Pretty good one!

Well it's been what you'd call productive, this weekend. It had been a busy week so we started the way we meant to go on...quick trip to B&Q, a bit of a laugh, as true to form we did bump into Sarah and family, just as you do when you haven't seen people in ages(!), picked out some sample papers for Kate's room overhaul and then a Domino's Pizza for our supper... tried the VegiVolcano thin crust and it must have been thin, I even ate half the whole thing!

Saturday I set to nice and early and enrolled Kate in my plan, so by lunchtime we had cleared the kitchen and prety much painted half of it. The second half took a bit longer but mainly down to a quick second coat (to avoid the stained effect one coat had caused) and also the cleaning I had to do on everything before it went back.. thank god for the eco cycle on my dishwasher, everything went in, vases, ornaments and all kinds of plastic and metal!

You wouldn't really notice it's been done as the room was already red, but now it's all one red, rather than the history of the B&Q red paint chart of the last ten years!  We chose to use matt now so covering the multitude of sins which makes up my kitchen which has been a permanent temporary item for the last eight years or more...though I am promised the new room is on the 2012 agenda, the nuclear industry expansion permitting...(long story but it's definitely an area not suffering from cutbacks, but I guess with the 25 year plus clean-up operation anyone on the supplier list can be sure to get some work at least!)

As is the way, Col set to and did almost the same amount of painting in about an hour and a half ... he did the dining end (so much less 'stuff') and covered so many damp spots and previous grim places, that the whole place has a nice new air..to those that know. So next weekend when Zac comes home we may even have ourselves a little house of Advent..those pinecones and my favourite red lit branch will have pride of place in time to enjoy it a bit before we go away... it's unheard of for me to get festive before about mid-December, so I'm quite chuffed, not least of all to have autumn-cleaned (as opposed to spring..!)

Zac sent a lovely pic on Google + today, the first time I've seen him in uniform, quite lovely. He has been on a chart simulator weekend at HMS Collingwood and I think there was a bit of rivalry with the Navy Cadets who went as well!

Oh and if you think that wasn't busy I had the girls over for the afternoon, but it was great, amazing how restful it can be when you have someone else's 9 month old to care for.. you just can't let them go for fear of them getting into something they shouldn't, so we played, made cards (the three year old of course!) And watched plenty of Barney and Pingu, certainly a lot less stretching and up and down steps than yesterday.

Tomorrow Jb and Lisa are taking me out for my birthday.. well the tickets were my present back in September.... the Vagina Monologues, not sure what's in store but a grown-up evening with my big girls and some rest time for all of us (they have been so so busy both of them..)

... thought you might like this little pic.. can't imagine what the 'gossip' thing's in aid of, can you?! Xxxxxx