Sweet en-suite

The New Year is the time when I embark on seriously doing stuff to my house!

Over a year ago, I was inspired at the Grand Designs exhibition and realised it would be possible to put in a small en-suite in my bedroom. I selected a particularly smart, slimline handbasin and small toilet and a light-up mirror. The hardest part was getting my plumber (Brian) to commit to turn up and do the plumbing. And the building work, and plastering. He is a very handyman! The only problem with Brian...well, one of the problems with Brian is that he is a retained fireman and can be called out to an emergency at any time. So, its taken a while, and a leaky toilet (now replaced), but we are nearly there. I am having glass panels in the top to let in extra light, but I am so excited about my new en-suite! Especially when I wake up in the middle of the night needing to visit the toilet, and realise that I no longer have to trapse downstairs, to the end of the house, in the dark and cold. Photos so far.....

New Year Detox - Smeetox!

Excuse me, just need a bit of a New Year's rant......

• Frankly I’m not surprised by the findings of the ‘Sense about Science’ organisation!
  
  “

  No two companies seemed to use the same definition of detox - defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as the removal of toxic substances or qualities. In the majority of cases, producers and retailers were forced to admit that they had simply renamed processes like cleaning or brushing, as detox, the scientists said

  .”
  
  I have long thought that the ‘detox’ bandwagon was nothing more than a ploy to get gullible people to part with more money! In the same camp as ‘food intolerances’; ‘pro-biotic healthy bacteria’; any makeup, moisturisers, creams that claim to ‘re-hydrate’ the skin and ‘reduce wrinkles’ or make skin ‘younger looking’; most ‘alternative medicines’; ‘healing crystals’; ‘bottled water’ (please feel free to add a message with your own personal favourites!)
  
  I’m not saying that none of it makes you feel good, it’s just that it’s mostly over-priced, over-rated, and achieves very little, whilst relying on people believing in the hype and spending money!
  
  Whatever happened to good old common sense ? Why is it that people rely on what advertisers tell them, rather than think of what makes sense? For example:
  Banks - aim to make profit for themselves, not make financial savings for customers
  Supermarkets – their emphasis is to make as much profit as possible for themselves, not to ‘help their customers save money’
  
  I recently had an eye test, and was pleased to find that I had no eye disease or infections. I asked how these could ordinarily be avoided and the optometrist said “by eating a healthy balanced diet – which is what makes everything in our body healthy and work well”. Good advice!
  
  The answer to healthy life is not rocket science. It’s common sense:
  Eat anything in moderation
  Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit
  Drink plenty of water
  Take gentle exercise regularly
  Get plenty of sleep
  
  I would like to add:
  Don’t be taken in by marketing hype if all it does is make you paranoid or poorer!
  
  We know all that don’t we, and still it’s hard…..or is it?
  
  

Christmas 2008

How was your Christmas? Good, relaxing, hectic, partying, indulgent, quiet ?? Probably all of these at different times. Christmas is not really just the one day – Dec 25th – but it’s the whole ‘holiday season’ (as those pesky Americans like to call it).

Partying
I didn’t get to attend a works Christmas party as the company decided to abandon their planned do (free meal, dancing, free overnight stay in hotel) all in the name of cost saving in light of the credit crunch – shame! I was looking forward to dressing up and having fun.

On December 18th, I visited mum to find out they were having a Christmas party at her care home. Food, drink, singing, dancing and presents. Sounds normal doesn’t it? I think everyone had a good time, including mum, but it is a bit strange having a party with lots of people with dementia who don’t really understand what’s going on! Santa made a visit.

James and I decided to attend our Salsa club party instead, so we did dress up, and did lots of dancing!! When we started our classes earlier in the year, the aim was to be able to look like we were competent dancers by the Christmas party. I think we managed to bluff our way through it suitably. The emphasis is on the man to lead, remember all the dance moves, and put together a suitable routine, which I do admit makes it harder for the man than the woman. James found that a couple of glasses of wine helped him be a more confident dancer, and we did really enjoy ourselves.


