Renovations

Here is the latest update, with lots of photos too - I may have to start using a different email address to continue with my blogs - it's that, or find somewhere else to start a blog. The house is making progress - as you can see:

Keith and I went up to the house on Thursday, and then again yesterday, to have a look at what has been done. A bit more bricking up has gone on, on the left hand side of the house. You can also see that the metal beam has gone up along the centre of the roof. We went up at about 6pm on Thursday, and there was a lot of banging going on - you could hear it echoing round. We've seen people working up there until about 7pm, and I've seen them there at 7.45am - when I've been on my way to work. There is still a hole in the back fence, and we used it yesterday to go into the back garden. There is no way to get up into the house from the garden at the moment though. The story inside the house is totally different; the photo above looks like progress has been made - so now for the shocking pictures!

This photo on the right was taken from the top of the stairs. The white square on the right hand side was the loft hatch. The doorway underneath it to the right is the office, the doorway to the left of that is our bedroom, and the doorway where the ladder is, is Mathew's room - which will become a corridor, and my sewing room. So, you can see that we have no ceilings at all!

The photo on the left shows the view when coming up the stairs. There are quite a few wires coming down all over the place. There is temporary flooring upstairs, so you can walk across it. The next photo shows Keith in our new bedroom:

he is looking at the room (so you can't see it) - of course, you do need a bit of imagination for it all, as the house looks a bit like a shell at the moment. Downstairs hasn't really been touched (with the exception of the demolition of the porch and the bay window in the dining room, and the creation of the study - which you can't get into at all at the moment - except through the hole that has been left for the window! The photo shows where some of the rafters have been put in - just behind Keith, and to the right of him, above the ladder, is the remainder of the old roof. That has changed since the photo was taken - yesterday we saw that a bit more of the roof had gone - it is now residing in Mathew's old room. It was just as well that I took things out of the filing cabinet on Thursday (the filing cabinet is in Mathew's old room), as we couldn't get to it at all yesterday - the wood and felt was in the way. Joey quite enjoyed having somewhere to explore - I'm just glad that we hasn't shown an aptitude for climbing ladders!

This photo on the right was taken from Mathew's room, when we were able to get in there. For those of you acquainted with the house, this hole in the ceiling is above the sink in his room. Keith had done his usual trick of climbing about on the ladder outside, and wandering around the scaffolding.

I did get a bit snap happy on Thursday; it's one of the benefits of a digital camera - being able to take numerous photos and not having to have the film developed. Some of the photos I took to record the progress (or otherwise), and others I took as I thought that they would be good for patchwork designs - thoughts, ideas to use to create something in patchwork related to the changes in the house.

The cats seem to be taking the changes in their stride. Joey quite likes exploring the place, and we saw him recently in the Baptist Church car park; I suspect that he had come out of the back garden. It could be that he was looking for us, as he has accompanied us as far as the car park on previous occasions when we've returned from the house. At least with them staying in the house, they are getting used to all the changes. Seffy joined us out the back of the house yesterday, in the extended dining room, and was rubbing up against the breeze blocks. I suspect it wasn't just because she needed a bit of a scratch, but also because she was making it her own - leaving a bit of a mark on it! Seffy seems to be in her element exploring - as the next few photos show:

the one on the far left shows where the wall has been dismantled - we need a beam going down through the floor, but the problem is that in the current position, going down to the ground floor will place it in the stairs. A hole has been made through the floorboards, and the second photo shows Seffy having a look at this hole. She isn't one to shy away from exploring all possible nooks and crannies, and this time was no exception. I did have to take careful note to make sure that she came back out again:

Well, that's about it for now. We are now on holiday for the next two weeks, so it gives Keith time to play golf, and me time to get some more quilting done. I shall also be preparing for my A2 French exam, and probably spend some time doing some school work as well. I've got quite a few books at school that need attention and marking. I'm going to spend the rest of today getting on with some quilting, so I can take the quilt down to my neice - Maisie Grace when we go down to the island in 10 days time. Be good - and please don't hesitate in passing along the address of this blog to others you think might be interested in the progress of the house!