---
layout: ../../layouts/LayoutMdx.astro
title: "2023"
date: 2023-09-11
image: year2023-1/kayak-pub.jpg
description: the progress happens much slower
---
export const s = (s) => `year2023-1/${s}`;

import Cards from "../../components/Cards.astro";
import Callout from "../../components/Callout.astro";
import Solocard from "../../components/Solocard.astro";
import NextPrev from "../../components/NextPrev.astro";
import Progress from "../../components/Progress.astro";
import YTVideo from "../../components/YTVideo.astro";
import Quote from "../../components/Quote.astro";


House news back again after another extended break. We just don't have enough left to do to make a more regular post!

## Hallway

The hallway has been our major project this year. From our front door all the way to the top of the house, the hallway walls have been covered in off-white woodchip wallpaper. Sound familiar, anyone? Yes, we had this at Harrow too.

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 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

For the first week, we had Will only as Simon was on holiday in Sicily. We suspect this was deliberate so he could get out of steaming wallpaper. However, this was the same week as the European heatwave where the temps were getting into the 40-50 range and the airport Simon wanted to leave out of burned down. He really really really wanted to avoid the woodchip.

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.


<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 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 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")},
]} />


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 so we got a partial refund. Nice to walk on, squishy underlay. Looks good but new carpet smells a bit funny. They managed to get all the carpet done in one day, except for 6 steps which they had to return another day to finish off.

<Cards images={[
    {title: "Carpet!", src: s("carpet-during-2.jpg")},
    {title: "The sorts of decisions you have to make", src: s("carpet-2.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.

<Cards images={[
    {title: "Looks lovely", src: s("hall-done-1.jpg")},
]} />

## Garden

Since getting some gardeners to help cut back the overgrowth, we have had them back semi-regularly for maintenance. Unfortunately some of the plants were too far gone and had to be removed, so we have been investigating the local garden centres (and their cafes!) for new plants. These have now been planted and we hope in future to have some jasmine nicely trained around the patio and wisteria on our archway.


<Cards images={[
    {title: "Getting plants home", src: s("plants-transport1.jpg")},
    {title: "Fits in the car?", src: s("plants-transport2.jpg")},
]} />


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.


<Solocard title="Herbedacious" src={s("herbedacious.jpg")} />


-- water wizards

One of the other improvements we have made is to improve the wifi signal at the back of the house. Originally we would have little to no signal in the garden due to our very thick walls. It now works so well that we sometimes end up connected to the wrong wifi depending on whether we enter the house from the front or the back.

Our garden gate has been getting steadily less and less secure. The lock was dangling by a single screw in a slowly rotting screwhole. It would probably have given way with a good shove or a particularly gusty day. We thought this less than ideal, so we bought a new garden gate lock. It was a bit annoying to install, avoiding existing rusty screws and holes and the doorframe, but we managed it with (on average) half our tempers lost. 


<Cards images={[
    {title: "Less secure", src: s("gardengate.jpg")},
    {title: "More secure", src: s("gardengate2.jpg")},
]} />

    - cam
    - garden hose


## Shoe storage

Last time, we said that:

<Quote person="Nikki and Ozzy" date="Dec 2022">
    We are on the lookout for a nice bench with storage.
</Quote>

Well, we are delighted to announce we actually did order one. It was made to order, so it took several months to arrive. One of the reasons we went with this company was that they could use the exact same shade of paint as our walls.

<Solocard title="Shoe bench!" src={s("shoerack.jpg")} />

Woohoo finally. It is very useful to sit on to put shoes on. It is very long, can fit many shoes and has a little basket with spare slippers that our visitors can use.

Ozzy still picks his shoes up and goes upstairs to put his shoes on. Habits are hard to break.

## Tusks

The 3d printer has come in clutch many times during our house renovation - see the wifi backbox (link?) - 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.

<Solocard title="Printing" src={s("tusks.jpg")} />


## Kayaks

Two years ago after Nikki got Covid, she bought an inflatable tandem kayak while looking forward to getting back outside and having adventures. 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 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.

Third off: we saw these awesome looking origami kayaks and we couldn't stop wanting to get one. We would go through repeated phases of 'can't justify the price', 'do we use the kayak enough', 'let's not buy them', 'they look so cool though'.

So we bought some anyway with our personal fun money.


<Cards images={[
    {title: "Down", src: s("kayak-down.jpg")},
    {title: "Up", src: s("kayak-up.jpg")},
    {title: "Pub on the river", src: s("kayak-pub.jpg")},
]} />


The biggest downside so far is that they are so cool that everyone we pass in them has to ask us about them. 

This also means we have a spare inflatable tandem kayak if anyone wants to come join us in a flotilla down the river!







- new tusks
  - Cost/benefit analysis of 3d printer

- hallway
    - light fittings
        - painting and cardboard
    - minor electrical fire
        - complete with stories of lath and plaster walls
    - compare with previous house hallway
    - only will for the first week
        - simon stuck in sicily
        - airport burned down
- kayaks
- shoe rack








<NextPrev prev="year2022-end" />
