Update - end of half term

Here I am again. It has been a while since I've written, because there have been so many exciting things going on here! I've got my sewing room up and working now - together with the quilting frame and chaise longue - I can show you a photo of it, but it's not quite the same now:

I'm getting great use out of my sewing room; Keith has bought me a light box to help the SAD feeling, help me sleep etc. - and it's in my sewing room. I've made a quilt top, quilted a quilt for my cousin's baby, and made some placemats and a table runner. The next task is making Christmas stockings and Advent calendars, and then a quilt for my mum's birthday.

So - the introduction to the house:

It looks quite different now doesn't it - just to show you the difference, I'll show you how it used to look:

It really is quite an improvement, isn't it? Of course, it is really quite different inside as well. I am sat up in the lounge at the moment, which affords a great view of Bideford Bay. Don't you love that phrase - 'it affords a great view'. The garden looks quite different now as well, and I don't have a recent photo of the garden. But I can show the photos of the garden in July:

Then there are the views of the top of the house, and the views from the top of the house as well: Well, I think that will just about do for now. I'll try to get more photos and updates on the blog a bit later. There are so any other exciting things to do - I'm going to update the quilting blog as well today, before going and doing some sewing.

We're in!

So here it is folks - the winner of last week's little competition was Judy Banks - once again, but Caroline also got the answers right - so she gets a mention too! Mum just pipped her to the post.

So, it's lunchtime at school, and I thought that I would update my blog, before spending time doing I don't know what before my last lesson of the day. I'm fairly shattered at the moment. Until the day we moved - and for a few days past it, I didn't sleep very well, and that combined with going to bed late didn't help. Although it is not a new house exactly, parts of the house are new, and as we are sleeping in a different room, there are different noises to get used to. Also, Saturday morning, Seffy was crying at our bedroom door, as we had shut the door and she couldn't get in to see us. Perhaps she thought that we needed waking up as it was light outside, but we really didn't appreciate it at 5am. See has come in most nights and slept on the bed. Joey has also come in, and also slept on the bed. In fact, the other morning, they were both sleeping on the bed at the same time! That's something else we have to get used to - a new bed. The boys have just about got their rooms sorted, and that is as far as the house goes. We have got piles of books in the study, and Keith has made the computer table. However, we don't have a finished phone socket in there, neither do any of the sockets work. I have tried to get my sewing room in some sort of order, which has not been easy, as there are boxes of things that need to go in other rooms (e.g. music room, dining room), but as those rooms are not finished, they can't go in there. I have moved my chaise longue into it's final position, and have started to sort out a few things - but it is a long arduous task to get through everything else, before getting to the fabric. I've also tried to clear out the spare room a bit, and do something with the gym. However - the gym keeps filling up with the boys' stuff, so I can't get to mine, nor do anything else with it.

We have tidied our bedroom a bit, - well, rearranged it a bit better, so that I don't keep bumping into the edge of the bed - not at all funny when the frame is solid wood; I've got a lovely bump and graze on my leg. Still, the important stuff is done; the TV, satellite, DVD and music system are set up in the living room! I've not yet sorted the television etc in the sewing room, but I will get there eventually.

I have a new intake evening this evening at school, so I will be late home. Once I've got home (and maybe sat down and had some tea), I shall set about the tidying and organising once again!

As I'm doing this at school, there are no pictures I'm sorry to say, but BT sent us a message, informing us that Broadband would be up and running by midnight Friday. So, maybe, just maybe, we will have full computer use once again. It's rather nice to have full satellite use again.

I suppose that I had better get on with some school work!
Until the next post - and look out for pictures next time!

One Day More!

And prizes go to those who recognise the music reference in the title!

Well - this will be my last post until next week (yes, I know that I haven't posted anything since last week). Tomorrow - we move!!! By the time I get to the house tonight I should find settees in the living room (hopefully plugged in), a chaise longue in my sewing room, and flat packed furniture - plus a mattress or two somewhere on the ground floor!

