And so to 2015

I made a commitment to myself that once I started this blog almost 2 years ago that I would write a post every week. Of course that hasn't happened and my only excuse for the recent 'silence' is a rather feeble one - Christmas, New Year and the silly summer season downunder. They all just got in the way. For all of you who have asked where I have been and why "no musings" well all I can say is 'I'm back"!!!! So brace yourselves for a wild ride though 2015! Cos there's a lot going on in the planning department! Each step will be revealed in good time. So fasten your seat belts!

I've been 'musing' on the ramifications of what should have been a simple decision. I decided to have new carpet upstairs - simple I thought. Ah ha you say. Of course that meant I got caught up in the chain reaction of such a simple decision. 

First there was the choosing of the carpet. Why is it that the carpet shop has a million - at least - samples of carpet and every colour under the sun, and after much to-ing and fro-ing the only one that I like is not being made any longer (another company hits the dust). So back to the carpet-choosing-drawing-board until another is found and the carpet layer is 'available'. 

Then comes the horrifying realisation that in order for the carpet to be laid everything - and I mean everything - has to be removed from my 'well-stocked' home and stacked in the non-carpeted areas - the bathrooms. 

Bookshelves cleared in the guest bedroom - those in boxes - off to the Salvos and the others....

Into the bath! I did worry that the weight would mean I would end up with the bath downstairs!

The bath with the books is in there somewhere!

Bedding in my dressing room!! Frightening

But before that can happen - this seems like a great time to 'go through every little thing' and see if I still wanted it. And so I plunged into 'going through' the articles I had kept - just in case. Then there were the decor ideas that just might come in handy one day (part of the wild ride ahead!). What did I need to keep, what did I need to get rid of and how was I going to collate them all. A whirlwind of paper collating and destroying then took place. And so the carpet-laying had to be put on hold until all was done.

I'm sure all those saved pieces of paper had once been important - but...

If I was going to move the furniture out - along came the next question. Did I want it to go back where it had been? Or was this an opportunity to re-design anything. And so my office came in for a complete overhall. And we haven't even begun to lay the carpet!

From this (note old carpet!) and trusty Laura Star iron! to.....

To this (not finished) note new carpet!

But there was more to come (hang in here). Finally the carpet layer arrived and began in the second bedroom. I am at this stage I'm 'camping' in a corner of my bedroom. But I knew that 2 days later I would be wafting around on new carpet and all would be well. Oh why oh why do I always cross the bridge so early? Room one has more surprises. We discover stains on the carpet and rotting floorboards - oh the joys of a leak - or three! No point in continuing until we find the cause of the leak and replace the uprights, floorboards  etc - if you get my drift. So work halts on the carpet laying until all is rectified, which included me painting the new skirting boards and replaced wall - is there no end to my talents?

Hiding behind the bookshelf in the guest bedroom! What a loverly surprise!

Ugh

Double ugh! Glad we moved the bookshelf or it might have dropped through to the ground floor!

My business in the meantime is now being run from the corner of the kitchen table.

Of course we are now approaching Christmas and the carpet layer is booked to the hilt with everyone else wanting their carpets laid 'before Christmas'. What is it about everything needing to be 'done before Christmas' whether it is carpet laying, hair-doing, body waxing - I could go on! And so I get 'slotted in' when he has the time. In the meantime I am still in camping mode. The carpet was laid in stages - a two+ week stage. The guest bedroom and office was stage one, the landing was stage two and glory halleluliah my bedroom and dressing room were stage three. Finally I could move the furniture out of the bathrooms and into position. 

The finished result - it was worth the effort - the main bedroom

So a word of warning - be careful what you decide to do and do be careful to factor in all the ramifications of what I expected would have been a pretty simple job. Thankfully this carpet 'should see me out' as one of my friends noted! Quite frankly I agree - I couldn't go through that again!