Bits And Pieces

First day of school last week and the three youngest are not overjoyed.

Leah refusing to join Clare and Al for a photo. She's begun year 12.

Clare and Ally jumping for joy. They've begun year 6.

Here's Linsey in a splendid dress made by Jack's Daughter. A local etsy seller! Linsey chose the fabric for two dresses; this one has little cowboys on it, the other dress has green leaves fabric and a fuller skirt.

This was before attending a wedding on a boat and getting terribly sunburnt. And before indulging in rather a lot of free champagne. Always good to get a before photo.

I bought some exclusion bags from Green Harvest for the grapes. I've started putting them on.

This way we might actually get some grapes. The birds have eaten every single one the past two years. The birds had started eating the not-quite-ripe ones. I'll leave some for them.

I haven't finished painting the pergola (on which the grapes grow) but today I bought an extension ladder (from The Reject Shop, of all places) that goes to over 3 metres; so I should be able to reach the parts I need to work on now.

In the meantime I'm transforming a vanity unit I bought at a secondhand shop. It's "1980s Country" I think.

The top will remain timber. The rest will be painted. I got a white porcelain hand basin (that fits!) from the tip shop. I also got some white tiles that I may paint, if I can't find the right tiles to replace the existing ones. The Mister can handle this, but transforming a chest of drawers into a vanity doesn't even make the priority list (a bit like scraping/sanding/priming/painting parts of the house that require it).

I finished The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins; I've had it on the shelf for a couple of years. First one: gripping, second one: gripping, third one: not so much. I found myself reading ahead quite a lot in the third book. It became static and repetitive in parts although when I did finish it I saw that the boring bits set up a background for what was to come.

Comments

[Janet]

My goodness, Linsey looks elegant in that fabulous dress. My mother has a whole bathroom like the vanity you are about to transform. I think some paint is a good idea!

[victoria]

I loved reading this update!!
oooh 80s country, I find it strangely attractive.

[librarygirl]

Four beautiful girls! This house feels very full with ONE sometimes!