Slowly but surely

Progress on our home, most of the time, moves at a snail's pace.  A reluctant snail who is embarrassed to ask for directions.  But now and again, some event will spur us into action.

This weekend we got news that our plumber can squeeze us in this week for our boiler to be replaced.  This is something we've been discussing for a while, and debating whether the new boiler can fit in the existing  purpose built cupboard.  Well our plumber confirmed that this cupboard doesn't meet the right conditions for clearance, access etc and we had to remove it this weekend - along with three wall cupboards.  I'm trying to keep positive about the loss of cupboards and adopt a minimalist mindset.  After all 'Less is More'.

The Queen of Clean, sensing my distress, decided to come to the rescue with his paintbrush.  This duck egg blue (very Cath K) is now on my kitchen walls.  It makes up for the fact I am to have no hot water for 3 days this week.

And to replace the 3 cupboards we have lost, my lovely sister picked one of these up for me today.

Just £25!  Very shoestring I think.  I have been getting styling ideas from the following on flickr, see below:-

Photo by Marie's Shots

Photo by Joyful Lova

Photo by Marianne@Songbird

I cannot wait to dress mine.....although this is a long way off as need to get boiler in, painting finished and finally shelves up.  I'm not one for a colour theme usually, but I'm thinking cream and blue items on the shelves with splashes of red.  Just need to keep my minimalist head on and not go and buy stuff just to put on the shelves!  I wouldn't put it past me........

Family Tree

There was much excitement here yesterday.  We managed to impulse buy a tree!   This was something The Queen of Clean had been muttering about for a year, but we had other more pressing things in the house and garden to attend to.

Well yesterday whilst wandering around our local garden centre we saw this, and how could we resist that lovely orangey/pink foliage?  It is a Chinese Paperbark Maple, and slow growing so we could plant quite near to the house.

We had a little team of volunteers to help plant it (Yoyo's 3 friends who live in our road), and now littlest one has taken on the task of watering it every day.  A task he is most proud of.

Any tree planting I've witnessed has always been done to mark an occasion or in memory of someone.  So The Queen of Clean and I racked our brains for something or someone the tree could be planted for.  We were at a loss for someone the children could relate to - even Michael Jackson was suggested at one point.  

Needless to say we didn't go ahead with that suggestion.

But then it came to me, this tree is our Family Tree.  We plan to be here for a long long time and this tree will mark the time our family called this house and garden our home.

Fingers crossed it makes it - the planting hole was a bit suspect, but now I've attached such significance to it being okay I'm getting a little anxious!