I did get a little - can't quite think of the right word at the moment - but I phoned the builder yesterday morning about a few things - the electricians were a bit of a worry. He said he would get on to them and make sure that they were all there. I phoned the electricians at lunchtime and left a message on the answerphone; I said that I expected to see progress by the time I got to the house after work, otherwise I would be taking down their sign from the board at the front, because I wasn't prepared to advertise their services if I wasn't impressed with the amount of work done! The electricians were still there at the time I got to the house, and so they asked if I was impressed - this is as I was walking through the front door. I told them that I would reserve judgement until I had inspected the whole place. Once I'd seen all round - and I was delighted to see that the door is now on my sewing room - I did tell them that the inspection passed muster. They also said that they would be in at around 6am / 7am this morning. They were certainly there when I drove past at 7.40am.

We have lights in the right places, and holes for spotlights in the gym. They should have done the spotlights in the office by now as well, and hopefully put up the lights in the kitchen and music room. The carpets are arriving today (and vinyl) for the gym, the spare room, the bathroom the office - and possibly also the downstairs toilet and utility room.

So, it all looks to be going rather well doesn't it?

HAH! You knew that there was a catch somewhere, didn't you?! Have you noticed what I've not yet mentioned? Yes, we've had the same trouble this time as there was when we moved into the flat. The BT engineer sort of arrived on Tuesday, but the order said nothing about putting a new box in the house - despite us explaining the situation on numerous occasions to BT. So Keith had to go to the public phone box to phone them to get the problem rectified. Why a public phone box? Because there was no phone line at the house, and no phone line at the flat. They discovered that there was a fault on the line, but did nothing. So yesterday, the engineer came to fix the main box inside the house. Very good - there is now a dialling tone. YES - RESULT I hear you cry. But - no - hold your ponies Pam (TV reference - prize for who knows where that comes from). Yes, there is a dialling tone, but you can't phone out, and you can't phone in. Very helpful. You can't even call BT on 0800 800 150 to let them know that there is a problem. You have to do that in the public call box (because Keith's mobile does not have a very long battery life). Hopefully, BT will have managed to sort the problem by the time we get home tonight.

So, tomorrow is moving day. I'm really looking forward to it, and getting quite excited. We've spent some time up at the house this week, cleaning, moving boxes around, and making things. I can see us doing exactly the same thing tonight. Keith picks up the van tonight - it's got a lift thing on the back, which should make things a bit easier - and we'll start things tonight. I've been packing boxes morning and night for the past two days. Alot of it I had boxed up already - it is mainly things in the kitchen that I've done nothing with until now.

Anyway - time to get a few things sorted before lunch - I've got to set lessons for tomorrow as well yet!

Catch you all soon!

One week to go!

Hi there folks!
Sorry, there are no photos this time either. If I get myself really organised there may be some after the weekend, but don't hold your breath! We spent a very pleasant evening up at the house last night. The fridge upstairs works; I know this because the Foster's was lovely and cold when I drank it last night - I'd like to say it was the first drink in the new place, but that happened at the weekend, when we were cleaning! We sat upstairs, and had a drink, looked at the view, showed one of Keith's colleagues (and his wife and daughter) around, and then decided to have tea there as well. What did we have for tea? Well, given that there is no means of heating any food upstairs, and that there is no gas or electricity downstairs, we had to make do with.....a Chinese from down the road. That was quite interesting, eating omelette, chips and peas with our fingers! Keith did find some lobster skewers which we used - also interesting!

I got to see the LED bulbs in our bedroom - they don't give out much light at all, unless you are stood right underneath them. I looked at my lights - in my sewing room - and WOW! The place looked like a show home! I'm really looking forward to getting in there. Nathan knocked /cut through a doorway from the dining room into the music room, and today they should be blocking up the old doorway. Yesterday he painted the side of the house, as the scaffolding has to come down today so that the gas can be reconnected. He also moved a load of stuff out of the music room (old living room), including the two settees. He did have a little bit of an accident with one of them and a wall, but it's a good job he's doing building work now, as he can repair it!

