The Funny Little Bungalow is beckoning us ever nearer. It is taunting us with its skirting boards, its lovely patchwork floor and its doors. Yes! We have doors! On actual rooms! And proper ones, at that. Sputnik is now tucked away, so that he cannot frighten our guests any more, owing to his sheer size and terrifying, space-age bulk – for his bedroom also has its very own door.
The kitchen has all of its wall cupboards up now (well – almost all of them). The Utilitarian Room has some storage units up. And on Saturday, we took a trip to a local industrial estate, where we were blinded by all the different types of granite, quartz and marble that you can use to adorn your kitchen surfaces. The Little Seymours argued over which samples they could take home, and I became a little overwhelmed; there’s a big decision coming up. We are getting a quote, and we will go from there.
So, one might say that we are edging ever closer to The End!
But what is The End? The Funny Little Bungalow won’t be “finished” for some time yet. There are carpets to find (and fund!), there is the whole of The North Wing to renovate. The upstairs bathroom is still missing a floor, and as for the outside? Well, nothing short of a bulldozer is required to sort that mess out.
And yet! The time will soon come when we can actually live back in our house again! Two years ago, we were preparing to vacate. On April Fools’ Day, we moved out, and The Shed became our home. I must admit – the thought of leaving it makes me a little bit sad… Another milestone. Another chapter. Tempus fugit.
But what worries me the most is that The Shed is full up! Full of books and clothes and STUFF! There are enough pots and pans and cutlery to sustain a small army. The DVDs have bred, it seems, and my son has a considerable collection of remote-controlled vehicles littering the gaff. There are toys and blankets and dolls’ limbs to be found, if you look closely. Not to mention the fully stocked apothecary in my small shower area. SOON I WILL HAVE TO MOVE ALL THIS CRAP!
I’m trying. This morning, I went to the dump. I took a few things. But why oh why did I not just take more? Am I really expected to keep a PS2 thing that doesn’t work? Can’t I simply lob the teddies that nobody is particularly fond of? And what is it with all these sodding books?
The other day, I took some DVDs to a charity receptacle wotsit. I deposited my little offering, only to discover that three small Seymours had sneaked up behind me and pinched the items back out.
And on Friday, we gratefully received three wardrobes, a bed and a couple of cupboards from a friend. On Sunday, we picked up a gorgeous 50s dining room suite, complete with sideboard and nine chairs, which are all now stored in the would-be living room of The Funny Little Bungalow. They are tucked behind the dresser we rescued, and the new-to-us bath that Big Seymour returned home with last week, which you will find beside the planation blinds we couldn’t resist, and a couple of pouffes.
Upstairs, we have a further three wardrobes, four beds, some book shelves, and all of the quaint old stuff we inherited when we moved here nearly five years ago. Where oh where shall I put those glorious old 60s kitchen cabinets? They are too beautiful not to be used… In short, we are fast running out of space! We haven’t moved in yet, but we are already full up.
Alas, it seems that the children are not the only ones who like their stuff.
Now, I am under no illusion; I shall have to have a furniture (and toy and clothing and book and DVD and general) stock take at some point. Maybe we don’t need three 30s sideboards… and perhaps the cuddle chair can be sold on? The Lloyd Loom chest of drawers that I picked up on a roadside on Oxted may not actually fit in anywhere. If I’m brave I might be able to part with the stuff that has seen better days, even if it has been in the family since 1874. But I am very sentimental…
But there is always The Shed! Once it is empty of our crap, I can simply fill it up again – with all our spare furniture! I can paint things up in there. It shall become a warehouse! A workshop! A storage facility. A grotto!
Won’t Big Seymour be delighted.
#Update – the granite quote came in.
I hear they do some quite nice laminate worktops these days.
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