Category: Rambles

Latest WIP – A Crochet Blanket For Eva 

Crafts / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’ve been getting a bit stressed again recently and as always I’ve fallen back on Crochet to help me through. It really is amazing how calming crochet can be, especially when you are familiar with the stitches/pattern.

I knitted a fluffy blanket for Izzy last year & Eva wanted a blanket of her own. With limited funds I haven’t managed to find any really nice soft fluffy wool/yarn for her but thanks to my friend adding to my stash I have started on a simple blanket for now so she doesn’t feel left out, especially with winter nearing and our love of sofa days with pillows, blankets, TV, books & hot chocolate!

Eva loves anything reallllllyy colourful (hence loving her colourful crocheted bag!) so I suggested making a blanket up out of lots of different colours/shades, which she was quite excited about.

Crochet blanket for Eva

I’ve been working on this blanket on and off and finally picked it back up again this week, mostly as Izzy keeps telling me I need to… ‘MUMMY! SIT! ROUND AND THROUGH! SIT!’ haha!

With Eva picking colours as we go it has slowly grown over the last week or so & we have decided to make it big enough to fit Eva’s bed for winter too so I will be making a second square & attaching them. I’m really enjoying making this blanket, changing colours and not having to think too much about what I’m doing as I can do this stitch with my eyes closed! (Yes I have tried, it amuses the girls haha!)

Eva wants me to incorporate the cupcake stitch I recently learnt somewhere in the blanket. I’ve been doing 3 rows though. Cupcake stitch is 2. What do you think? Maybe I could use some more of the colourful wool to blend it all together?

Do you crochet? If so, what are you currently working on? Or thinking of starting?

Me You and Magoo

Dear Bear and Beany

 

Keep Calm and Carry On Linking Sunday

RUN!

Family / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Yesterday was Eva’s first day back at school and of course before we even got to the morning there was a problem. A rather bloody problem!

Eva managed to slide down her plastic steps scraping her foot leaving a long flap of skin hanging off which we had to cut off Sunday night.

We told teachers about her foot the following morning as she wanted to go in, she soldiered on through the day but by the time she got home it obviously needed airing so we will see how she goes over night, she may have to stay home tomorrow to keep it aired.

Apart from Eva’s foot the day started off great! The Mr & I woke well before the alarm and managed a cup of tea before waking the girls. Eva’s written morning routine helped keep her on track and she was actually ready well before she needed to be. Eva struggles to stay focused when getting ready and normally needs constant reminding, this morning I was really impressed with how quickly she got ready, maybe it was the excitement of her first day back at school but hopefully she keeps it up.

The Mr took Eva off to school & Izzy stayed with me as it was raining but as I let her have the TV on she was ecstatic and let me get the kitchen cleaned in peace. By 9.10am my kitchen was done & although my hip was aching I felt like I could do a bit more so started on the girls room. 

Just waiting to borrow a friends hoover

I managed to get it looking tidy after 7 whole weeks! I felt like crying by the end of it but the Mr took Izzy shopping, so I put away the washing and curled up in bed for half an hour to rest. 

Not long after they returned my brother arrived quite stressed and tired after struggling to sleep for days so we got chatting and cheered each other up a bit. I decided to pick Eva up from school as I felt awful that I missed taking her in the morning & do it so rarely now. 

My brother decided to come with me when I mentioned I’d take Izzy. Before we even left he took over Izzy’s trike & wouldn’t let me push it as he knows it really hurts my back & I struggle with the walk. It was lovely to see him thinking about me and enjoying pushing Izzy. They really had a laugh once he got the hand of the handle, weaving along the paths and zooming ahead and we joked with a group of women about Alex needing learner plates as it was his first time.

Run

Once we got to the school I found Eva’s new classroom had been moved again. We had to ask for directions to find her and as soon as she heard my voice and saw my brother she came running out shouting ‘Uncle Alex!’. She was so happy and surprised we were both picking her up.

Unfortunately as I looked up from Eva I suddenly felt extremely overwhelmed by the amount of people surrounding us and began to panic. Alex spotted it straight away and asked what I needed so I told him to just get us out of the gates so he charged through the crowd with trike clearing a path for me to follow.

