Renovation stress in Alvechurch!

Can't beat a good fire - but it did get a bit smokey

Time is drifting, online and in the house, we have still been working our socks off, but with nothing dramatic to show for it. Finishing touches to the garden, using up the remainder of the fence paint on the outside of the back of the fence... replacing kerbstones in the front garden, after we found them hidden in the undergrowth.... Finally emptying the loft in preparation for laying lots of insulation. The insulation is up there, but until the lights are fitted in the bathroom it can’t be laid.

This seems to be an ongoing story, we can’t paint the porch, or the outside till the windows are in. Windows suddenly seem to have become vital but with the third Bank Holiday in quick succession everything slows down. We can’t paint the lounge till it’s not being used as a workshop for the kitchen fit. The kitchen windows can’t be tiled till the windows are in....

Jackie and her mum (R) at Forge Mill 40's day

We’ve been full circle round bathroom design and have ended up with pretty much what we’ve got now, a shower over the bath, via a free standing shower and a walk in shower with no bath.

We seem to have had a bit of a communication break down with Colin the letting agent, happy to sort out the lounge floor and supply and fit of the kitchen. As far as we were concerned also fitting the bathroom, but now claiming ignorance of this. It’s ‘his’ double glazing man who has given a scary (to us) quote and now vanished. All in all, just at the moment it’s very stressful.

Birthday girl at the 40's day at Forge Mill

Stupid things like the gas meter have not been helping. At some point in the 14 years the tenant had a pre-payment gas meter fitted without telling anyone. He also went off with the card so we’ve had no heating or hot water, though with all the radiators off heating would have been tricky anyway. Just get it changed, it’s my house, should be easy.... So you’d think, but no, change account to my name, and then wait for 28 days. Contact them to have the meter removed and replaced with a normal one. First appointment available was Friday, not ideal as the lounge and access to the cupboard under the stairs is full of kitchen, but get it done ASAP. Only for him to turn up with his job sheet saying to remove the prepayment meter but not to replace. After a fraught conversation with a very grumpy woman performing a credit check on me to confirm I’m responsible despite having no intention of living there and using the gas, the very nice fitter did then fit a new meter, but why is nothing easy?

Sunday Tea Club, LtoR: Pete, Crystal, Jackie, Manu, Helen, Hilary & Ian

Jigsaw relaxation at Jackies mums

We are running on one day off a week, last Sunday was my birthday, so ‘light relief’ of looking at lights before going to a ‘40’s day at Forge Mill, one of the places mum volunteers at. A pleasant afternoon before going into Birmingham for a Sunday tea club with Helen and Ian, Manu and Crystal and Pete and Hilary. Crystal as usual was fantastic, selecting a great range of dishes for us all to tuck in to. It’s so lovely just having food brought to you without having to make any decisions.

Takeaway supper at Helen & Ian's

Monday Club was at the Weighbridge in Alvechurch so no driving for us. We went and ate with mum before Bill arrived and had a very pleasant evening. We were ‘joined’ by a guy on his own for a couple of pints, kept chipping in to the conversation. Quite harmless but a bit unusual. Yesterday we had an afternoon with Abi, doing a couple of bits for her, fair exchange for her further jet washing this week and a trip to her flooring shop! Not really a social afternoon, but very worthwhile, much helped by Sooty hearing our voices and running in to see us and provide required cat therapy. Today we are waiting for Helen and Ian to return from her mum in Cornwall so we can go out for a yummy curry.

Kitchen clear and ready for action

The kitchen so far. Nothing to do with us, it's all builder Paul and his cousin Gary

Gorilla gardening in Alvechurch

Socks cat soothes the mind after a hard days gardening

I hate gardening, but this hasn’t been a gentle bit of weeding, this has been gorilla gardening. It rained on Thursday and Friday, but we still gardened the last few days have been sun lotion weather, but we still gardened. There is probably one day left in the garden, except for rebuilding the retaining wall for the patio, but that’s waiting on Paul. Again, it makes for terrible blogging but the pictures say 1000 words.

You know when you used to watch GroundForce and they had a huge team to re-do a garden in a week? Well this has been 10 days of me ‘n’ him, with a couple of hours of Helen and Ian and a day of Abi

Skip full of shed, bricks, foliage, rubble - and an aquarium!

The shed has been skipped. Slabs have been laid or relaid and then jet-washed. Ivy has been hacked. Brambles have been poisoned. Fences have been jet-washed and painted, ( they were the biggest eye opener to me, I really thought it was a waste of time, but they do look better). Trees have been chopped and chipped. Rotten walls have been knocked down and removed. Brickwork, locks, gates and panels have been repaired. The gravel and membrane have been removed and the soil dug and stomped and levelled and raked and stomped and filled and stomped. Each time with weed and stone removal. Even this morning, waiting for the turf to arrive I removed nearly half a bucket of stones. The turf finally arrived this morning and has been laid and watered.

Finally the turf is down!

Paul finally getting to grips with the hole in the lounge floor

We have ached and moaned and dug, and bent and moaned. We’ve filled four brown bins, no mean feat when we don’t even have a brown bin! The skip has been and gone and tomorrow hopefully we should finish, two new fence panels, a little bit of painting and the last of the soil from the corner bed (more rotten bricks) to be moved. Light relief this week? Well coming home to little fluffy Socks and a comfy bed. Monday it was wet and it was paper recycling so we did a bit in the garden before taking all the staples out of my BBC training notes, Brian’s college notes and all sorts. I found all the letters I got sent in my first year at university, my ex-husband’s O level certificates, Brian’s beermat collection and his Birmingham City programmes from the 1970’s. All recycled, though the last two will go to new homes, rather than in the bin. Monday Club was at the Fieldhouse in Solihull, so as well as catching up with the guys, we also had an hour with Denise and Paul, as they live just round the corner.

