday. Not that he's cooking, but making a fruit salad.
On the way back called in to see Tash who'd also been to Carmarthen, I'd forgotten, but today Boots were reducing all the Christmas Gift stuff by 75%. She had bags of stuff laid out on her Kitchen table. Tash's Mum & Dad were there and were going to Carmarthen so asked Jackie if there was anything left to pick me up a couple of bits, which she has but not sure what yet. Left Tash's and whizzed straight down to Boots in Newcastle Emlyn, but when we got in there, all the stuff just said half price, so I took a gift set to the till and got them to check it for me and it did come up with 75% off, so grabbed a couple of gift sets and a few other bits for myself and Tash. Just to give you an example £8.00 glass decanter bottle of bubble bath, down to £2.00..
Got home unpacked the shopping and then rang Tash to let her know what I'd got her and told her that the Perfume sets also had clearance tickets on them. So arranged that I would meet her down in town and we'd go in their together and Mick would stay in the car with the babies. Which we did, but when we got to Boots there was hardly anything left, so pleased I picked up what I did earlier. We did however manage to get two sets each of some miniature perfumes at a bargain price.... Best bargain of the year....
Ben had his re-sit today for his Biology and another exam. He doesn't think he's done very well in the second exam as he had a really bad headache. Told him not to worry about it. Its such a shame for him, but he's so bunged up with a cold and a bit of a temperature, but I can't keep him off school as these few weeks are so important and he needs to be at all his lessons, otherwise he could miss some crucial work in class.
Got an email from my cousin Mandy today, she seems to be enjoying her new job, so pleased you like it Mandy. She's got visitor's coming from America for a long weekend and has been doing up the spare room. Hope the weekend is brilliant Mandy, would loved to have met them. She also wants to book in a long weekend to spend with us, hopefully in May. I know why Mandy, cause hopefully we will have some foals running around by then....

Work In Progress...

Yesterday, was a really miserable day, it just didn't stop raining and with the high winds was awful. Both the boy's are feeling ill at the moment, but Ben can't afford to have any time of school as he has some exams this week...
Have taken some more pictures of the Utility Room and the Farmhouse Kitchen. They are both still works in progress. As you can see in the utility room, Merlin our Newfie is after the cat's food, he's a bugger for doing it. Notice how he uses the washing machine as a step. definately caught in the act this morning. Still need to get tiles for the window sills, some painting needs finishing, kickboards need to go on and cornice/pelmet for cupboards.

In the Farmhouse kitchen, we still have to get the wall skimmed and finish painting the beams, but was unable to do that while the old kitchen units were in the way. Loads of painting to do, kickboards to go on, plus pelmet/cornice on the cupboards, plus my under cupboard lighting their another thing that have disappeared... (Remember the taps for the Utility room, well they turned up over Christmas, in a box in the workshop!!, need I say more?).

Happy Birthday To ME.....

Well as you've most probably gathered by the post title its my Birthday.. Forty Four Years young today...

Thank you to all my friends and family that sent cards & gave me pressies. My friend Mandie in Spain sent the most beautiful hand made card, thanks Mandie its beautiful. I've posted piccies of it on here, but I have to say that they don't do it justice.

I had a lazy couple of hours this morning, then wrapped up warm and have been outside in the freezing cold till about 10 minutes ago. I've been pruning back an old apple tree in the garden, it was so badly overgrown and a lot of the branches had crossed and loads were actually touching the floor. It looks quite naked now, just hoping that I haven't over done it and killed the poor thing, as the apples from it are beautiful.
Ben & Harry worked really hard today, helping to get the old units out of the kitchen. We've managed to salvage a couple which we are going to reuse in the workshop. The rest were beyond saving. It looks like we are going to have quite a bit of filling to do and the wall really needs a skim of plaster and the walls could really do with a wipe down of a bleach solution to get rid of the mould. It looks massive out there now. It will be fabulous once its finished. Will take some pictures tomorrow.

Tonight I think I'll open a bottle of wine and relax in front of the TV...

Friday Friends...