Once we were out of the gates I was fine and felt a bit silly, especially as its normally me calming my brother down, not the other way round.

We got walking and suddenly I looked up and saw Alex running off full speed to the end of the road giggling his head off with Izzy. When we finally caught up with them they were still laughing & my brother said ‘Sorry about that Izzy told me to run, so I did’. I cracked up. My brother is normally VERY careful with the girls and scared he will do something wrong or hurt them so I was really proud he just went for it & trusted himself enough to do so, his confidence with the girls really is coming on leaps & bounds!

On the way home I began to struggle with the walk and asked them to walk on as I find it awkward slowing everyone down. By the time we got home and checked Eva’s foot the skin had gone white where it had been covered and damp all day so we left it uncovered to air out over night to see how she got on, she ended up staying home today as although it is healing and looks better the skins tightening & scabbing making it harder for Eva to walk and very uncomfortable for her, sofa day it is!

Once we had sorted Eva’s foot and the girls had eaten after Alex ruined a microwave pizza and I nearly burnt the chips trying to calm an upset Eva, Alex sat with them playing with Eva’s doh Vinci set which is of course now ALL over my carpet! 😂😂😂

I really do enjoy watching these 3 play together and love that they now see their Uncle weekly and spend time playing & doing things. It’s hard sometimes not having much family around for them so it’s lovely they have at least one blood relative they are really close to & where I struggled across the day it was nice to have some extra help.

I also really appreciate just how much Alex helped me yesterday especially as I really had over done it with cleaning & then went on to do the school run making things worse & the panic attack on top. Oh and yes I HURT today!

It wouldn’t be a Monday morning or the first day back at school without a few hiccups though aye? As I climbed into bed last night I just suddenly hear Izzy shout ‘RUN!’ in my head and picture them speeding ahead and cracked up.I ended up texting my brother before falling asleep to thank him for his help, his Asperger’s can make it so difficult for him to know what to do in most situations and I was so proud and grateful he had managed to do so well and help so much across the day!

If your little ones gone back to school how did the first day go? Do you ever have panic attacks in the school playground? How do you deal with them?

 

Dream Purple Kitchen Bargain!

Product Reviews / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Last week I shared some lovely Purple bits I’ve spotted for my dream purple kitchen & mentioned the Wilko’s Colour Play Purple Microwave which I intended to buy when we got paid for £50 however when the Mr checked they had dropped the price to £40!

I love a bargain, it’s cheered me up knowing I not only got my purple microwave but for £10 less!

We ordered it on-line Friday morning to be delivered in store within the next 48 hours. The Mr had found that although the price had dropped our local store was out of stock. Luckily there were still 10 left on-line so I quickly ordered it to make sure I got one!

Being a bank holiday weekend I didn’t expect a pick & dispatched email until Tuesday morning even though the stores were open on the Monday but by late morning I still hadn’t received an email and after 2 weeks without a microwave already I decided to tweet Wilko and find out when it was due to be picked & dispatched.

After DM’ing my order number Connor answered my questions and informed me my order had been lost in transit. IEither I could wait until they had more in stock week or be refunded.

I panicked as either way I thought I’d be waiting a week as refunds take 5-7 days. I was already getting stressed without a microwave for so long (I never realised how handy they are until I didn’t have one!) so I asked if there were any in stock in my 2 local stores & Connor quickly let me know he had reserved one at the Basildon store for me!

The Mr quickly got in touch with a friend and they went to collect it for me. By 3.30pm I had my brand new shiny purple microwave in front of me!

I felt like a kid at Christmas! It was set up on the worktop with the rest of the Wilko ColourPlay appliances we have!

Purple Kitchen

Obviously I need a new glass chopping board in purple to compete this worktop 😉 but I think it looks quite now now even on a tight budget &  it definitely looks better than the ugly kitchen we had a few months ago!

I quite like how small the microwave is as it gives us that little bit more worktop space when cooking. Our last microwave was a huge old beast so it really makes a difference!

We tested out the microwave for dinner a few hours later as we had Jacket potatoes. Although I had to show the Mr how to work it. It is pretty simple to set up and use (helps to read the instructions like I had! 😂) and it does what it needs to.