Brians beer mat collection

Today Sarah and John return home so we go back to mum, with no kitchen, it’s a bit tricky to stay at the house, though we have still been using the shower, as it’s easier than getting in the car all horrible.... All I want now is long enough ‘off’ so I can wash the working clothes....

Brians old valve operated reel to reel tape recorder from his youth that we found in the loft. It worked last time it was used probably 45 years ago, but daren't switch it on again now. Think its probably for the tip 

Mmm, now, how do I check my emails?

Don't go!

House renovating, Alvechurch, beer festival, Bristol

Brian removing the old kitchen cooker hood

I think this has been the longest time without writing a blog, ever!

We have been very busy, stripping, sanding, scraping, filling and even a tiny bit of painting. This however doesn’t make for good blogging, but has made us very tired.
The house now looks far worse than when we arrived, but it has to get worse before it gets better, so keep everything crossed, that it ever does... Just at the moment that feels like it’s getting further away. Paul, the contractor, started yesterday, digging the floor in the lounge, at what used to be the junction between concrete kitchen and wooden lounge floors. So why is the concrete raising slightly? Well that’ll probably be what comes from half the chimney just being built on floorboards, which are slowly levering the concrete up! Couple of lintels, that should sort that out. That was this morning. This afternoon the hole had got bigger as the un-reinforced concrete was just supported on a bit of galvanised tin, which was looking a bit sorry for itself. Hmmm, bit more work there then! Hope he gets it done before the kitchen arrives!

Helen, Ian, Iain and Jackie on our walk through the bluebell woods near Bristol

Jackie and Helen. First brewery, a bit cold, but at least we had a table

There has been a lighter side, we’ve been out for curry with Helen and Ian, and then two nights later with the Monday club. We’ve been away for a weekend at Iain and Bev’s, in Bristol, with H&I. This was great fun, lots of drinking and chatting on the Friday night, and that was before the serious business of the weekend started - 5 of the 19 breweries in Bristol had opened their doors, set up bars and organised food wagons for a brewery crawl. We joined many others walking the trail, fortunately, despite being only 11 degrees, (in May?) it was sunny with blue sky, so sitting on whatever could be found, from pallet, to bread boxes, to a carpark space was ok. The beer varied, but on the whole was good, and we did feel very smug at Monday club saying “oh yes, had that one (of the 14ish available at the new bar in Kings Heath) from the brewery on Saturday....!

Second brewery, Jackie, Bev, Helen and Ian

Third brewery, the best we could do was a pallet to sit on

Having pre-prepared H&I we had a mad couple of hours in the garden on our return on Sunday, their wood chipper is a magnificent thing, which in conjunction with mum’s recycling bin, and Sue and Richard’s from up the road meant we got rid of three trees without leaving anything for the skip, yet to arrive.

With the skips arrival on Tuesday, along with Paul jack hammering up the floor, we were in the Garden with Abi. Much better to be outside, but I’d sooner paint, however now we can see the wood for the trees, it is hugely improved, but there is still more than I want to think about to do. 

Fourth brewery, now its bread boxes with motorcycle tyres backrests

Thank goodness it rained today and we could go out, after meeting the double glazing man, looking for fires, bathrooms and lights. Tomorrow however? No rain till after lunch, guess that’ll be the garden again then, we have yet to get rid of the gravel, order topsoil and turf, get rid of all the weeds, dig it all over....

From yesterday, we are housesitting, at our postal address. For the first time in 6 1/2 years post that comes through the letter box, may be for us, how very strange.... Apart from that the only other thing to say is having crowed, and congratulated the car, we went to it a week ago, and..... nothing..... no engine, no starting, no clicking. So the battery hadn’t done so well after all, but a quick jump start and a trip to Halfords later and all is well.

Fifth and final brewery, now its only tarmac to sit on. Oh well, now its off to the curry house for food - and more beer!

Back at the house in Alvechurch with Ian and Helen about to start in the garden....

2 hours later and we've made considerable progress

And another days work, more still

Here's the lounge after we'd cleared it and with Paul about to start. You can see the crack in the concrete section of the floor

And here it is today, a very large hole that was covered by a thin sheet of steel supported on those bits of steel and the had concrete poured over it. The RHS of the chimney breast was built straight off the suspended wooden floor causing it all to drop. It was done before Jackie bought the house 26 years ago so, surprisingly it did last for a long time 

Our writing on the wall after we stripped the wallpaper from the last time we decorated the kitchen

Jackies 26 year old artistic handiwork on the wall in the bathroom (now all gone)

Takeaway Chinese with Helen and Ian after we got back from Bristol on Sunday

Alex paid us a visit and he she is having a catchup chat with Jackie

One of our jobs is to clear the loft out of our old memorabilia and, here I found my old collection of 200 plus beer mats from the 1970's. Anyone want them?

And a quite large collection (more than shown here) of my Birmingham City Football Club match day programmes from 1975 and 76

And a collection of photos, including this one of Jackie and her graduation ceremony

And now we're housesitting in Alvechurch for little fluffy Socks for Sarah and John, during our house renovation