Tuesday 21 January 2014

the world turns

It's been a big few weeks here at Asparagus Towers. My eldest stepson left the nest, so we have a couple of months to strip the room out and redecorate, before his little brother finishes uni and takes up residence there. Big brother got the big room when we moved, because he was just about to graduate and wanted to come home for a bit. Now the wheel has turned and he's flown off to Southern Europe, so it seems right that little bro should be given the same options.

This has prompted something of a cleaning frenzy on my part - sorting through clothes, washing woolies, scrubbing and waxing floors like something out of Downton Abbey. I'm not normally prone to feverish levels of housework - I like to maintain basic food hygiene standards in the kitchen, but other than that I favour what I would regard as a normal level of sluttishness on the domestic front. But somehow this feels like the right time to refresh things.

So with a nod to Martha Stewart, I would like to show you a couple of shots of the hall floor!?!


As you can see from the panel on the left, normal mopping has always left it looking pretty grubby.
Four months of buliders in the house had only made matters worse. 
The panel on the right has been scrubbed with a paste of bio laundry detergent...


The dirt just floats right on out! 
(Should have flipped this pic so the clean/dirty sides were the same way round -
 that's what Martha would have done!)
I think it was the plumber at the old house who gave me this tip.

Other reasons to be cheerful this week include:


New christmas slippers - finally chose these after a couple of false starts.
 Now I can go out to the compost bin and wood shed to get logs,
(my old ones did not have an outdoor sole).
 I may have to take up yodelling though.


The new study is taking shape - oh, and what's that on the door?


My name! 
I'm claiming this space mostly for me, to write and think, and have books and craft stuff.
 Mr A-P did tentatively suggest that the kitchen and laundry could be mine, 
but we soon agreed they were for all of us!


I finished the hedge I was laying at work…


It's about 30m long and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.
All the hazel catkins that were way up in the air, are now down where you can see them
- dancing in the sunlight on a January morning.



10 comments:

  1. We have a tiled floor (though not as pretty and decorative as yours) in our kitchen, and the dirt is firmly ingrained. You may just have prompted me to do something about it! Good for you, claiming some space. I feel the lack of it dreadfully, but there's nowhere for me to call my own.
    The hedge is impressive, the catkin is beautiful, lovely photos. xxx

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  2. The hedge looks great - before I forget! Amazing trick that you did on the floor tiles - blame the workmen for any mess, I am SURE that is what Martha would do!!!! xx

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  3. What a beautiful tile floor! And I love Haflinger slippers - got mine on right now! They have some adorable felted flowers on top - if I'm wearing them all day, I gotta love them. The hedgerow picture is beautiful.

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    1. I bet you feel the occasional urge to yodel in those Haflingers though...;-)

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  4. Beatutiful hedge work and so good you have a space of your own, and nice to meet your properly. In the last few months I had been so overwhelmed with just managing life and trying to squeeze in some blog posts that I had not found time to really visit newer blogs or leave comments. I love finding blogs based on the other side of the world with all that glorious seasonal variation and your recent comment on the ornamental bramble had me chortling out loud! mel x

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    1. Hey Mel - nice to meet you too! Reading about your house renovation gave me strength while we were planning ours last year. Hope you're enjoying the fruits of your labours now - takes a while to recover huh? x

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  5. Ok let's start with those floors friend!!! They are just breath-taking in color and design! My goodness! And I need slippers like that...my sister has some and I am always admiring them! Isn't it wonderful how the little things can just brighten your week!?!? You are one lucky lady to have a quiet work space...looks glorious!!! As do your last 2 shots! You really need to frame that photo of your hedge with the trees...It should be in a story book! And I am serious...you just don't see views like that around here! You have a lovely week friend! Pure awesome here! Nicole

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    1. Those highly patterned tile floors are a feature of the victorian/edwardian houses in this area. That said, ours is pretty high on the eye-popping scale. And I definitely recommend the slippers!

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