Ticking ’em off the list…

As you know, I have a very long list of things to do. In fact, it’s never-ending, because as soon as I tick one thing off I replace it with yet another. However, I was rather pleased that I might have shifted one thing from the list today. A little snagging job from the lounge refurb.

We have a lovely old wooden fire screen that Richard bought us donkeys years ago when we first moved into the house. On one side, I have a piece of creative art, done by Michael when he was about ten, I think, and on the other, I have piece of wallpaper that matches whatever we have in the lounge. So, today, I stripped off the old and put on the new.

Actually, I thought it was going to be a simple job, but the old wallpaper put up a fight and it took me quite while to scrape it off. Then, with the space for the new paper being smaller than the width of the roll, there was a lot of fiddling about to get the new piece to fit. Once I’d completed it, I proudly put the fire screen in place. Ta-da! John nodded approvingly, only to then observe, “Isn’t the wallpaper upside down?”

I didn’t think it was, having quite carefully and deliberately put it into place, but he was right. Darn it!! I had put it on upside down. Ah, well, will anyone notice? I expect they will if John did…… back to the drawing board tomorrow then – or will I? Might leave it as it is and then I can tick that job off the list.

A completed job that I can tick off the list though, was the tidy-up of the dining room. All decorating materials are now bundled into the utility room, the table is back to its small size, crockery and cloths have been put away, Christmas candles have gone upstairs and it’s now in a state where I can see the wood for the trees and actually consider how we might re-decorate it. Hmmm….. it’s a smaller room than the lounge, but I think it might be a bigger job. We’ll see.

John was also at his job of creating a wine rack/cabinet today, giving it a second coat of paint and working out how to fit the door. That man is a genius. It’s going to look great once it’s done.

At lunchtime though, we both had a sit to watch the news. We hadn’t been brave enough to watch the cricket carnage this morning, so we thought we’d just catch up on what exactly had happened. Within minutes, however, we were both snoring our heads off. Honestly, you’d think we’d been running marathons, not just faffing about with little jobs at home. John woke up before me and very kindly spread his rung across me to keep me warm. It was a struggle, I can tell you, to get on with things this afternoon after that.

John played poker and did some more on the cupboard this afternoon while I paid bills and tinkered with paperwork in the computer room. I had intended to get up into the loft and do some sorting out there, but the day ran away with me and I really couldn’t be bothered to climb to the top of the house and crawl around up there. Maybe tomorrow?

Meanwhile, the news on the COVID front continues to be a bit more positive with fewer cases and deaths. It may be improving, but it is still heartbreaking in individual cases as people battle the illness, its after-effects and, in the worst cases, the loss of a loved one.

• 10,625 people tested positive for the virus today
• 799 people died with the virus in the community in the last 24 hours
• 224 people died in hospitals with the virus on 14 & 15 February
• Today is Day 42 of Lockdown 3; Day 329 since the official ‘stay in your houses’ command; and Day 337 since John & I agreed to batten down the hatches

And as for some other things that catch my attention: little Arthur is doing OK and has moved into a side room with his Mum. Fingers crossed they both get some sleep tonight. My amaryllis is still fantastic, with all four blooms out now. And I tried to learn what the difference between a hedge sparrow, a tree sparrow and a dunnock was today……

Take care everyone. God bless.