src/content/blog/year2023-1.mdx

@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ import YTVideo from "../../components/YTVideo.astro";
 import Quote from "../../components/Quote.astro";
 
 
-House news! Back again! After another extended break. 
+House news! Back again! After another extended break. Tell a friend.
 
-It seems that we've slowed down enough to where we just don't have enough left to do to make a more regular post!  (That's probably a good thing)
+It seems that we've slowed down enough to where we just don't have enough to make this a more regular feature!  (That's probably a good thing)
 
 ## Hallway
 
@@ -28,16 +28,14 @@ When we were dealing with the off-white woodchip in our Harrow flat, we found on
 
 <Solocard title="What we're trying to avoid 🤮" src={s("harrow-hallway.jpg")} />
 
-This time we were determined that it would not be left in such an awful state for any extended period, so we got Simon and Will back again to redecorate it for us. This hallway is in constant use and we wanted any inconveniences to happen quickly and then be gone. 
+This time we were determined that it would not be left in such an awful state for any extended period, so we got Simon and Will back again to redecorate it for us. This hallway is in constant use and we wanted any inconveniences to happen quickly and then be gone. Plus, it's an enormous surface area to decorate with high ceilings over stairs, and they could work on it full time with the proper equipment (or the 'proper equipment').
-
-Plus, it's an enormous surface area to decorate with high ceilings over stairs, and they could work on it full time with the proper equipment (or the 'proper equipment').
 
 Here's a little reminder of what we started with.
 
 <Cards images={[
     {title: "Before", src: s("hallfront-before.jpg")},
     {title: "Before", src: s("hallback-before.jpg")},
-    {title: "Before we moved in", src: s("hall-before-before.jpg")},
+    {title: "Before", src: s("hall-during2.jpg")},
 ]} />
 
 Not too terrible from a distance.
@@ -45,19 +43,18 @@ Not too terrible from a distance.
 
 #### Removal of the wallpaper and carpet
 
-For the first week, Simon was on holiday in Sicily 🏝️ so we only had Will. We suspect this was a deliberate plan so he could get out of steaming wallpaper. Karma came back to bite him in the form of temperatures in the 40-50 range and his airport burning down just before he was due back. He must have really really really wanted to avoid the woodchip.
+For the first week, Simon was on holiday in Sicily 🏝️ so we only had Will. We suspect this was a deliberate plan so he could get out of steaming wallpaper. Karma came back to bite him in the form of temperatures in the 40-50°C range and his airport burning down just before he was due back. He must have really really really wanted to avoid the woodchip.
 
-Simon shouldn't have worried so much though - We were pleasantly surprised with just how quickly the woodchip went, but what was left was dark and dingy and not in a good way (unlike our lower hallway). The feeling it gave us every time we entered the house helped confirm that we wanted it light and airy.
+Simon needn't have worried though - We were pleasantly surprised with just how quickly the woodchip went, but what was left was dark and dingy and not in a good way (unlike our lower hallway). The feeling it gave us every time we entered the house helped confirm that we wanted it light and airy.
 
 <Cards images={[
     {title: "During", src: s("hallfront-during.jpg")},
     {title: "During", src: s("hallback-during.jpg")},
-    {title: "During", src: s("hall-during2.jpg")},
     {title: "During", src: s("hall-during-23.jpg")},
     {title: "During", src: s("hall-stripped1.jpg")},
 ]} />
 
-Whilst Simon was off in Sicily (potentially committing airport arson?), we had our own little emergency back home. As the woodchip started disappearing up the house, we heard a big 'SHIT' from the hallway - with so much steam and dripping water, Will managed to get water into our bathroom thermostat controller, which then caught on fire 🔥
+Whilst Simon was off in Sicily (potentially committing woodchip-avoidant arson?), we had our own little emergency back home. As the woodchip started disappearing up the house, we heard a big 'SHIT' from the hallway. What with so much steam, Will accidentally let water condense and dribble into our bathroom thermostat controller, which promptly caught on fire 🔥
 
 <Solocard title="⚡+ 💦 = 🔥 (+ horrible smells)" src={s("zapped-thermostat.jpg")} />
 
@@ -77,8 +74,8 @@ The aforementioned 'Proper Equipment' ended up being Simon on a stepladder which
 
 <Cards images={[
     {title: "Starting off well", src: s("hall-safety3.jpg")},
+    {title: "Definitely safe?", src: s("hall-safety2.jpg")},
     {title: "'Proper Equipment'", src: s("hall-safety1.jpg")},
-    {title: "Definitely safe", src: s("hall-safety2.jpg")},
 ]} />
 
 #### The Upper Stairs
@@ -115,7 +112,7 @@ We weren't sure it would work very well but it turned out fine. It just needed c
 
 #### Other fittings 🌡️
 
-Prettier radiators!  Simon and Will have finally found a decent plumber that they're happy to work with.  We got them in to do the radiators and they did a proper job 😁 No stain marks on the ceiling, no leaky hot water tanks. We'll definitely be using them in future and go nowhere near our nightmare boiler people!
+Nicer radiators!  Simon and Will have finally found a decent plumber that they're happy to work with.  We got them in to do the radiators and they did a proper job 😁 No stain marks on the ceiling, no leaky hot water tanks. We'll definitely be using them in future and go nowhere near our nightmare boiler people!
 
