Another month

And just like that, it was all over.

 

We had a lovely, home cooked, Christmas lunch.  DH had had to connect the oven up, which had been disconnected for months, and hadn't been used for months before that.

 

We had cold goose the next day,  and then we had Chinese Style pancakes with goose, crispy goose skin, and hoi sin sauce.  It was really good, and I've added it to my notes for next time to make sure I have pancakes in the freezer.  I have made them before, but it's so easy to buy them as we have a Chinese supermarket in the next village.

 

The kitchen worked really well.  The two dishwashers worked superbly.   We had plenty of worktop space (I swept all the unsorted c*ap into crates and hid them under the stairs, where they are still waiting to be sorted).

DH and I agreed that the 400 wide pull out pantry wasn't working as a drinks store.  We had a discussion about options, and agreed a plan. We were keen to try and get it done before Christmas, as this would enable me to take final measurements to order some wall units.

 

I did a trip with my DB to buy a couple of new/unused tall but shallow larder units so we could make a second, smaller, pantry.    While we were farting about,  some new-still-packaged corner units came up at a really good price, so DH  and I went and got those as well. .  They worked really well, and DH has now built the inside of the new "drinks larder".  I kitted it out with some heavy duty Lazy Susan turntables for the centre corners,which helped keep everything accessible.  I   transferred the bottles in to it on Christmas Eve and organised it so I'm happy with it.  DH added some temporary lighting, and  it looks lovely!  Even with no doors, and with a temporary side panel in completely the wrong colour.

We agreed on the style of door (we want to match the other larder if possible, a style which is discontinud so I have to wait for someone to be disposing of a kitchen).   A trip to Southampton secured me the two bottom doors which are the perfect match;  a trip to Milton Keynes secured me a temporary top half of one side (I knew it wasn't right, but I'd said I'd buy it and I didn't want to let the seller down).

 

Now that we know what units are going on that wall,  I ordered a couple of made to measure toe-tap plinth drawers/  We weren't sure whether to make them look like plinths or to make them look like floor level drawers.  We decided on plinth-a-like,  and there's no point in second guessing myself now.  Hopefully they will be here this week.   One of them is to hold the gardening stuff which lived in the kitchen (like glove and pruners and bits).  The other will hold other junk.    If they work, I'll order one for under the sink, I think.    I'm not sure abut the rest of the kitchen, I'm still keen on no plinths everywhere else.  

We had to do a lot of rearranging in the summerhouse to accommodate the two shallow larder units I'd bought and then not used.  We discussed selling them on, but we might end up using them in our utility room later. 

 

My DB took the 400 wide pull out larder for my niece,  and then he later collected the additional  matching door to fix to the other pull out larder he'd taken a while back.   It looks fab in her house, she's really happy with it all.  She was already over the moon with the first larder, and now she not only has two, but they match!  And the fronts are paintable, so she can paint to coordinate with the resto of her kitchen. 

 

I've just realised that I haven't mentioned the bread drawer.      Much earlier in the month I'd also been and bought another 60cm unit, and we fitted the Hailo Pantry to it.  We're trying it out for bread storage.  It's not in the right place, but there's no point in disrupting all the units if the concept doesn't work.  It seems OK.  The drawer fronts are yet another style, but it's only temporary.   

 

At last,  I placed an order for a couple of (brand new!) wall units plus a load of fronts to replace all the mismatched ones.    They won't be here until nearly the end of January. 

 

....

 

In the glowing aftermath of an acceptable Christmas,  I had some fab ideas for some new decorations for next year, based on things that give us good memories.    I know that , despite good intentions, I won't be feeling like making these  in the run up to next Christmas, so  I bought some things now to make decorations now for next year.   

The first batch arrived today, and I've been busy with the glue gun this afternoon.    I've hung them on the tree already.    I got slightly bored after making 7 new decorations, so I've put the stuff away now.

 

I've got unrelated good-memory  things still to arrive, and I'm slightly regretting the purchases.   I  imagine any Christmassy goodwill I've got left will have be goodwont by the time they finally arrive.    I'm relieved that I stopped buying when I did.  One particular  set of things I need to hide so DH doesn't see it until  they are put up next year.  Hopefully it'll make him laugh.      And hopefully I remember that I bought them and what they are for.  It would be helpful if they arrived before I put the decorations away,

 

 

I'm wanting to take down the tree etc, but I'll wait until 1st Jan.  We still haven't sorted out the loft,; neither of us have had much energy, and what we have had has been used on the kitchen and on Christmas.

 

I also need to sort out the spare bedroom.   It was in a bit of a state before Christmas,  and today it got a lot worse as I emptied out cupboards looking for the empty baubles, the sleigh bells, and other stuff.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coughing Up

I found this half written and unpublished post from December...

DH brought all the Christmas decorations down from the loft.  The idea was to (a) find the Christmas cards, get them written, and sent by 2nd class post,  and (b) to use the temporary space created to clear that end of the loft.

 

The Plan was sound, but we were knocked sideways by a really horrible.... something or other.  DH had it for at least a week before I succumbed.     I did a Covid test, even though it didn't seem like Covid,  and that was negative.   

We were both too ill for Pilates. 

 

The cards did, eventually get written.  I bought all the postage on line, which took a while.  One advantage was that I could see who I'd actually sent a card to.  They all went in the postbox when DH went out to the chemist to get stuff.

 

My cough cleared up first, assisted  I expect by the copious amounts of Sambucol (Elderberry) and other stuff I was consuming to try and help.