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The kitchen fitting – day 3

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Work surface in position

Work surface in position

Work surface in position

Work surface in position

The work surfaces were cut to size, and the hole drilled for the tap.  The joins between the surfaces were also cut ready for assembly.  The cutting was made difficult because the walls are not square.  One time I went downstairs to see the progress and I was confronted by knee deep shavings from the router.  Luckily this was all swept away before Rosemary materialised.  Finally a top surface of stuff was placed on the work surface.  The work surface is wood (oak), and does require treatment every few months.  Sounds rather high maintenance to me, but damage can be repaired with sand paper.

Another meal at the Plough and Anchor, for me it was fish and chips with mushy peas, and for Rosemary a pasta.  I think I have a date with the waitress, she is interested in visiting Cambridge and seeing the Georgian artefacts in the Fitzwilliam museum.  She is Georgian.  It would have been nice to make it a threesome with the second Georgian waitress, but they can’t have the same day off.

The kitchen fitting – day 2

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Drying work surface

Drying work surface

The new dresser

The new dresser

Tuesday, another day working on the kitchen.  By the end of the day the place looked like total chaos.  The work surfaces where laid around the kitchen while their undersides dried.  The cardboard boxes were building up, will have to be going to the skip to get rid of those on Thursday.  The base units where the sideboard was, were also constructed, and the fridge moved to its new location.

Ate late, went to the pub at 20:45 for a meal, Rosemary had pie of the day, while I had a side of pork spare ribs in BBQ sauce.  Yummy.  At least the pub was warm, and we thawed out a bit.

The kitchen fitting – day 1

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Day one of fitting kitchen

Day one of fitting kitchen

The kitchen has been started, this is day one work. The kitchen fitter is not an early starter and arrived after 09:00 on Monday. First step was to find the units, amongst the 119 in the sitting-room, and place them in the area where they were to be fitted. The corner unit was elusive, turned out to be the only flat pack unit. After that we left him to it.

Interestingly the corner unit is designed with big gaps behind it, and a diagonal corner, making it easier to fit in places where the walls are not straight.  Explains my problems with its forerunner.

Today we were a meanie binge, so had a curry from the local Indian takeaway in Waddesdon, Rosemary had the usual Chicken Byriani while I wanted some chilli so ate a Vindaloo. Thankfully there was enough chilli so that I was able to taste it.

The new kitchen, stage one the walls.

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We have embarked on a new kitchen for the house. The other had been in the house for 20 years, the doors were beginning to break at the hinges, and the drawers were closing with difficulty.

Another picture of the kitchen.The kitchen walls after they had been stripped.

First we chose the kitchen. In this time of recession you would have thought people would have been falling over each other to do you a kitchen. No. Two companies sent out people to look at the existing room, measured up and discussed the design. Weeks later, and despite nagging neither had produced a design or estimate. Eventually we went to Magnet who came out, measured up and designed the kitchen in front of our eyes. They would have installed it, but we were already down the path of independent contractors. The savings made by getting the kitchen at trade prices were quite substantial. Delivery was quick. Now the kitchen is being installed.

Wednesday and Thursday the old kitchen was ripped out, the walls had their cladding removed and the first fixing of the electrics was completed.

The plaster board

Friday the walls were dry-lined (we’ve got to do our green aka economy bit) and plastered.

Delivery

The delivery of the kitchen also took place early in the morning. Really quite neat in checking all the goods had been delivered, the driver ran a scanner over all the boxes in the house, this produced a list of missing items. So back to the lorry to search for the items. Eventually a complete list of items were accounted for, which were then signed for on the scanner.

The last month

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I realise I have not written anything in my blog for a whole month. Well I have been alive and awake, but not doing a great deal. Work wise it has been a bit quite, some trips to Bristol, and a couple of days at Sheffield Hallam university helping them with their system.

The weather has been appalling this September, with rain and more rain, though it did clear up towards the end of the month and allowed us to go to the Cambridge University Alumni bash in brilliant sunlight. Rosemary has copious notes of what went on there, so I am always hopeful she will write something for the blog. We even visited the Vet school out on the West site. They have just installed an Xray Radiation machine for cancer treatment, to replace their old aging one. The facilities look so good I would be well pleased to be treated there. Another thing I learnt at the Cambridge vet school was they use two cat wards, the ward is used for two weeks, and then the second ward is used while the first is disinfected, cleaned and rested. Maybe this should be done with human wards instead of closing the spare wards for good.

We have been to a few National Trust places, and I will be posting some pictures on the web for that, and for the alumni weekend.

Ah well I hope work picks up for the rest of the year, though I do seem to have several holidays on the horizon. We have the usual week in Guernsey, and a longer week in Spain. Looking forward to both of the holidays, but worried about the lack of Internet access in Spain.

Robin’s 50th

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Saturday 30th August saw us complete with tent at a party to celebrate Robin’s 50th birthday. 

How he and Tessa managed to pick the one decent summer’s day & evening, just shows the calibre of people they are.  We could write it up, but John has already done so – http://www.curdhome.co.uk/2008/hog-roast-blues/ – but at least Steve got to take one or two piccies – https://www.blasdale.com/blog/picture-albums/2008-picture-gallery/2008-robins-50th-birthday/.

We woke early Sunday to a lovely view over a misty field which Steve rather ruined with his mutterings about “damn birds are all tweating too loudly” (no double glazing in a tent), but at least he cooked bacon rolls & fried eggs.  

Now just about everyone must know that Robin has reached his half century.

