Halfway through so much, but finishing nothing…

Another weekend with lockdown postponing our visitors meant we had a head start on some of our jobs planned for later in the year. But even with a day off, it still feels like we’re not making a dent on our job list – we’re starting plenty but not quite finishing anything. 

At least rain made the decision between indoor/outdoor jobs for us; so painting it was. And we definitely made in-roads to getting the farmhouse ready. The stairs and landings are now painted and freshly gleaming – and are just waiting for the finishing touches with pictures, coat hooks and new electrical fittings.  

And we made a start on the first spare room – a complete colour scheme change from plaster-brown to a light grey farmhouse feel. Which also means an entire refresh of lighting and curtains, before we even consider furnishing it beyond the spare bed we brought from London. Not a quick job to cross off the list! 

At some point soon we also need to turn our hand to the minor adjustments to make the house more comfortable and safe; towel and toilet roll holders; and crucially, window child locks upstairs. Luckily it’s too cold now to unlock and open the windows, so we have a bit more time.

While we have a few major garden jobs waiting for us (mending parts of the kitchen garden wall, and replacing the remaining vegetable beds), any free time we have on a rain-free day is now spent raking and clearing leaves. Definitely one of those jobs that’s rewarding to see the difference at the time, and then quickly seems like you never did anything. Roll on winter! 

One of the most exciting things over the last couple of weeks has to be the regular visits from our pheasant (who occasionally has even brought friends with him!). We learnt from our neighbouring farmers that pheasant shooting takes place every Wednesday, so while the pheasant isn’t really a wild bird, we’re quite pleased when he makes an appearance on the Thursday, and pecks at all the bird seed that’s fallen from the feeders (or possibly has been thrown intentionally on the floor in case he comes back 😊 ). We could watch him for hours – and he’s even taken to perching in our lilac tree – until the pup makes a boisterous appearance that is!