What was especially great yesterday, was that I got to play the piano again! For the first time in 6-7 months. I had to play standing up, as the piano stool is in my sewing room (whoops! - I first put bedroom there!), and I could just about remember some of 'Bright Eyes'. Luckily, I looked in a box that was nearby, and found some music books, so got one out and played. Again, that was not particularly easy, as there is no electricity in the downstairs rooms (there are additional sockets in the hallway that have extension leads attached to them, so that there is power for the washing machine and tumble dryer, and other tools), and I couldn't get to the curtains to open them to let any light in; still, it was a great feeling!

Seffy came and sat on my lap last night upstairs, settled down and had a bit of a snooze - and Joey later came up to sit on my lap (once Seffy had gone). Both of them couldn't be stroked enough, and both of them were dribble cats!

Anyway, today I am off to Woodlands with the school today - today is Activities Day. I have to get some school work done tomorrow, and also get a quilt top made - and maybe even basted - I've done the blocks already. This is another baby quilt - no, I'm not about to become a grandmother - do you really think that I would have been able to keep that from you? No, this quilt needs to be finished for the start of the school holidays - and that's all I'm going to say.

Bye for now, I'll try to update the blog again soon!

It's getting closer!

Well, hello there chaps and chapesses!
This will be a short posting, because I'm at school, trying to get books marked, trying to find books that pupils claim that I have lost, and I want to get home at some point tonight.

So, you want to know about the progress, and you are also wondering why I am writing this at school. Well - I shall tell you, but in reverse order. I'm writing this at school, because BT, in their infinite wisdom in this age of technology stopped our broadband. To be fair, we had asked for it to be stopped on the date, but - and this is a bit BUT we then changed the date, and were told that it was all fine. The message that we changed the date didn't get through to all the people it needed to get through to. So, we have no broadband at home now, and have had to resort to dial up, which is a real pain - it takes forever, and I think that the computer is complaining about it too - either that, or the computer is on its way out. The broadband was off before I had finished marking the speaking tests, which was difficult. As I'm at school now, I don't have the photos so that I can add pictures.

Progress: well, I think it's all getting a bit much for Keith who has been suffering from a tummy bug for the past 5 days. But I'm taking it all in my stride now! On Saturday we chose the carpets, laminate and vinyl for some of the rooms. That will be fitted a week today (and continuing during the week). More scaffolding came down on Saturday, and the upstairs is finished now (with the exception of the carpets). There is still some work to do on the middle floor, but my sewing room is complete, and so (I think) is Nathan's room, and also Mat's room with the exception of the wall lights. Oh, and we need wall lights in our bedroom yet. We should be able to get the man round to fit the Sky dish, now that the scaffolding has gone. I've found the lights Mum! They were in the spare room behind the wardrobe - some joker had put them there. I've moved them back into my sewing room, and shall be checking on them in a bit. I intend to leave school at around 6pm this evening - the building work that has gone on here at school means that my room is not as light now, which is a shame. Oh, and the back of the house has been painted as well.

Anyway, that's it for the moment. I'll try to get some pictures in to school, so that I can show you all the progress - because I know that that is what you are really interested in seeing!

And the winner is: my mum!

Three weeks to go, and the pace seems to be increasing. We have got Joey used to going upstairs to the top now, but he's either really making his mark on it, or he is feeling a little uncertain of himself. It seems that he has had some difficulty in finding the litter tray. It doesn't help that there is sawdust on the floor - I'm sure it leads him to think that the whole place is a litter tray.

The kitchen is now filled with all the stuff that was in the dining room. The upstairs has now been skimmed, and is mostly clean, but Joey shows us just how clean the place is!:

I've just seen that I uploaded photos to my computer last week, and I haven't added any of those to my blog yet. And also - with reference to the title - it was Judy Banks (who said she didn't want the fame) who got the answer to the last blog. It was that the stairs were on the other side of the hallway.