Purple Microwave

I love that it is digital & you can set the time and adjust the settings. There are so many settings! I imagine it will take us a while to use even half of them but for a small budget microwave I am pretty damn impressed!

My Purple Dream Kitchen

Rambles / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Since we had the Kitchen, Toilet & Bathroom refit the Mr has been working to redecorate properly I have been planning my purple dream kitchen and I have finally decided on the Wilko’s Durable Lilac Paint for the Kitchen to keep the walls light & keep with the darker purple appliances & whatever else I can convince the Mr is muchly needed in the kitchen ;).

Purple Dream Kitchen

 

We already have a perfectly working Kettle & Toaster in purple and since our microwave decided to die on my birthday (followed by the hoover 2 days later!) I’ve been looking around for a nice purple one to match and it seems the Wilko’s colour play range the Toaster & Kettle are from have the best purple one I can find and at just £50 hopefully we can save up for it very soon!

 

 

 

 

2 Tier Dish Drainer, Chrome/Purple Enamel Coated Frame, Glass and Utensil Holder/Removable Purple Plastic Drip Tray

 

I do already have a dish drainer and although I mainly use the dishwasher now I’ve had my eye on this gorgeous purple dish drainer for a while.

 

 

 

Although it is well out of our price range I hope one day I can buy this stunningly purple oven to replace our horrid old white one!

 

 

 

I love these Salter Orb mechanical scales which would be perfect for when we bake!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this Morphy Richards Accents 5 Piece Tool Set in plum & think it would look gorgeous with the worktops too!

 

 

 

Our Knife block is well overdue a replacement and again from the Morphy Richards Accents Range I found this Knife block in the Plum.

 

And of course to complete the set it’s only right we got the kitchen storage set too.. right?

 

 

Of course this lovely lot costs a fair bit when you add it all up but hopefully we can save and buy everything on the list bit by bit. Have you spotted any lovely Kitchen accessories in purple recently? What would be your main colour scheme for your dream kitchen?

 

You Never Forget A Good Book

Rambles / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

It’s true that once you read a good book you never forget it. I’ve been a keen reader since I was quite young and people used to joke about the fact I would prefer to sit and read the Evening Echo (Our local paper at the time) at the age of 5 over a childrens book. I remember my mother had quite a few books on shelves around the house which is where I discovered a few of my favourite authors. I haven’t picked up a book in a while which I intend to do more of over the coming months so I thought I’d share with you some of my all time favourites!

You never forget a good book
The Misery front cover I read and the books currently on my shelf!

Stephen King’s Misery is a book I definitely read far too young but as I loved to scare myself silly with physchological horrors like this it’s a book I read several times growing up and is still my absolute favourite book of all time. I love the way Stephen King writes and how twisted & clever the storyline is. Whenever I fancy something a bit darker I go for a Stephen King books and I’ve read quite a few. I currently have a few on my bookshelf at the moment that I need to read, what’s your favourite?

As you can see my copy is quite worn!

This is a set of books rather than just one but I think most people will agree that C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia is an amazing set for children and adults. I still have the original box-set I had as a child, unfortunately they are quite sun-faded but I cant wait to start reading them to the girls! I always got so lost in these books that I would spend most of a school holiday re-reading the whole set just because.

 

On my bookshelf

Another one that is probably on most peoples lists is J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the rings Trilogy. I read this when I was about 11 and I remember being superglued to my bed for 5 days reading the entire book & then went on to read The Hobbit. I was gutted when I finally watched the films as they had just missed out far too much as usually happens when books are turned into films. I still have the same copy of Lord of the rings but lost The Hobbit years ago.

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret garden us another classic I absolutely loved reading over and over again. I loved the idea of escaping to such beautiful gardens.

The only image of the front cover I remember reading as a child!

One book I fell in love with as a child has bugged me for years as I hadn’t been able to find it ANYWHERE! Seriously, I have searched & searched the internet & libraries and only just discovered I was right all along! It is called Wild Child  and I am pleased to share I finally know the Author’s name – Monica Furlong! (Thanks to Goodreads!) I remember being completely enchanted by this book and re-reading it several times.