 #### Carpet
 
@@ -133,8 +130,8 @@ We think the hallway looks so much better but it's currently very bare and imper
 
 <Cards images={[
     {title: "Looks lovely 😄", src: s("hall-done-1.jpg")},
-    {title: "Looks lovely 😄", src: s("hall-done-2.jpg")},
+    {title: "Bit bare though", src: s("hall-done-2.jpg")},
-    {title: "Looks lovely 😄", src: s("hall-done-3.jpg")},
+    {title: "Lights look bright, don't they!", src: s("hall-done-3.jpg")},
 ]} />
 
 ## Garden Plants
@@ -148,7 +145,7 @@ Since getting some gardeners to help cut back the overgrowth, we've had them bac
 ]} />
 
 
-Whilst at the garden centre, we bought some herbs for the kitchen balconet 'breakfast bar'. They are doing amazingly well so far, but we will see if we can keep up the watering schedule long term. It's really convenient to have fresh herbs readily available when cooking, plus I cadge a cheeky smell during breakfast.
+Whilst at the garden centre, we bought some herbs for the kitchen balconet 'breakfast bar'. They are doing amazingly well so far, but we will see if we can keep up the watering schedule long term. It's really convenient to have fresh herbs readily available when cooking, plus we can cadge a cheeky smell during breakfast.
 
 <Cards images={[
     {title: "Herbidacious!", src: s("herbedacious.jpg")},
@@ -185,18 +182,18 @@ Ozzy still picks his shoes up and goes upstairs to put his shoes on. Habits are
 
 ## Tusks
 
-The 3d printer has come in clutch many times during our house renovation - remember the <a href='/week5-6#ethernet'>electrical backbox</a> - but it also has uses for the frivolous. On the list of prints has been proper tusks for our elephant toilet who has been dealing with split ends for a long time.
+The 3d printer has come in clutch many times during our house renovation - remember the <a href='/week5-6#ethernet'>electrical backbox</a>? - but it also has uses for the frivolous. On the list of prints has been proper tusks for our elephant toilet who had been dealing with split ends for a long time.
 
 <Cards images={[
     {title: "Printing", src: s("tusks.jpg")},
-    {title: "Looking smarter than ever", src: s("toilet.jpg")},
+    {title: "Anti-poaching", src: s("toilet.jpg")},
 ]} />
 
 Every so often I wonder whether the 3d printer was worth it and do some sort of cost-benefit analysis of printing vs buying.  Now that I can print elephant tusks I think I've covered the entire cost of the printer in a single print 🐘
 
 ## Kayaks
 
-Two years ago, while Nikki had Covid, she bought an inflatable tandem kayak while dreaming of getting back outside and having adventures. We've used this kayak quite a few times now, on the river near us and on Windermere, but there are certain aspects of it which mean we don't use it as much as we'd like.
+Two years ago, when Nikki had Covid, she bought an inflatable tandem kayak while dreaming of getting back outside and having adventures. We've used this kayak quite a few times now, on the river near us and on holiday in Windermere, but there are certain aspects of it which mean we don't use it as much as we'd like.
 
 First off: Ozzy grew up a keen kayaker and his paddling technique is very good - if you are in a proper kayak. If you are in an inflatable one with no spraydeck then it is less good and the kayak ends up with a layer of cold water at the bottom that you have to sit in. This water was conspicuously absent when Nikki tried the kayak with a different copilot. We solved this issue by getting two single kayaks and Ozzy can have a closed cockpit one by himself.
 
@@ -220,9 +217,11 @@ This also means we have a spare inflatable tandem kayak if anyone wants to come
 
 ## Closing Thoughts
 
-It's been really interesting having people round again to do work.  I must admit that my patience for them has gone down considerably compared to the last major projects.  I think this is because 1) They were very much in the way all the time, and 2) There were no interesting techniques or cool tools
+It's been really interesting having people round again to do work.  I must admit that my patience for them has gone down considerably compared to the last major projects.  I think this is because 1) They were very much in the way all the time, and 2) There were no interesting techniques or cool tools (and as you know 🎉🎉🎉 tools are our favourite 🎉🎉🎉)
 
-As a final sign-off, Nikki will be running the Bath Half Marathon this October and her runner's kit has just arrived in the post.  If you feel like sponsoring her, she's raising money for <a href="https://www.justgiving.com/page/nicola-osborne-1692702949098" target='_blank'>the Brain Tumor charity</a> in memory of Laurie Brokenshire.
+We absolutely don't regret getting people in though. If we'd been doing this ourselves it would have taken many times longer and we would have been grumpy the whole time. All in all, it's been a big success.
+
+As a final sign-off, Nikki will be running the Bath Half Marathon this October and her runner's number has just arrived in the post.  If you feel like sponsoring her, she's raising money for <a href="https://www.justgiving.com/page/nicola-osborne-1692702949098" target='_blank'>the Brain Tumour charity</a> in memory of Laurie Brokenshire.
 
 <Solocard title="Looks all official and stuff" src={s("race.jpg")} />