IKEA Hell

We had another busy weekend: a wedding in Birmingham on Satruday, followed by yet more house shopping on Sunday. Seeing as we were just down the road from IKEA, we braved the hordes on Sunday and had a look round. We came away with some bookcases and a step stool, but impressively no tea lights and not much else. There are a few other, larger, items we'll eventually buy, but they wouldn't fit in the fiesta!

I have to say that I wasn't as impressed by the IKEA furniture as I have been in the past. Mind you, one is supposed to be opening in Milton Keynes soon, so I may change my mind again when it's just around the corner...

Skipping back a day, the wedding was good fun in the end. I got a bit tipsy on red wine as no one else on the top table was drinking it. When the karaoke machine came out, and the teenagers started yelling Eminem songs we decided it was time to go... but Jo looked lovely, and Darren looked suitably adoring at her all day. I think we'll next see them at our own wedding - only 9 weeks to go!

Snow!

We've finally got the snow the forecasters have been promising us for the last week. OK, so it's not as impressive as Colerado, or even Yorkshire, but it's coated everything with a nice layer of white :-) I'm always amazed by how quiet snow is!

I have discovered that the best way to enjoy the snow is standing at the window of our back bedroom, by the radiator, with a cup of tea. Lovely!

Hectic weekend

Well, we're in - we moved out of the flat and into the house at the weekend, so we can't find anything now as it's all packed away in boxes, which of course we didn't bother to label! This evening's task is to go back to the flat and clean it from top to bottom so that we get our deposit back. What fun!

Catriona and her new boyfriend, Ian, came over to help us move. We hadn't met Ian before, so it was good to meet him before the wedding. Seems like a nice bloke, and he was very good at carrying furniture and advising on DIY so he passed muster! Mum and Dad haven't met him either, so I had to report back last night. I gave him a thumbs up, so hopefully Catriona will be pleased!

Anyway, as we were waving Catriona and Ian off on Sunday Chris and Sian turned up, having been at a Haskoning shindig in Kettering the night before. As the cooker was still playing up we ended up having take-away curry for Sunday lunch - I've never seen so much orange food in all my life! It was all very tasty, though, and it was great to sit down, relax and not unpack anything for a while. Chris and Sian liked the house and were very impressed by how organised we seemed. Little do they know...

The washing machine is now plumbed in and not leaking - this involved sawing holes through a couple of cupboards to fit in the waste water pipe, then actually moving one whole cupboard about an inch to the right to fit the washing machine under the counter. We're feeling quite proud of our DIY skills on that! The cooker still isn't right, though - it keeps turning itself off which is very annoying when you're trying to cook and also rather worrying. Looks like we'll be getting another visit from the electrician...

A tragedy

I have just read this story http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4276553.stm, and I have to say that I am disappointed. This does explain why, when the radio turned on this morning to wake us up, the first thing we heard was "firing an orange smarties lid across the playground".

A man in demand

It's all happening today at work. After managing to charge absolutely zero hours to contract in the first half of January, my time now seems to be heavily in demand. In fact I am booked out on projects until 22nd April, and have had to turn down a couple of projects due to clashes. I realise that I'm so popular because I'm cheap, but it still feels good to be wanted.

How romantic

We spent yesterday evening at the new house - Tim was putting together a new chair we've bought for the dining room, and I was playing with the new drill we've just bought. We'll have to get a tool box for all the bits and pieces we're collecting! Moving date is Saturday, which is when the furniture will be moved. At the moment we're just moving a few boxes each time, and putting them all in the spare room. Once we've moved in we can unpack them all...

My sister is coming over on Saturday to help us with the move, and bringing her new boyfriend, Ian, with her. I'm looking forward to meeting him - at least then I'll have met him before the wedding! I shall report on him later...

My parents are stars

My Mum and Dad came down on Thursday night and helped me get lots of stuff sorted in the new house - being retired, they've got nothing else to do and they seemed to enjoy it! Dad put up curtain rails in the sitting room, dining room and bedroom, while Mum cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom then made curtains for the bedroom. Meanwhile, I moved a doorknob from one room to another and drilled one hole in the bathroom ceiling, so I did some DIY as well ;-)

Unfortunately, Powerhouse managed to completely muck up delivering our white goods. I'm giving them until lunch time tomorrow to sort it out and want all the delivery charges refunded! If that doesn't happen, I'll be going round after work to stand in their shop and complain very loudly. I shall let you know if I win...

On the wedding front, we spent Saturday buying outfits. Tim's dad and brother came over, and all the men went to MK and bought suits, shirts and waistcoats. Meanwhile, Mum and I went shopping for the 'mother of the bride' outfit. She's got a lovely suit and a very funky hat to wear now...

We seem to have rather a lot to get sorted in the next few weeks - I'm starting to get stressed! I'm sure we'll get everything done, but I think I'll be spending a lot of my time at work on the phone. Hope my boss understands...

Our house...

... now belongs to us - well, to Nationwide really, but we've promised to pay them back. I'll go and pick the keys up after work and see if it looks the same as we remember it!

Ironing television

I don't mind doing the ironing - in fact I quite enjoy it, as long as there's something suitable to watch on the TV while I'm doing it. It has to be something I can follow without really watching and which isn't too taxing on the brain. So last night I finished off the weekends ironing in front of 'the 100 greatest music videos' on channel 4. Perfect ironing TV - lots of music and useless facts with various 'famous faces' talking abotu them, joined together by Jimmy Carr being mildly amusing. Unfortunately, in the end we stayed up until midnight to find out the number one (Thriller, not a huge surprise) so we're both a bit tired this morning.

Next Sunday evening is the '100 greatest tearjerkers', featuring missed penalties and probably Elton singing candle in the wind. So I'm saving the ironing up until then!

Exciting house news

I have just had a phone call from our solicitors to say that we have exchanged contracts on the house - hooray!! We should complete on Tuesday, so from then until the end of the month Tim and I will have two residences in Bedford. This also means that from now until the end of the month we'll be packing, moving, unpacking, sorting out utility bills, getting quotes from builders, buying white goods and getting them fitted and other things I'm sure I've forgotten at the moment. But at this precise moment in time none of that worries me as we've survived the stress that is buying a house!

Visitors will be very welcome - give us time to put up some curtains and buy a sofa :-)

Subtle marketing...

I went to Sainsbury's at lunchtime to pick up a few bits and pieces. No sooner had I walked in the door than I was assailed by the smell of freshly baked hot cross buns, even though the bakery is at the back of the store... right by the door, though, was a large basket full of packs of said buns, marked with '2 for £1.00' - very tempting! But I resisted their subtle marketing and didn't buy them on impulse. I'm feeling quite proud of this, though I suspect that Tim won't be impressed...

A good book

The more observant of you may have noticed the 'currently reading' section at the top left. I don't intend to comment on all the books I read - that's not what this blog is for - but I have to recommend my lastest read to everyone as I think more people should read it.

'The Twins' by Tessa de Loo tells the story of two sisters who are separated at 6 years of age when their parents die, and are reunited 70 years later - after the second world war. One lived in Holland and the otehr in Germany, so they led very different lives and had very different views of the war. Most of the book tells their life history in flashback, alternating between them.

This book was beautifully written (well, translated as it was originally written in Dutch), and I found it very hard to put down. Both the sister's stories made me realise how terrible the war was for those who lived through it, although 'survived' through it might be a better phrase. I've never really though of what the war was like for ordinary german people before, and this made me realise that they suffered as well. It also made me want to find out more about the war - I only have a very basic knowledge and I think I should know more. It's been quite a timely read, with all the news stories on Auschwitz recently. So go out, get a copy and see what you think!