Since I last wrote we've been doing more little jobs.  Today we got our upright freezer down from the top barn.  It has been temperamental for a while and so we bought a chest freezer last year and have been using that.  Now, a chest freezer's OK for storing meat or excess fruit and veg, but it's difficult to get to everyday things.  I have to lift the basket of bread out, then the basket of sausages and chicken to get to the stuff at the bottom.  So, we're giving the upright freezer another chance.  It has now been well and truly cleaned and all the autumn leaves have been removed from the back of it (there's a gap between the roof and the wall in the top barn that leaves blow through).  It is in the utility room and we'll try switching it on tomorrow once its juices have settled - I hope it works because it's a really good size and very easy to get to everything. 

Another of today's jobs was to put Bob's new toy together.  He bought a router table last week - ready for making window frames.  I can only assume that the table was made in China or somewhere and then Axminster Tools put their stickers all over it because the instructions were absolute rubbish!  Why, oh why doesn't someone English go through the instructions and actually try putting the thing together following them?  It really would have been easier not to look at the booklet and just get on with it . . . . actually isn't that what blokes are supposed to do anyway - guess that explains why Axminster don't see the need to improve the instructions!

We also unpacked the cooker and put it in place (darn, should have taken a photo - suppose I should have taken one of the router table too?) and then started sealing the kitchen floor.  I say started because we ran out of sealer - how very, jolly annoying!  Bob has also cut all the beading to go round the joints between floor and walls (we're not having skirting board, just a 12mm quadrant bead to cover the joint), we oiled them and went to pin them down only to discover we didn't have the right size panel pins - how very, jolly annoying!  Think I feel a shopping trip coming on.

Anyway, here are some pictures of our more successful ventures of the last few days:

The shower tidy we got from . . . . guess where?
Yep, Ikea.  We have now also installed soap and shampoo
as we do try to use that shower instead of the caravan one
(so long as the sun's been shining to warm the water)

And here's another Ikea purchase.  This is also in the ensuite
and saves us blocking the window with a bit of cardboard when
using the shower.  It is also much easier to just tilt the blind closed a bit
than to try to pull your trousers up while half squatting to prevent giving a full view
of everything for dog-walkers and horse-riders after you've been to the loo!

Here's the new door knocker, so people don't have to yell to get
our attention.  This is from the same shop as the Iron Chicken.  It was
mounted on a scrappy piece of stained wood and painted with brown paint
for an authentic old iron look.  So, after removing it from the wood, wire-brushing
it and treating with the blacking stuff we used on the bread oven door, it looks
much better and gives a real loud, resounding knock.



Here's the new look 2nd fireplace in the kitchen.  It looks quite
startlingly different now it has been painted and the iron blacked.
A little too startling in fact - I think the paint needs to be more colourful.
Obviously it's not finished yet, we're still sorting out tiles.



And here's another fireplace - our bedroom.  Thought you'd like to
see the difference the linseed oil and turps mix makes - quite
striking isn't it?  The oiled bricks do lighten up a bit once they're dry,
but they do look a bit more lively.



And finally, we've covered up those darned drain pipes and very
glad to see the back of them we are too!  We took up some cobble stones from
the far end of this bit and we were going to try laying them back properly,
but changed our minds in the end and have just layed a few here and
there in the gravel, along with some bricks and limestone pavers - so
much quicker and easier!  It now reminds us of an archeological dig
 . . . we're just unearthing a Roman pavement.