Our New House–Tiles, Wardrobes, Freezers and Kitty Proofing

Yesterday my hubby and I went out hunting for stuff for the new house. We went to the tile place to choose some tiles for the kitchen splashbacks. I was amazed at the superfluity of beige beige beige everywhere! Natural stone colours are definitely the fashion these days. Tucked away at the back of the store (warehouse size!) were a few in other colours, and I must say they did look somewhat passé. (Shoshi’s a dedicated follower of fashion, lol!)

Anyway, we didn’t want colour to go with our sophisticated new kitchen. This is what we chose.

Come to think of it, it doesn’t show up too well against my blog background, does it!

I shall give the details to Andy on Monday and he can get them on his trade account.

I did think it might be fun to have mosaic tiles but all they had that I liked were natural stone (very expensive) and they needed sealing, and they had little pits and flaws in them (very attractive but difficult to keep clean in the kitchen), so we went for a normal ceramic tile. It has a nice satin finish so nothing too glossy.

We then went to the electrical place which has loads of really cheap stuff and managed to get the two freezers for less than I’d found them on the Internet. I am glad we spoke face to face with a salesman, because he pointed out something that I was unaware of, that not all freezers are guaranteed for outside use. Lots of people put freezers in garages and outhouses and were horrified when the thermostats failed in the bitter winter weather we had, to find they were not covered by the guarantee. This is definitely something to be aware of if you are thinking of buying a new freezer. Anyway, we got a nice small chest freezer that is suitable to go in the outhouse, and a counter-top one for Mum’s kitchen in the annexe. We were a bit worried about her going out in the rain (or ice and snow) to get stuff from the freezer outside, and this way, she can have a few things in, and I can bring in other stuff as she needs it. We are sharing this chest freezer, and we will have our own fridge freezer in our new kitchen as well. My pour old big chest freezer is not working as well as it once did, and will go when we move, and anyway, we’ve got nowhere to put it in the new house.

We also ordered two wardrobes (identical) for Mum’s bedroom. In her old house she had fitted cupboards and would have nowhere to hang her clothes in the new house. My hubby chose them the other day, and took me in to see them. They are light wood with shelves on one side and a hanging rail on the other, with mirrored doors. She should have lots of space for storage now.

After our shopping trip we went to the new house and offloaded the boxes we’d brought, and my hubby did some measuring in the garden. He had done some research on Ebay and found some marvellous stuff that you screw to the top of garden fences. It’s plastic strips with plastic spikes on top and cats won’t put their paws on it. We are hoping this will keep our two girls safe in our garden, and also prevent other cats from invading their territory – Phoebe is particularly sensitive to this, and pees on the landing carpet every time there’s an intruder! My hubby wants to make the whole back garden safe for them. If we are careful there is no need for them to go out the front.

My shower has arrived, and we took it over to the new house. I thought I’d better open the box and check the contents, all of which were beautifully packed in their own individual boxes, and when I opened one, this is what I found! Ha ha ha!!

I went through the instructions, which were all about how to install the shower. There was nothing to say how one was supposed to play with a rubber duck in the shower!!! ROFL! Anyway, this cheeky chappy will have to find a home in my new bathroom, and join me in the bath.

We picked up gorgeous fish and chips from the local chippy 100 yards from our new house, and enjoyed it when we got home. I was fairly exhausted after all that, so didn’t do any blogging till today.

PS I had a letter from the hospital today after my post-60th birthday bowel cancer scan and they’ve detected abnormalities, so I’ve got to have a colonoscopy. We are going to the hospital on Thursday morning for a chat about the procedure, which I assume will happen sometime next week. I am trying not to worry about this, because the leaflet said that only 1 in 10 people for whom this procedure is necessary actually have cancer. I am hoping that the traces of blood they found are simply the result of my ongoing IBS. It’s a bore nonetheless, and will put me out of action for a day or two with the rather unpleasant preparation for the colonoscopy, and the getting over it afterwards as they give you a sedative. Those of you who pray, please do so for me! The worst case scenario is the absolute last thing I want at the moment, with so much to do, so much excitement about our new home, and so much to live for and to enjoy! A few months ago I had to have a breast biopsy after a routine mammogram revealed something, but this turned out to be a benign cyst, so I’m hoping for similar results with the upcoming test as well.