Busy Busy Busy ...

I don't know what happened last night but the old vino collapso really got to me and I had to retire to bed early having nodded off on the sofa several times.  The only trouble is that having slept in the evening I don't sleep too well during the night!

John was going to give me a lie-in this morning but at 7.20am I could hear Andreas's builders and their cement mixer so I felt I really should get up.

We had agreed that John would shoot off to Paphos with a list of things to get DIY-wise and he would speak to the guys about the proposed conservatory and see if we couldn't agree on the price and when they might be able to start.  We have decided that it is worth spending some of our capital on creating an extra room.  So John shot off with his list of things to do and I stayed at home because I also had a list of things to do which started with finishing off cleaning the panels for the toilet.

With John gone both of the cats were at sixes and sevens looking out for him!!!  Minnie Mou is a lot better today - we realise that the problem was most definitely her teeth yesterday and we are so relieved that she doesn't have to go to the vet today unnecessarily.  She was a complete mardi-ass yesterday and today she couldn't be more affectionate if she tried!

As you know my job was cleaning the panels for the 'downstairs' toilet.  I got myself all organised and set up outside when it started to piddle down so I had to take everything indoors and make a mess there.  Still I managed to get it all done and then started to sort the pieces so that it would be easy for John to put them back up.  I guess I must have been drinking when I took them down because although I numbered them and all the pieces on the left hand side were numbered consecutively something went very wrong with the right hand side as I was missing numbers and had numbers duplicated - I had clearly been drinking!!!

Everything for Chivs is a toy at the moment, today when I was putting on my slippers he decided to jump onto my back and no matter how upright I stood he clung on for grim death - little bugger.  As I was cleaning the wood panels and had moved the carpet sweeper and my Ken Dodd 'tickling stick' he was beside himself with the new toys I had presented to him.  The tickling stick came in for some serious attention!

John returned from his trip to Paphos laden with DIY goodies and having agreed a price and timescale for the conservatory.  I am so excited because I think this will make a huge difference to the house.

John came home armed with insulation in every shape and form!  Our plan is to insulate the 'downstairs' toilet walls before reinstating the panelling.  The first layer is going to be this metallic bubble wrap and then we are going to put on a layer of thick fleece material.  We are also going to create a false ceiling and put very thick rockwall type insulation between the original ceiling and the false one.  After that we dont think there is much else we can do.

So here is John wrapping the walls of our toilet in a fleecy blanket!!! We hadn't realised that there was such a variety of insulation available nor that it would be quite so reasonably priced.  The metallic bubble wrap and fleece cost us about €18 and was more than enough for what we wanted.  The rockwall stuff which is very thick was only €12.  

We can't quite understand why the idea of insulation seems so alien to Cypriot builders!!  Still when we are sweating our cobs off in the summer (which seems like a lifetime away) we might understand why!!

With all the insulation in place it was just a question of reinstating the wood panelling which went back so much easier than we had anticipated.

I am going to give it a wash with some watered down magnolia emulsion so that the wood gets some colour but the grain still shows through.  I think this time it will be successful.  I am so very grateful that John is a handyman - we could never have hoped to have achieved so much if we had had to have paid for what we have done, so thanks John xxxx

We have had confirmation today that Kaye and friends and family have booked their flights at the end of May and that Ellie can definitely have the time off so that is very exciting.  Aunty V is also coming all the way from Canada and will be with us early in May - she is such a character I cannot wait - I have very vivid memories of being at her house in Cornwall before she and Uncle Doug emigrated to Canada - I was about five having a strip wash stood in a washing up bowl with my cousin Kevin!.  Gemma from work has also been in touch and she will be here with family from 13th May.  We are so excited and can't wait - it is going to be a good year.

PS Lizzie if you are reading this in Bognor then Ann says Hi! and Lizzie if you are reading this in Bognor, I am delighted that you find my drivel so interesting!