Christmas day
We decided not to bring mother as she would only be confused and agitated. Liddi and I visited her instead on Christmas eve and took her out for coffee and cake in Beverley. She seemed to really enjoy it and was pleased with the new pyjamas we gave her.

Liddi, James & I had an indulgent morning where we sat in our pyjamas and ate bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, with a glass of champagne and opened our presents. My sister, Mia rang from New Zealand at what was the very end of their Christmas day, so it was good to hear about the festivities in the sun, in a camper van, and on the other side of the world. I cooked a culinary feast of roast beef and roast duck, with as many trimmings as we could fit in the oven or on the hob (we were willingly eating leftovers for the next week), and Toni and Benji* joined us around 2.30pm. We opened a few more presents, then sat down for a table fully laden with food. After the lovely meal, we waddled into the lounge to start the ‘Christmas Quiz’ which Mia had sent in her place. It was surprisingly hard, so we decided to award bonus points for imaginative or amusing answers as well as correct ones. What made us laugh most was that Mia had included a section of questions about…..Mia ! After a bit of pud and mince pies with extra calorie toppings (where did we find the room?), we settled down for a bit of TV by about 7pm with the Doctor Who Christmas special. Mia rang again at the end of the day, which by then was Boxing Day morning in New Zealand! A nice relaxing evening passed quickly and that as Christmas day over.

The next day, James picked up his 3 children and went to visit his parents at their farm near Malton in North Yorkshire. Liddi and I joined them, plus James’s sister, her husband and 2 children for some lunch and a nice walk. Liddi also managed a bit of rowing on the lake. Liddi did say she was expecting a really long country walk, but instead we only seemed to walk around the garden. Ordinarily that would not seem much (indeed our garden would take a matter of minutes), but they do have about 5 acres with lakes and woodlands, so it was still a reasonable walk, and a welcome bit of exercise after the recent gastronomic excesses. James’s parents were obviously exhausted with all the activity!

New Year’s Eve
After taking Liddi to a party, we got back to Driffield around 10pm and then simply visited a couple of pubs. It was very lively in town, and by midnight everyone was gathering around the millennium clock in the centre of town. Roads were closed off, and the mayor and town cryer were positioned on a platform to address the public. Speakers were in place to broadcast Big Ben’s chimes, and by midnight thousands of new year revellers were celebrating outside in the cold. It was a very lively atmosphere, but nice to get into the warmth of the London Bar to reflect on the events of 2008 and chat excitedly about our plans for 2009, before heading home from a not too drunken evening! HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FRIENDS!

Time for a bargain
What do people do immediately after Christmas? More shopping! Yes, we joined the masses and hit the sales, but for me it was not designer handbags and shoes, but bathrooms and kitchens. I’ve been researching them for about 6 months now (alright about 18 months), and I knew just what I wanted and what I could afford. B&Q’s half price, and then an extra 15% off sale was just too much for me to resist. I brought my detailed plans and measurements and I bought a bath, toilet handbasin, taps, shower attachment, bathroom cupboard and shower screen for just £330 and then the next day I went back and bought gloss white kitchen units, worktop, sink, taps, extractor hood, shelves and plumbing bits for just over £500. Is that a bargain or what?

The great thing about Christmas is the time off work. Not that I hate my job, it’s just that I would rather not have to work. I decided to use the time wisely to get jobs done on the house, so after my sale shopping spree, I set about painting the bay window (inside) and James put up halogen downlighters in the kitchen (in place of the one dangly bulb which kept hitting the kitchen cupboard). These things always take longer than you think, but we managed to get some good work done.

After clearing away the Christmas tree, the dining room is cluttered with an extra kitchen and bathroom being stored and ready for installation, so we are full of enthusiasm for the new year and getting the house sorted. I did have to watch several recorded episodes of House Doctor and Grand Designs to get myself motivated, but it seems to have now worked and now I’m raring to go ……if only I didn’t have to go back to work!



*At the ripe old age of 21 I guess I should really call him Ben now, but I’m afraid it’s hard to shake off the name Benji which was such a cute name for him as a smiley, curly haired toddler!