Went over to see my friend Di today, she's not been very well lately. It was great to have a chat and catch up on all the gossip!! Not that there was a lot, but ha, you know what us women are like when we get together!
Got back home at about 1pm.
Had a phone call from my cousin Steve to wish me Happy Birthday, it's his birthday today. Happy Birthday Steve hope its a good one, and try not to get to drunk...
Then went to meet Tash this afternoon at the school car park so she could give me my Birthday Cards & Presents. Its my birthday tomorrow. Can't believe another year has passed so quickly. Managed to get a huge smacking kiss from Brandon, but Tyler wasn't having any of it...
Does sleep talking and walking run in families? When I was young and still living at home with my parent's, I used to sleep with my door wide open. But I had a habit of when my Mum & Dad came upstairs to bed, I would sit bolt upright, with my eyes wide open. It used to totally freak my Dad out, and he'd say to my Mum "Kay, she's doing it again." Then my mum would just stand in my doorway and say its ok, go back to sleep and I'd lay down again. My hubby Mick talks in his sleep and you can hold a conversation with him. So I think we have passed both traits on to Harry. Last night about midnight, I went up stairs to bed. Harry's door was wide open which is unusual, as he normally only leaves a small gap. So I go to close it and Harry sits bolt upright in his bed and says "Mum, I need to get the thingy!", I said "what thingy, are you talking about Harry", he replies "You know the thingy that goes inside the other thingy!", he's out of bed by now. So I said "its ok Harry, we will find the thingy tomorrow, its time to sleep now", at the same time I'm gently guiding him back into bed and trying to get him to lay down. He then says "I really need the thingy" and promptly lays down and goes back to sleep. I asked him tonight if he remembers anything about last night and he said he remembers me closing his door but not our conversation... He does this quite often, especially if he falls asleep on the sofa and you try and wake him to go to bed, he will start totally random conversations and we have to guide him up the stairs and into his bed. Ben thinks the whole thing is hysterical and will talk to him about anything to see what he will come out with... I just hope he doesn't start sleepwalking..

Cobwebs & Crap....

Started getting out the old kitchen cupboards today, my god you should have seen the crap behind them and the cobwebs, good job I'm not scared of our Arachnoid friends. Have uploaded some pictures of work in progress...

I can't tell you the relief to be finally getting those horrendous tiles of the wall, they've haunted me since we've been here.... The whole kitchen had been very badly thought out, can you imagine having a sink in the middle of the work top but no drainer, where were you supposed to drain your dishes? Plus there was hardly space on the worktop to dish up. It looks like we are going to have to skim the walls, another bodge job we've uncovered, but I have to say its not as bad as I thought it was going to be... Mind you their not all out yet, so will have to see tomorrow whats behind the remainder....

Harry's Room...

Well got the other unit together this morning and dismantled Harry's old bedside table. Emptied all the drawers and rearranged his bits in his new unit. It looks so much better in there. Its amazing what a bit of storage can do.. Also tidied up all the mess on the floor and emptied his bin which was stuffed full.

Been down and mucked out the Horses and given all the others some nice dry hay, which Athena promptly rolled in. The weather was horrendous this morning, its dried up a bit now and the sun is trying to peek out from behind the clouds. It poured down all night, so you can imagine how much mud there is outside...

We've started dismantling the old kitchen, just keep your fingers crossed that it all comes out ok...

I'll try and update later....

What A Difference A Day Makes...

Went into Carmarthen today, to try and get the shelves I wanted for the alcove in the lounge, but they are out of stock just my flipping luck. Did however manage to get three small modular units for Harry's room, which we've put together, one has doors, one has 4 cubed shelves and the other has two small doors and 2 shelves. Harry's window sill is now clear, all the games & DVDs are tucked away nicely, behind doors, it's big enough to get two deep. It looks so much tidier in there now and he can now display his replica Samurai Swords on his window sill. That's another job ticked off my list..

Tomorrow we are going to attempt to remove the old kitchen units and get them into Mick's workshop. I'm dreading what we are going to find behind them, just keeping my fingers crossed that as we take the units down that the plaster on the walls doesn't come with them...

I made myself a list of all the work that still needs to be done on the house last night, as you can imagine there's still quite a lot to do inside & out. Most of the jobs inside are minor, just finishing off really, considering that we've had the inside of the house totally gutted and rebuilt, but some major work still to be done outside. I'm determined to get a least one minor job completed each week. I'm also determined to get my finger out re my miniature's. I really need to set aside at least one full day a week to work totally on them, I've really let things slip over the last month.. I also want to spend at least one evening a week catching up on my scrapbooking, can't even remember the last time I did a page...