In a remote Scottish village, nine-year-old Wise Child is taken in by Juniper, a healer and sorceress. Then Wise Child’s mother, Maeve, a black witch, reappears. In choosing between Maeve and Juniper, Wise Child discovers the extent of her supernatural powers—and her true loyalties.

Patricia cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta series was another favourite throughout my teens, I began at the start with Post-mortem and read every book up to The Book of the dead which is still sat on my bookshelf waiting to be read!
I’m definitely going to start working through my book shelf again and then go on a hunt for some new ones, so help me out! Who’s your favourite author? What book’s would you recommend reading? What books are laying unread on your bookshelf?

Adulting

Physical and Mental Health / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Sometimes I find adulting really hard, the simplest of things become the biggest of challenges especially if it’s something I’m doing for myself. One of those thing’s is booking appointment’s & where it’s difficult to even get through to my Dr’s Surgery  on the phone it makes the whole thing a lot more stressful but I finally managed to get through today (After 22 attempts!) and was booked in for 4.40pm. Normally after around the 10th attempt I give up but I’m so fed up with struggling I just want to gain control of my life again so I kept going until I finally got through.

Adulting

Of course I didn’t get seen until 5pm whilst sat in a deserted waiting room (!?) but when I did I admitted how much I have been struggling with my anxiety and depression the last few months and had missed my prescriptions. Luckily the Dr was really understanding even though i had never met him before. We decided to up my dose of Duloxetine from 90mg to 120mg in the hope it calms my anxiety a bit more aswell as helping with the pain until my pain clinic appointment next month.

After my appointment I realised I had been stressing and panicking for almost 2 months about getting an appointment & losing my prescription and then after a few weeks went by, what the Dr would think of me for A) losing my repeat prescription, B) leaving it so long & C) Struggling so much to do such basic things. I guess it’s silly really as Dr’s aren’t there to judge (although some do and have!). I guess not seeing one Dr regularly makes it difficult too as I never know who I’m going to see!

social-anxiety-disorder-5-728
I found this on google images and it explains how I feel so well!

Hopefully now I have a repeat prescription again things will begin to feel a little easier again and I’m going to try my best not to slip up again!

 

A whole year blogging as Relentlessly Purple!

Rambles / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Can you believe I’ve spent a year blogging as Relentlessly Purple!? 

I’d blogged before setting up Relentlessly Purple but tried to put far too many restrictions on myself, only letting myself publish positive posts & eventually I felt like I was unable to write anything.

Blogging as Relentlessly Purple & not restricting myself makes it much easier to write and publish posts although admittedly I have been slacking majorly over the last month or 2 but it’s nice to see I still get visitors daily.

I may not have posted much recently but writing on the blog has helped me get through some tough patches over the past year & I really appreciate the love & support given by other bloggers especially my fellow spoonies who have given me some amazing advice & tips.

I feel like I’ve achieved a fair amount on the blog considering I’m not a regular poster, with 80 wordpress followers, over 2,500 twitter followers & 200 Instagram followers.

I plan on working harder with the blog over the next year and hope to have doubled these numbers by next year if possible and interact with other bloggers more.. Seems silly to sit & stare at posts on social media and not respond in case you ‘bother’ someone so I intend to be a little braver & interact a lot more!

How long have you been blogging for? Is your current blog your first? What did/have you achieved in your first year blogging?

A busy quiet patch

Family / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I’ve barely blogged, barely Tweeted and even my Instagram has been much quieter over the last few weeks as thing’s have been quite up & down and I really haven’t felt great at all.

Despite being relieved I passed my ESA assessment  my back hasn’t been amazing, my hip’s feel worse & I discovered I have anaemia which has been causing me to feel constantly drained too which has made it especially difficult to focus & write anything over the last few weeks. I have started taking iron tablets again though which has definitely helped over the past few days

On a good note I received a nice little back pay a few weeks ago as I was entitled to the ESA support rate backdated to the 13th week of my claim, I was aware they do this but didn’t realise how long I had waited so it was a lovely surprise and arrived in time for me to be able to treat the Mr properly on his birthday for pretty much the first time in the 10 years I’ve known him!

