Hello All
Before I start, I need to say something. I don't have big ambitions. At this point in my life (our lives) I (we) feel we deserve a warm and comfy nest, within which I (we) can work, relax, and be ourselves, surrounded by the activities and belongings we appreciate and enjoy. We've worked hard. Maybe we hanker after a special house in a special location, with a bit of land. Maybe we'd love to express ourselves being self-sufficient, frugal and grounded, raising vegetables and caring for chickens rescued from a terrible fate. But that's not going to happen just yet.
We're headed towards that land called retirement. Our series of temporary homes, rented and unlovely, had to end. Our resources were drained. We have but a few working years left. We needed a better base from which to function. We didn't want grand. Or expensive. Or fashionable. Our style is friendly, coloured by necessity. Our last chance to fix things popped up. We jumped and grabbed.
Well, it's been tough. I dare say it's been fun in parts. The main difficulty is in getting over the disappointment of things not being straightforward. We really needed a quick move, get settled in, down to work. This house started as a bargain purchase, sale completed in TWO weeks! needing JUST a quick tidy-up and move-in planned within another two weeks, and now? The wiring was deadly. Completely re-done. Completely redone means floorboards up, walls and bricks and plaster down. Complete mayhem. An earthquake. Disaster. We've found ourselves on a merry-go-round of re-doing, re-placing, re-newing almost everything.
Now I'm looking at twelve, no, twenty pots of paint, rolls and rolls of lining paper, brushes, rollers, skirting boards, beading, tiles, ............ and that's before I start on curtains and carpets. Oh, and we need a bathroom, and the hob, oven and extractor fan have been condemned and, beyond redemption sadly, have been taken to the tip. The window frames are rotten. And we have no central heating or hot water. The boiler was condemned too. The quotes are laughable. A rocket to the moon is more achievable.
I'm managing to stay focussed on the end result (I do the decorating and so can visualise our finished 'home') , it's finding the energy that I have a big problem with. I get tired very quickly. The last two weeks have been really difficult for me having to be sitting in a cold dark house unable to do a great deal whilst electricians, plasterers et al made a big noisy mess everywhere. Then left me to clear it up every night! Not. happy. me.
Meanwhile, in Haiti they no longer even have tents. They. have. Earthquake. Cholera. Hurricane. Disaster.
Get real pamela. Count your blessings. Do something to help.
And put your back into the flippin' wallpaper-stripping. Winter's coming.
Thanks for listening folks x
HAITI the facts
Impact of the 12 January earthquake
- Two million people living in the most affected area
- 220,000 dead
- Over 180,000 homes damaged or destroyed, 1.5m homeless
- There are now 19 million cubic metres of rubble and debris in PaP – enough to fill a line of shipping containers stretching end to end from London to Beirut.
- One and a half million people living in camps including over 100,000 at critical risk from storms and flooding
- There are over 1,100 camps and 54 of these are home to 5,000 people or more
- Over 600,000 people have left their home area in Port-au-Prince and mostly are staying with host families
- Nearly 5,000 schools have been damaged or destroyed
Hi Pamela, Aw.. I 'feel' your pain - and appreciate your perspective - because perspective really is everything, isn't it? It is okay to feel sorry for yourself - it is not what you had planned, it is not easy, not fair ... but the bottom line is, most of us are still so very blessed when we think about it. Have you ever watched the movie, Mr. Blandings Builds his Dreamhouse? It is an old movie (50's?) but well worth tracking it down if you can - I think it would make you smile. I offer it to every client I have before they enter into a large construction project! Hang in there -I love the honesty in your posts! Hope the mess ends soon :0)
ReplyDeleteAhh old houses hey?!
ReplyDeleteThis is the second one for us, it will be worth it when you've finished.
I do count my blessings when i think of others who have lost everything, and here I am worrying over matching cushions!
Chin up, and get painting!!
hehe
Clare
Thank you so much Sherrie and Clare. I'm thankful to find such sweet comments - really cheered me. I'm sure I'll look back and laugh, but it might take awhile!
ReplyDeleteAnyone else looking in? Stop and say hi ;)
Hugs
pamela x
Renovating a house can really suck you dry in terms of energy, time and resources. But at the end of it, you have the house you really wanted. I hope that you're very close to that end of your tunnel, so close that you can see it. Ciao!
ReplyDeleteAh thanks Francesca! you're right of course, and so kind to stop by:) I just need a button that converts good wishes into energy and ziiippppp! all done in a flash!
ReplyDeleteTake care
pamela x
This time of year definitely doesn't help on the light and heat fronts but you will get there and you certainly sound determined and focused.
ReplyDeleteYou're right of course, we moan and truth be told in comparison to others we have nothing to moan about!
So chin up, you can always write a book at the end of it all and make a fortune. ;)
It is hard to comprehend what other people are going through isn't it? I know I am extremely lucky compared to some people but I still worry about things that really are not important at all in the great scheme of things. I live in an old house that has 'potential'. The conservatory is collapsing, the window frames are rotting, bath and toilet need replacing etc etc. I ignore these facts as funds do not permit anything to be done about it. Instead I blog, I bake and I create and then all is well in my World!!! x
ReplyDeleteThanks Simone, thanks Vivienne xxx
ReplyDeleteI'm finding that mindfullness, 'counting my blessings' is really helping me get through this icky patch. Going much better today I'm pleased to report!
- a book? Yeah! Bet we could all write a bestseller eh?!
Thanks again
Hugs pamela x
What a great writer you are. I really enjoy reading your thoughts. I am about to move out of my bedroom so it can be renovated and was dreading living in another heated room of our house, when the Haiti headlines starred me in the face. So much to be thankful for, so today I am not going to dread the process but embrace it. Thanks to Sherri, I can make my list and check it off. Thanks to you I can count my blessings. I am brought back to what matters to God how can I please him with my life. How can I be an encouragement to somebody else today. Pamela, I too, get tired easily. I have been doing things to try to change that eating right, exercising, taking medication. I am still lagging. This morning reading your blog made me think that when I feel tired, I am going to Pray for You sort of bond from across the pond. God bless you today. Keep up with the blogging we all love reading your musings.
ReplyDeleteRobbie thank you so much, you are super-generous in your comments and sharing your thoughts and feelings. It's very encouraging! We must remember to take care of ourselves first and foremost always though, or we risk being no use to anyone, least of all our own self (she matters!!!)And I'm thinking that the burden of guilt, of not being 'good enough' or doing enough, can be a very draining and debilitating thing. Re-framing ours thoughts is supposed to be as energy-giving as healthy food (I must give it a try!!!).
ReplyDeleteHugs:)
pamela x
ps. good luck with the renovating, I'm working on our bedroom right now, a cosy nest for the homebird lol;)
pps. Sherrie's great isn't she - such a help and motivator - I need that so much!
You helped me think of a phrase that I have often used in the pursuit of almost anything. It bounces off Martha Stewart's phrase It's a good thing". So here goes mine; when I am getting frustrated with completing some task that I have a picture in my mind and it isn't going as I had hoped, I say "It doesn't have to be a "good thing" it just has to be good enough> I made a computer card last week that wasn't as perfect as I wanted it to be, I had to either mail it the way it was or have it be late. I opted for good enough and sent it. My friend who received it thought I had intentionally put the photo on a slant. She felt honored and thats good enough for me! Have a blessed evening.
ReplyDelete