I’ve been busy lately putting our ‘burnt’ house back to rights and there’s still quite a lot to do. The builders should finish tomorrow and then it is up to me to get cracking on it to get it finished!!

But I have been getting a little help from 2 little helpers

The bathroom proved to be a reasonable space to set up a farm

And as for making use of scrap bits of left over wood and the box from the shower door

Whereas Little Miss cut, stuck, glued and was totally engrossed

Bedroom ceilings and walls done, 11 doors done – next up all the skirting boards, paint hallway, stairs, living room and kitchen Just as well I find painting relaxing!

Here’s a nice, yet very effective idea for making simple notice boards – simply cover boring brown clipboards in attractive offcuts of wallpaper and hang.  Ideal for holding reminders, shopping lists, photographs and postcards. (Image from Ideal Home Magazine)

I missed the first couple of episodes of Kirstie’s Homemade Home on Channel 4 on Thursday evenings but have seen the last two episodes and apparently tomorrrow night is the grand finale – seems an incredibly short series.

I always liked Kirstie when I used to watch her on Location, Location, Location many moons ago when living in England, I particularly liked her eccentricity, eclectic taste and direct talking. While I’m enjoying the series, some aspects are annoying me. (by the way, I detest the basin in the bedroom above – think it makes it look like a bedsit or a B&B bedroom before all became ensuites – or am I being unfair?)

I think it is great the way the programme is showcasing local crafts and such talented craftspeople for example, but it is slightly annoying to see Kirstie become so excited at being able to knit 6 rows, yet poses with some very complicated knitted articles, likewise, last week, she laid out some patchwork squares, sewed four together and then left the quiltmaker to finish it and arrive with the finished article.  So, it is a handmade product (and gorgeous to boot) but not exactly homemade.  Having said that, it has inspired me to contemplate starting crocheting or patchwork come the winter months and I love checking out Made Marion’s blog for her latest creations.

I do like the colours in this Master bedroom and at the other end of the bedroom is a gorgeously decadent bathtub and Victorian sink.

I loved seeing Vanessa Arbuthnott’s home in the last episode, having received her new brochure the other day and I’ll be posting about her fab wallpaper some day soon.  Considering other craftspeople etc were interviewed, I thought it was a shame that Vanessa herself wasn’t featured.

Apparently, Meadow Gate is available to rent (I presume for holiday lets).  It is an absolutely beautiful house, pity the series isn’t longer.  I have to admit I have been green with envy to have the opportunity to renovate such a gorgeous house – maybe someday ….

Last episode tomorrow night at 8pm!

This is turning out to be quite a week. As far as Friday night goes, I have learned that there will be 3 challenges and a prize will be given to whoever does the most!  I’m a little nervous wondering what they are going to do just to get us spooked – I think I am more nervous of that than the actual ghosts! 

Do you believe in ghosts? Do let me know in the comment box – I’d love to hear some opinions on it.  I sort of do yet I don’t believe that they are necessarily malicious (at least I hope not).  I wouldn’t like to stay in a spooky house on my own but there’ll be loads of us there on Friday night.  I can’t abide horror movies. Psycho is about my limit and films that involve blood and gore are a definite no-no.  I think the last one I wastched was Silence of the Lambs probably about 15 or more years ago and I can remember spending most of the film behind the sofa.

The whole ‘Fright Night’ has been organised by KCLR 96 FM and they are interviewing me on Friday morning on the Sue Nunn show – about my business, the business club (although the chairman of the business club will also be there, I’m delighted to say, so it will be more of a relaxed chat hopefully) and why on earth I would want to go ghost hunting in a former gaol.

Apologies for the lack of interior design posts but it is turning out to be a very busy week. My kitchen is half-decorated and I am determined to finish the walls tonight (I have to sand some repair work first – which I detest).  The new worktop still has to go in, finish painting the cupboard doors, new handles, clean up etc and that will be it, oh, and put a fresh coat of sadolin on the windows and hang the blinds – piece of cake by tomorrow evening!  Then we start the living room – new fireplace, paint the freshly plastered ceiling and paint the walls. They will be wallpapered at a later date (when the new carpet goes in) but we have visitors coming next Tuesday so I’m just painting it for the time being.

Something is telling me we won’t have time for a romantic meal on Saturday night.  I hope all those who purchased my heart-shaped dish sets have a lovely evening and that the orders from England arrive on time!

When I was in Kilkenny this morning, I popped into Kilkenny Architectural Salvage on the search for kitchen worktop and a fireplace.  Although salvage yards are always freezing and always have a hurricane blowing around, I have to say this one is really worth a visit – good stock and always tidy.  I don’t have time to attend auctions any more so a root around a salvage yard is a great alternative and you don’t have to wait around to bid! A great place to find  items such as old cast iron radiators, fireplaces, flooring, railings. They even have a fabulous pitch pine really wide staircase but you’d probably have to design and build your hall and house around the staircase!

I found the perfect worktop but of course, found other things I liked as well – more on those when I work out if they will fit in through the door or not!  There won’t be too many posts next week as I’ll be hacking off tiles and removing cupboards and painting doors and ceilings …..  I actually started hacking off the tiles tonight but there is a limit to what I can do before the weekend as I can’t really leave the kitchen looking like a bomb has hit it when my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are here, helping Brian look after the kids while I’m gallivanting (ooops, I meant working) in Paris.  I was quite looking forward to a bit of demolition work but found the tiles quite hard to remove, very few came off whole with most of them just shattering under quite a bit of elbow grease!  I’ve done about a quarter of it and Brian has taken over now for a while.