How can they top that one for his 60th?  We’ll report back in 2018.

Gonville and Caius Alumni

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This Saturday was the Gonville and Caius benefactors lunch. We had booked to attend. Drove there by a round about route as we had to pick up my 10mm-20mm Sigma lens from the coach company. I had left it on the mini bus the previous weekend while visiting Richard and Andrea. Many panic phone calls on the Monday to ensure it was found before some one walked off with it.

So we went to Cambridge via the M25, and M11, and Stansted airport. Still arrived in time to park in the Park and Ride, partake of a cup of coffee in Cafe Nero and then have some bubbly at Caius.

Day remained sunny, though it did threaten to rain, and both Rosemary and I are sure we heard some thunder. Food was good, speech was rousing, still 75% of the alumni are yet to give to Gonville and Cauis, but by British standards the college was doing quite well.

Rosemary and I visited the library and saw some archive material, including the two charters for the college. All kinds of odds and ends, including a 17th Century notebook on the coal purchases for the college.

Back to catch the bus where we had to wait 35 minutes for it to arrive. If we are to be enticed away from our cars or parking in the centre, then the public transport has got to get much better. Cambridge Council has got to do better with its buses. I for one will never park in the Cambridge Park and Ride ever again. It spoilt a really nice day. Made it back home in time for a pint in the P&A with George and Annie.

New cooker wired into the mains. Again not as easy as it seems. Badly designed connections would not take the size of cable. Connector is right at ground level making it hard to connect, and the sharp edges of the hatch caused severe loss of blood. Definitely a down turn in design, the previous cooker was a doddle to connect with proper side bolts under which to connect and trap the wire. Electrolux needs to go back to the drawing board. [Ed’s note:  Steve is to undergo Grumpy Old Man syndrome management/minimization training very shortly before it is too late.]

The new Electrolux replaces an old electric Jackson, bought as a temporary measure more than 20 years ago and still working, and also the once-loved, oil-fired Esse range, which was bought a mere nine years ago and doesn’t work; useless thing. 

New Lamb

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During one of Rosemary’s ad hoc, but frequent, sheep counts of the field flock, a discrepancy was noted.  One extra.  More stringent stocktaking showed the reason – a tiny, newborn lamb.  It is June, isn’t it?

Petit Paris v Buckinghamshire Floods

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Tuesday started off with a slight precipitation and overcast skies, ended the day with the sun coming out. At the Petit Paris I managed to get a table before 7.00pm and ate their cheap Plat de Jour, there were even people sitting at the tables outside. Summer is here in Edinburgh.

What a difference several hundred miles make. Rosemary rang several times during the day with panic stories about the floods that were about to engulf our home. The water was within 10 millimeters of coming in through the front door. She was unable to get to the DFAS meeting at Westcott where the road she had to pass through had water halfway up the nearby garden walls. Those who did get through had to walk through inches of water to get into the lecture hall and had to contend with a collapsing ceiling. In her words:

I was in work this morning and then had the dentist in Winslow at lunchtime. I was staggered at the water during the slightly scary drive back along the back roads. But I was in Westcott for DFAS just gone 14:00 and it was so flooded (especially at the turnoff just after the derestricted sign) that the van driver ahead suggested I shouldn’t attempt it and we all turned around. I don’t think I’ve ever seen everywhere so flooded. I was a bit worried about our front and the sitting room cos the front garden was very flooded.  I was also worried over the 10 day old lamb in our field.  I couldn’t see him anywhere and feared he had fallen in a ditch and drowned. Risking the elements and suitably garbed, I went out in search of his tiny corpse.  Scattering sheep to all sides and struggling against the suction of the waterlogged land on my wellies, I found him snoozing in a patch of long grass. 

Meanwhile DFAS’s Lecture Secretary says she “had to get the lecturer there! It was certainly bad in Westcott but the car is reasonably high. However, the front entrance was totally flooded and everyone had to go in via the fire exit through 2-3″ water, necessitating a number of people having to take off shoes, and quite a number turned for home. The hall was flooded down one side, a piece of ceiling fallen in near the entrance and we had the lecture in the room past the kitchen! It will certainly be memorable.”

Back to reality and the Petit Paris, good starter of Cray Fish Tail salad and salad potatoes, followed by a Salad Nicoise and then the Creme Brulee all washed down with a binge of red wine.

Ed’s update on floods:  The next day, all visible water has gone from around the house and the sun has shone.  The local rabbits all seem to have survived and I bet the wretched ants have too.

Another early start

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Another early start for the flight up to Edinburgh. Not sure how long EasyJet will keep the 6.55 flight going. It cannot have been more than one third full. As I left home it was a pleasant morning with roosting pigeons on the A41. By the time I reached the Chilterns it had turned foggy. Despite this the flight got away on time and I was in work before 9.00am.

Not a lot to report, other that a nice meal in the Mussel and Steak where I ate their soup of a day, a bean and tomato soup, followed by two fillets of sea bass cooked with a coating of sesame seeds on a salad base.

Rosemary had another man in to look at the Esse. It had been causing us some serious problems, not least the cost of running it with today’s high oil price. Today he was in to cure the smoking problems, he adjusted the flows, tested the flue and lit the cooker. Alas several hours later the same problems came back, smokes and the temperature drops to nothing. The next day he rang with a quote to replace the fuel regulator and put a flue balance in. Over £800. I am afraid the cooker is going to be scrapped and we are going green (?) with a wood burning stove.  But how much will it cost to remove the thing?  Anyone want an oil-fired Esse – buyer collects?