I gave him money to spend at the Thurrock Beer festival which he attends every year since its around his birthday and he loves real ales. He came back happily carrying TWO! of these bottles (admittedly one was cider for me :P) & a glass.

 

a busy quiet patch
The Mr happily came back from the beer fest with this!

We also ordered him some new trainers from ebay which turned up with paint and marks all over & didn’t appear genuine, after waiting for our refund & the Mr still struggling to find a pair he liked we decided to order him a pair of Nike ID’s which are custom made how you want!

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The design the Mr ordered

 

He has to wait anywhere up to the 8th august for them but it stops him settling on a pair and not being happy especially as he does so much running around doing school runs & shopping where I cant. We ordered them last thursday and already recieved an email yesterday (6 days after ordering) telling us the finishing touches are being done before they are shipped! So hopefully we wont have to wait too long.

After giving up on our desperate backpack search we gave in and bought him a new backpack too (which I’ll review at a later date) since he does all the shopping and carries it all home from town.

I spoilt the girls a little with some new clothes & shoes..which may have led to a new wardrobe to fit them in.. Admittedly they did genuinely need a wardrobe and the clothes & shoes so it was another issue sorted for us!

I treated my brother to a few lunches & little bits whilst out shopping including some yummy pancakes & a chocolate milkshake at Roadhouse in Basildon! They were so good but so filling that we both took the rest home for later!

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I also treated myself to a new bag, purse and a few clothes aswell as doing things like having my eyebrows threaded over the last few weeks and the Mr dyed my hair purple on Sunday too which has made me feel much more human!

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Izzy approved of the new handbag & tried to steal it!

It’s been lovely being able to do those things as we’ve been struggling to buy things like clothes and pay bills on time so it has been a lot less stressful financially.

The kitchen toilet & bathroom didn’t get finished off properly but the Mr has somehow managed to fit in repainting the toilet purple & glossing the wood as the way it was left made it feel extremely claustrophobic! He’s purpling the bathroom & kitchen next too!

Although I have been really down lately I am thankful there’s been a lot of positive going on for me to focus on too and Izzy has been going almost everywhere with the Mr lately give me a lot of time to rest & focus on myself doing silly things like actually straightening my hair, having a bath in total peace, taking a nap etc which has really helped my mood the last few days.

I have a lot of catching up to do with the blog and saying hi to people again but I’m hoping to slowly catch up over the next few weeks, feel free to say hi and send me your latest posts to help me catch up!

A huge sigh of relief

Physical and Mental Health / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

I can finally breath a huge sigh of relief! The last few weeks have been so damn stressful it’s unreal! I’ve been stressing about my ESA assessment decision almost constantly, we had to make such a tough decision and re home the cat’s knowing whatever the outcome we just can’t afford the extra cost’s any more, we’ve had several problems with the refit the council are doing and 2 kids at home with it all going on this half term (which of course has been miserable!) has just been utter chaos!

Getting a call yesterday morning from a number I didn’t know freaked me out and I almost rejected but I am so glad I didn’t!

It turned out to be the person finalising my ESA decision which initially made me panic even more as I was convinced I would be refused but I spoke to such a lovely lady and after a chat and adding on a little more information about the side affects I’m having from my medication she made the decision to award me ESA for the next year!

Honestly I was gob smacked I’ve heard so many depressing stories and anything that involves the job centre has always gone badly for us so to finally be taken seriously and have all that stress lifted had me almost in tears with relief as I thanked the lady on the phone.

When she explained I had originally only been given 6 points based on my anxiety and I would have been refused as I needed 15 to pass I nearly passed out but after explaining the nasty side affects of my medication to her and how things have worsened in general she had decided to award me full points!

My assessment was based on my chronic pain which without the medication side affects they see me as fit for work. My depression was basically ignored because I told them that although I have attempted suicide a few times in the past, knowing I have a family now I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to attempt it again knowing the emotional and financial impact it would have on them. My anxiety was at least considered severe enough to be awarded some points but looking at the overall picture it’s horrible to think how many people in a similar or even a worse situation would be refused and deemed fit for work!

I know I am extremely lucky to be given this break and I appreciate it so much being able to just focus on my health and my family for the next year and I’m hoping in this year I learn to manage everything better so one of us can go back to work and we can start saving and getting somewhere at last!

