October 24th, 2010

Hi everyone. The major bit of the DIY is done. New windows and doors and the new Boiler is in. Oh and I almost forgot the new Facias, soffits and gutters too, this means no more standing on ladders for painting them.  It seemed like an eternity but actually went fairly quickly. And we were pretty lucky in the weather was only bad the first day they came to install the windows. But they were really great and it took three days instead of the four we thought it would take. Then in a few days time the boiler men arrived and installed our new boiler. It was  a bit chilly that day and unfortunately the only way we could put the heat on until it was done was to use a little fan heater. I managed to catch a bit of a cold that day. But we are now all nice and snug now with our new double glazed windows and doors and the new boiler is much more efficient and quieter. Also we got a tip on covering up our water tank with another jacket of insulation from the builders and so Brian and I did that yesterday. And today Brian has installed the new Smoke detector. We also bought a new door bell and got one of these that you can take with you around the house so we have no excuse now to not hear the door bell... other than we aren't quite used to hearing it yet and it takes us a little time to register what that new sound is.
   Poor Jingles became a bit shell shocked during that week and really goes into a panic if someone comes to the house now that he doesn't know. But he is loving his new windows too. The casing sits a bit lower than the older windows did and so he can lay on the sills and look out easier or on the other side hide behind the casing that is a bit higher up. My nice new lovely clean windows are now starting to get little nose smudges on them.
   We still have a way to go with the house and lots yet to do, but we are getting there. Slowly but surely we will get there in the end. Next will be the stairs and landing carpeting to be replaced I hope. And we will be looking for new curtains in the sales to replace the ones we have now. I really did hate putting them back up and hiding the new lovely windows. We still aren't certain if we want to put curtains on a few of the windows they look so lovely with out them. I did try to take some photos, but unfortunately the back lighting doesn't do them any justice at all.
   Brian is still trying to adjust to our new front door. It took a bit of learning how to lock and unlock it as it is a secure type of door. And I opted for clear glass in the panels instead of frosted ones. I like the fact I can see who is at the door and whether I want to answer it or not. I don't care if it is someone I don't know that is there and they see that I am not interested in answering. Guess it is just something I was used to in the US. We have storm doors there and you could always see who was at the door. With the frosted panes you aren't able to see. I know we could have opted for a spy hole, but people can be tricky and not stand in the right place for you to see. This way there is no hiding. When you get to our age, different things start to come into importance and for me security is a big one along with being comfortable.