So, what other progress has there been? Well, Keith and Nathan managed to get the wood burner upstairs, after Keith had taken off the ceramic surround, the door, and lots of other bits that he was able to get off. The plinth has also been built for the wood burner, so it is all coming on at great pace!

The middle floor has come on great pace as well. It has changed quite a lot in the past week. Last week, the upstairs bathroom disappeard, to a certain extent; this week, it is more or less back, and Mathew and I can see what our rooms will be like. Yesterday - or was it Wednesday (I got back late from London on Wednesday, and didn't get back from school until 10.15pm last night, due to a barbecue and disco for the French exchange), the windows in several rooms were put in - including my sewing room!
The photo on the right shows the windows. Last week the builders also enlarged the dining room, to what will be its final size, and knocked down the outside wall to the current downstairs toilet. The doorways into the house, that is the dining room door and the downstairs toilet door have been nailed shut, so people can't get into the house. Like I've said to Keith several times before though, good luch to anyone who does get in. The place looks such a tip, it's so messy, grubby, grimy and dusty, I can't see many people risking detection by getting themselves covered. Also, it is that difficult to find anything in the house, and difficult to get anywhere to get anything out of the house - in fact - you can't even walk through the hallway easily.
The photo on the left shows the large windows in our new bedroom, and also the view from the room. The middle window opens out, from the top and the bottom, and gives a sort of little patio area, but a patio in the bedroom. It all looks very good indeed!
The photo on the right shows the house from the front, with the tiling as well. The roof is coming on well, and there have been some favourable comments from passers by as well - about how lucky the people who are going to live there are; htere is quite a lot of speculation about the place. Lots of people surmise that we are going to sell it after it is complete. Of course
- that is not our intention at all. What would be the point in spending the money in having it
done up?

And this photo shows my sewing room. I'm not certain that it is going to be big enough, but hey, I suppose I can always expand into the spare room and the dining room, should I need to!!
Speaking of the dining room, I know that you want to see what has happened to it! So here it is:
Evidently, there is still a bit of work to be done on this bit, but as they are making good progress, I'm sure that it will be sorted before we get back in the house. We hope that there will be a bit more painting done within the next week. I have now started my exam marking; today there was a problem with the software which won't be sorted until Tuesday. Apparently, several people had already phoned today about the same problem. Nothing is ever easy is it?

The only problem we are facing now is being able to afford the house. I heard some bad news this week. Apparently, the 'Senior Leadership Team' have decided that the previous set of changes to pay are not enough. The current proposal is to not have a head of Languages and a Head of ICT anymore, but instead, as they have formed the 'Communications' team, there will be a head of Communications and a second in team.

So, what is the problem with this I hear you ask? Well, having had my management allowance cut £2500 already - as of January 2009 (it has been protected until that time), the proposal is that the 2nd in team will take another paycut of an additional £1000. The Head of team will have a pay rise.

How does this affect me? Well, I can't see the Head Teacher giving me the Head of Communications, - the reason would be because I don't seem to be coping, because I've had quite a bit of time off this year - YES, of course I have you daft woman, I'VE HAD SHINGLES!! It is obvious that she's never suffered with shingles or back problems, because if she had done, she'd be showing a lot more sympathy. And it's alright for her - she can get her husband in to do cover work - who, because he's her husband would seem to be beyond reproach, but is useless for teaching French. And that's not it - the Director of Sport, the Head - and her husband, got to go on a trip to Ethiopia during term time - 5 days to visit the school we have a link with through an initiative called 'Dreams and Teams', and apparently the governors agreed to an extra five days so they could go sightseeing!! Talk about nepotism.

Anyway - I'm - we are (Keith and I) fighting this all the way - I'll have taken a pay cut of £3000, and yet, because there is now no head of French (another saving of £1600 at least), I get to do even more work. There is no such thing as work life balance at Great Torrington Community School. Work life balance - by my reckoning - means balancing the amount of work you do at home with the amount of work you do in school - so you put in as much effort at home as you do in school.

