src/content/blog/year2023-1.mdx

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 ---
 layout: ../../layouts/LayoutMdx.astro
 title: "2023"
-date: 2023-09-04
+date: 2023-09-11
-image: year2023-1/???.jpg
+image: year2023-1/kayak-pub.jpg
 description: something something something
 ---
 export const s = (s) => `year2023-1/${s}`;
@@ -24,7 +24,13 @@ The hallway has been our major project this year. From our front door all the wa
 
 When we were dealing with the off-white woodchip in our Harrow flat, we found one wall was very stuck on. It was so frustrating to remove that we ended up leaving it in a half-removed glue-y state for almost a year before caving and getting plasterers in to skim it.
 
-This time we were determined that we would not want it left in an awful state for any extended period, so we got Simon and Will back again to do it for us. The hallway is the most used part of the house 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.
+This time we were determined that we would not want it left in 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.
+
+
+<Cards images={[
+    {title: "Before", src: s("hallfront-before.jpg")},
+    {title: "Before", src: s("hallback-before.jpg")},
+]} />
 
 
 #### Removal of the wallpaper and carpet
@@ -33,24 +39,70 @@ For the first week, we had Will only as Simon was on holiday in Sicily. We suspe
 
 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. Luckily the worst was that the thermostat was fried and nothing more than that - but it was a nice opportunity to ask them to replace it with a white one which then would match better with the hallway.
 
-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).
 
+<Cards images={[
+    {title: "Carefully masked off", src: s("zapped-thermostat-tape.jpg")},
+    {title: "But not enough it seems", src: s("zapped-thermostat.jpg")},
+]} />
+
+
+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 while it was in this state, confirmed our colour choices and we were very sure 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")},
+]} />
 
 
 #### Making it pretty
 
-Next the walls and stairs started getting their base coats of paint. The sudden brightness made us very sure we wanted it light and airy.
+Next the walls and stairs started getting spruced back up. They were covered in a thin layer of plaster filler to even out all the lumps and bumps, then started getting their base coats of paint. 
 
-'The Proper Equipment' ended up being Simon on a stepladder which Will held up. They started off a lot safer, building sturdy platforms out of battens and ply, but slowly descended into madness.
+The aforementioned 'Proper Equipment' ended up being Simon on a stepladder which Will held up. They started off a lot safer, building sturdy platforms out of battens and ply, but slowly descended into madness.
+
+<Cards images={[
+    {title: "Starting off well", src: s("hall-safety3.jpg")},
+    {title: "'Proper Equipment'", src: s("hall-safety1.jpg")},
+    {title: "Definitely safe", src: s("hall-safety2.jpg")},
+]} />
+
+One of the biggest issues we wanted sorted was a particular step on the top flight, which appeared to have pulled away from the wall and had far too much flex in it. It also corresponded to a large crack in the plaster and the wood all the way around the stairs. Simon cut a hole in the plaster to have a better look at what was going on. We found out the stair was actually very firmly attached to the wall, but the issue seemed to be that it wasn't very firmly attached to the other steps next to it and so was flexing at a different rate. He put a load of beefy screws in to make sure the steps flexed together and we're much more confident they won't all fall down. We will keep an eye on it and if the cracks return we will get someone proper to have a look.
+
+<Cards images={[
+    {title: "Cracking stuff", src: s("stair-crack.jpg")},
+    {title: "Investigate and beefily screw", src: s("stair-crack-hole.jpg")},
+    {title: "Cover up and leave it", src: s("stair-crack-fix.jpg")},
+]} />
 
-One of the biggest issues we wanted sorted was a particular step on the top flight, which appeared to have pulled away from the wall and had far too much flex in it. It also corresponded to a large crack in the plaster and the wood all the way around the stairs. Simon cut a hole in the plaster to have a better look at what was going on. We found out the stair was actually very firmly attached to the wall, but the issue seemed to be that it wasn't very firmly attached to the other steps next to it and so was flexing at a different rate. He put a load of beefy screws in to make sure the steps flexed together and we're much more confident they won't all fall down.
 
 We spent a while searching for some lights we liked, we eventually settled for lantern style pendants. We found some but they had chrome where we would rather have them black. We picked up some black spray paint and got to work. We weren't sure it would work very well but it turned out fine. Most people aren't going to be looking too closely anyway.
 
+<Cards images={[
+    {title: "Building a scale model to check sizes", src: s("proto-lights-2.jpg")},
+    {title: "Spray painting the chrome off", src: s("hall-lights-before.jpg")},
+    {title: "Better", src: s("hall-lights-after.jpg")},
+]} />
+
+
 Prettier radiators. Plumber man recommended by Simon so we will probably try to use them in future rather than our nightmare boiler people.
 
 We went with the same people to do the carpet as with the lower hallway. Bit of a mixup with the whipping. Nice to walk on, squishy underlay. Looks good but smells a bit funny.
 
+<Cards images={[
+    {title: "Carpet!", src: s("carpet-during-2.jpg")},
+    {title: "The sorts of decisions you have to make", src: s("carpet-2.jpg")},
+]} />
+
+<Cards images={[
+    {title: "Looks lovely", src: s("hall-done-1.jpg")},
+]} />
+
+We think it looks so smart and beautiful but currently very bare and impersonal. It is a blank canvas on which to add photos, pictures and knick-knacks - which we are bad at getting around to putting up.
+
 
 ## Garden
 
@@ -67,7 +119,7 @@ Whilst at the garden centre, we bought some herbs for the kitchen balconet 'brea
 
 
 <Cards images={[
-    {title: "Herbs", src: s("herbs.jpg")},
+    {title: "Herbs", src: s("herbedacious.jpg")},
     {title: "With extra watering", src: s("herbs2.jpg")},
 ]} />
 
@@ -107,9 +159,9 @@ Ozzy still picks his shoes up and goes upstairs to put his shoes on. Habits are
 
 ## Kayaks
 
-Two years ago after Nikki got Covid, she bought an inflatable tandem kayak as a way of getting back outside and having adventures once better. We have 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 like.
+Two years ago after Nikki got Covid, she impulse-bought an inflatable tandem kayak as a way of getting back outside and having adventures once better. We have 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 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 splash deck then it is less good and the kayak ends up with a layer of water at the bottom that you have to sit in. The water was conspicuously absent when Nikki tried the kayak with a different copilot. We have solved this issue by getting two single kayaks and Ozzy can have a closed cockpit one by himself.
+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 splash deck 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. The water was conspicuously absent when Nikki tried the kayak with a different copilot. We have solved this issue by getting two single kayaks and Ozzy can have a closed cockpit one by himself.
 
 Second off: Inflatable kayaks are a little wider than normal kayaks and don't track as well. They track a lot better than a cardboard box would but not as well as a nicer kayak. Ozzy, as a keen kayaker, actually notices the difference.