Weight – don’t know, have not bothered to weigh myself but shirts still fit. Beer – none, but there was some peach snaps whilst on holiday. Fags – none. Chocolate – white chocolate Easter ration and occasional nibbling of left over Easter Egg pieces. (Although it looks a lot there is not much chocolate in an Easter Egg. Not as much as there is in the world famous lorry driver’s Yorkie anyway)
For the first time ever I have introduced my body to serious household decorating. I have painted the odd wall before and I remember rollering a toilet cubicle when I was in my teens, but up until this point in my life I have never sat down with Ro and thought about colour schemes. Even more surprising is the fact that it was my idea. Work has been so hectic for the both of us that I felt we should do something together. Now I am a regular at Homebase and B@Q. We have seen the colour charts. We have conquered thecolour chartss. We have had the standard marital dispute of ‘this is my wall, I am doing it, go away back to your purple pout feature wall and let me get on with it. We have existed with furniture piled up in the centre of the room covered with those cheap polythene dust sheets, which by the way are rubbish if you want to decorate in bear feet as they stick to them. (Tip – although painting in bear feet seems a bit odd, the advantage is that if you tread in paint you can feel it). Another breakthrough is that I am no longer a wallpaper virgin thanks to day videos on the internet. I came. I saw. I conquered. Now I am knackered and still covered in purple and hessian coloured spots – and wallpaper paste. The dog, by the way has been banished to his kennel and the garden, meaning that at the end of each session, as we look to recover and take him for a gentle walk, he is absolutely mad for it and into everything.
I have learnt two things as part of this recent love driven, homemaking, let’s do something together as a married couple escapade. One, when you work with someone else to create something beautiful, conflict is inevitable but combat is not. Second, whatever you do in life there are seldom any shortcuts and there will be times when you are both stretched and brought to your knees. The two jobs I hate are wallpapering into corners (praise the Lord we only did one wall) and painting skirting boards. Finally, and perhaps more seriously, something dramatic must have happened for me to suggest decorating on the first place. Could it be that I have found somewhere where I am comfortable enough to see the manse as a home where we will settle, rather than a shell with magnolia walks to live in?
Before I finish I would like to say a massive word of thanks to Malcolm on the property team who has worked tirelessly to keep masses up to standard over the years – and for all his hard work in so many other areas. Malcolm is sending down from this role and as a family we would like to wish him all the best.
Tickets will be on sale to visit the manse and observe the colour combination of light hessian, raspberry blush, sea breeze, electric blue, brilliant white – and at this rate lime green, although discussions are continuing.
Every blessing
Langley