Keith keeps telling me that she wants to go out with a bang, and that she hasn't got long left - but it still all seems far too long. How many people would take a pay cut to do the same amount of work, never mind doing more work? So, I'm trying to publicise the twisted thinking that goes on - is it any wonder that new entrants to the profession don't stay very long? And what is more - how come I get complaints about me, because I'm doing my job properly and I'm not the teacher that a class were promised to have? All because I wouldn't tolerate homework not being done, and set detentions for not doing it. And complaints are made because I'm ill - I told the class I had shingles; and I also had to conduct speaking exams which doesn't seem to be taken into account at all. All because their children are not making the progress they should make, because they are not putting the effort in, because I'm not the teacher they were told they would have.

And how is it, that no-one made complaints about the teacher they liked when she was on maternity leave for 6 months - at the end of one term and the start of a new year? I know that having a family is considered a different matter entirely, but why should that be? People decide to start a family, they don't decide to become ill? It just seems that if you have suffered with health problems it is held against you, whereas starting a family (rather than taking one on) is all quite alright.

Anyway - that is really enough of me ranting - it is just a rant - well, sort of anyway. It just seems to me that there is one rule for one group of people, and a different rule for the rest of us.

It's all moving!

Well, it's been a bit of a while since my last post. There has been a lot going on here, today is May Day in Torrington, so I've had the day off. I've also been suffering some sciatica, and so have had a couple of days off. I've handed in my French coursework today, and so am taking a bit of time to update the blog. I shall also be updating the quilting blog, showing me and Maisie - my niece - and her quilt, and Maisie with Grandad Banks, and with her mum as well.

Anyway - to the point in hand. The house is looking a bit of a mess all round:

These photos are now a bit outdated, as there have been many other changes. It's a lovely day here today, which is good because it means that the roofers have been able to get on with some work! I've been up there today to speak to the electrician about the lights, and they are going to get us some catalogues so we can have a look at what we want.

So - the changes! The first game we're going to play is - spot the difference! I'm not going to make it easy and give you two pictures to compare side by side - but you will find a BIG clue in this posting! Answers to the changes that you see should be posted in the comments section (and not on a stamped addressed envelope) - and your prize will be starring in the title of the next posting! So make sure that you get your answers in quickly - when there is more that one corect answer, I shall pick a winner at random! I hope to have some more pictures by the weekend, that is if you are not overwhelmed by the changes you see today!

The next photo shows how vast the changes are! You can see the different wallpapers - the left hand side was our bedroom, and the right hand side was the office. I think the radiator that is there has now gone. The ladder on the left of the picture is in a different place now, and it really is quite something going up and down the ladder to get to the top floor - it doesn't imbue me with a sense of safety. However, the builders have said that they may get the stairs to the top floor in by the end of the week.

The photo on the right shows Keith looking out of our big upstairs window, and if you click on the picture, it should become even bigger, and you may even be able to see what sort of view we will get. Yes, I know that I've already shown you the view that we will have, but that was from the scaffolding, and these pictures will be from inside the house, so they are really accurate! You can see that the floor is down, and the plaster board is going up too!

The photo on the left shows the view from the window - it shows what Keith is looking at in the photo above. The green area is Northam Burrows - so yes, I'll be able to see the golf course, and once we get our really high-powered binoculars mounted on a tripod, I'll be able to see where Keith is on the golf course! He tells me that he can see the roof of the house when he's out playing.

So - I've already said that the electricians are in - they are getting wires in all over the place, cutting holes for spotlights, plugs, light switches and television points. The last photo for today shows our bedroom in the top of the house with some of the sockets and wall light switches. You can just about see the holes in the roof (in the middle flat bit), which is where the spotlights will go. The lighter bits on the left and right show the situation of the velux windows.

So, that is it for today - I'll put another update on the blog this weekend - as long as I don't get caught up in anything else. Oh - and before I go - do have a look at my quilting blog - if only to see Grandad Banks! - www.christine-quiltingatwestdene.blogspot.com