Kitchen, Bathroom & Toilet Refit

Rambles / 8 years ago / RelentlesslyPurple

Since last week we have had contractors in starting on our Kitchen, Bathroom & Toilet as they were all over 20 years old and needed fully replacing.

We are on a 20 day programme where work will be done between 8am-5pm and all 3 rooms are being entirely refitted so we had to empty all 3 rooms (not easy to do in a 2 bedroom flat!) for the next few weeks whilst the work goes on.

My usually rather lived in flat is now half a building site & half a storage depot with bags j boxes everywhere & the fridge in our living room!

The work began Wednesday morning with the kitchen & bathroom being ripped out including flooring & tiles leaving us with just the kitchen & bathroom sink & bath for now. It’s been quite difficult at times especially with everything bagged or boxed up and 2 kids & 2 cats! With the first lot of workers repeatedly leaving the front door wide open after agreeing not to which was also previously agreed with the surveyor and resident liaison officer we have had to try and keep the cats in the living room only we aren’t allowed to keep the living room door shut so there were lots of stressful cat hunts on the first day.

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When the kitchen floor was being ripped up they found the tiles had asbestos in them which meant the other rooms probably had them too so they stopped & left it as it was and we were told someone would be back to remove them ‘later’ which ended up being 2 days later!

On the second day the electricians turned up to put in new everything so as they had to drill through the walls I took Izzy to Basildon to see her Uncle for a few hours which was a nice break from the noisy dusty flat and Izzy really enjoyed her day out going on the bus, lunch at a cafe, feeding the ducks & playing in the park before being picked up by our friend & taken home (Izzy loves the car!). When we got home though I was a little surprised at the wonky plug sockets & switches throughout the kitchen although I do like the new lay out and placements.

Annoyingly we now have a fluorescent light in our kitchen which gives me serious migraines as it is so bright! They managed to place it well off centre & left one of our previous light fittings in place though so it’s rather odd having a normal light at the darkest end of the kitchen and the brightest nearer the window. I don’t understand why they have done it that way at all but apparently that is how it will be left.

On Friday the bath & toilet were replaced & I’m kind of regretting not agreeing to an adapted bath as I used the new one last night and really struggled to get out although I did forget to use a step. I think we may have to get a handle fixed to the wall to help me keep my balance when I get out as I’ve been having accidents climbing out of the bath over the last few months anyway.

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Friday morning whilst the bath was being done I popped out to get some lunch with Izzy & came back to the kitchen door sealed up and the asbestos removal guy lifting the tiles.

He had done all 3 rooms by the time Eva got home from school at least but we are a little concerned about the amount of dust left behind especially in the kitchen but its good to know the tiles are now gone.

The weekend was a welcome break from workmen in and out but it was still stressful doing everything out of bags & boxes and still having the fridge freezer in our living room.

By monday morning I couldn’t wait for the work to continue and be able to slowly use the rooms again! The plasterer came in and did all 3 rooms on Monday and the tiling in the bathroom was started on the Tuesday with the bath & toilet pipework being boxed in again.

I was really happy to find out the kitchen units were being put in Wednesday. We had a few issues where the surveyor hadn’t listened & measured our fridge freezer properly after being told several times its larger than average! The poor guy fitting the units had to pull one back out and alter it and order in a smaller wall unit which will take 2-3 weeks to arrive so although thing’s are progressing rather quickly we will be missing a unit for a few weeks.. not too much of a problem for us though as we have gained a good few extra cupboards & drawers!

I was quite unsure of the choice’s I had made for the worktops & units until I saw it all in place & now I can’t wait to see the end result! I hated the 80’s style council kitchen look we had and although it is still a council property being done by contractor’s I do think it looks a lot better already!

We seem to be about halfway through already although we are only on day 6! The kitchen is being tiled today and and after that it is pretty much just sorting niggly bits, laying the new floor & decorating left to do. I’ll do a follow up post once all the work is complete and hopefully find the time (and space!) to work on the blog again properly soon (I know.. It’s been one thing after another & I miss writing and bothering other bloggers 😉 haha!)