This morning I had a lie-in as it was 7.00am when I woke. I'm taking advantage of the fact that I can get a few minutes of quiet time alone down here before the guests wake, and the electrician and carpet fitter arrive. Admittedly I normally wake about 6.30am anyway, but at the moment I'm sleeping in our 'new' [finally renovated and moved into after two-and-a-half years] bedroom - hurrah - which is south-facing and has had only one blind installed - boooooooooo. It's like being interrogated by nature from 4.30am every morning. The new room is also that much closer to our marvellous little corner shop, which sells almost everything known to man and housewife, even organic wine - hurrah - and reduces hugely the need for me to use Big Corp Supermarkets - double hurrah - but opens at 6.30am with deliveries starting from 6.00am, usually with a lot of associated banging and clamouring - boo boo boooo. Even with earplugs and a sleeping mask, I'm not getting a lot of shut-eye. I'm surprised the kids aren't frightened by me when I crawl out of the bedroom to do breakfast.
We've also hit on the idea of the kids using the eye masks from the airplane too, as the 5 year old, B, thinks that as soon as it's daylight it's time to get up and start playing Playstation. So he kicks his ever patient brother, I, until he drags himself downstairs to switch the machine on. It's daylight at 4.30am.
To recap a little, I did manage to get the biscotti done, the aroma of chocolatey vanillaness was permeating the whole house when the guests piled in on Saturday morning, plus we had the bread in the oven - mmmmmm. Of course to add to the atmosphere there was the carpet fitter banging on the stairs, doing a poor job of laying the last of the runner, and the plasterer was in the front bedroom with a jackhammer, smashing out the prounounced hearth with a view to re-laying it later. Welcome to the insanity that is our home!
The guests have come with their own agenda and plans, which has been great as I've been largely housebound. They've done the open top bus tour, Madame Tussauds, Covent Garden, Harrods, the Rainforest Cafe, the London Eye, the Tower of London and the Natural History Museum, and more. Thankfully, we've had glorious weather for the last week, with just the odd shower yesterday which has been perfect for sightseeing. Didn't even use all the 'weather-cover' options, so they have a few more places to go today if when it rains!
I'm still working on the gold Woo-hoo skirt, I did get some more sequins done yesterday but I'm still unsure. I hope I'll get to the dress today (have to be positive and stop calling it the Disaster Dress) to see if it can be salvaged but I don't think I'll be finished on it by tomorrow for the wedding, as doing the bodice the first time took me almost a day. I am a bit concerned that the embellishment on the skirt makes it look cheap. As someone else said (sorry, can't remember - was it the wonderful Miss Twiss?) it's less of the 'oh where did you get that skirt?', more of the 'you made that yourself, didn't you...'
I got my packages from Posy Gets Cozy, really love the fabrics.
Today the electrician comes to replace all the socket plates and light switch covers, and to install the new lights, and the fight about the carpet starts (I'm just predicting that one but I have a feeling it's going to be ugly). I call the blinds company to find out when the other one is arriving. Tomorrow the joiner finishes hanging the doors and puts the handles on. Next week the painters finish the gloss paint on the doors, I collect the curtains and get them hung. Then I try to get out of the house...
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