It’s the very first day without our builders today – I waved them off yesterday to a fanfare of thank you’s for doing such an amazing job.  I’ve been through four big builds now and know how rare it is to finish a project and still have a smile, but Pavel and Jack were exceptional from beginning to end: They knocked down walls, dug out the cellar, laid the parquet, created our kitchen..and even managed to hang some pictures for me. They are the only builders I’ve ever known to bring their own sponge for the bathroom to a job…and use it. Bravo to them!

…Not that they’ve gone far..they’re at my parents now!

So now it’s down to me..and whilst the building works look spectacular (pictures will follow soon – I’m just missing a table!), the rest of the house resembles a bomb site covered in a thick layer of multicoloured dust with nothing in it’s right place: Many of the rooms need painting and the whole house needs unpacking.  And the kids break up on Friday for Easter..what fun! But first job is to get our dining room table up and running just so I can take those god-damn pictures – and have a proper meal at it. Because of various water stains we sanded it down a few weeks ago (don’t worry – it wasn’t an antique!)…

And it looked absolutely stunning..

But there were a few white marks where the bubbling of the water stains had cause the veneer to raise up which meant it got sanded to the wood below.

So the plan has been to re-stain them and add darker tones to merge everything together. It’s now ready for it’s final sealing coat.

My Aunt – a very knowledgable lady! Gave me some wonderful tips regarding what oils to use.  In view of possible nut allergies with guests I’m opting for olive oil..could be interesting.  After that the legs need painting…

Along with most of the rest of the house! Where’s my paintbrush??

Laters, Kate x