As Michael said, Rome wasn't built in a day, but Si's wall was!

Using very thick gloves to protect very sore fingers, it was a shame to waste a sunny afternoon, so a spot of wall building was in order. With three manic 10yr olds kicking the hell out of the footie nets, and Si's caf open for business, not much office work possible today.....time for puddings from heaven now, chocolate log on waffles, with vanilla ice-cream, chocolate sauce and toffee crisp bites to top them off. If they aren't sick after that lot, there's no justice in the world.

I tried a few different lamp shades before settling on the Habitat Tord Boontje Garland light in black. They are £19 each so I only used 2 and cut them down to stretch to 3 light fittings - easy enough to do.
And i couldn't resist popping a few crystals onto the sticker wall, just in the big flowers. Yes, I know it's a bloody rental but life has to be fun hasn't it?? Can't all be 14 hr days, paperwork and financial depression!!!!!

Pjt Cathedral - Snapshots of activity

The finish date for the flat is here, and er, it's not finished.
90% of the way there, most of electrics done, one more coat of varnish on living room floor, furniture to arrive and be carted up three flights of stairs, cannot for the life of me find any half decent surface mounted bathroom rated downlights.
The venetian mirrors look gorgeous, and the window cill is being made from a left over piece of kitchen work surface, nice and chunky. Light shelf gives enough light to sink area, phewf.
The tenant hasn't seen the flat for weeks. It's a bit of a statement, god, I hope she likes it. I can just imagine her coming up the stairs.... telling me she hates monochrome and anything with a flower pattern.....

Pjt Cathedral - Painted white floorboards, 9", gloss and varnish

It's getting closer now, as the floor is down in Project Cathedral and the furniture can finally go in.
Yes, I know some people may say it's not sensible to spec white floors in a rental flat but real wood was too expensive, carpet would have looked RUBBISH, laminate a problem for sound ( and good taste....) so when the lovely John at Fallowfield Timber sourced me 36m of 9" pine boards, tongue and grooved with strips taken from underneath to prevent the wide boards warping, for just under £300 I was sold. Had to get it fitted, and the extra time was a consideration - two coats of B&Q bare wood primer, which acts as primer and undercoat, then sanded with a 120 paper to smooth the finish. Clean with white spirit, dry, then two coats of Dulux Diamond Eggshell in brilliant white. I used this water based paint because oil based whites slowly go yellow as the oil comes to the fore, and yellowing nicotiney floors are not high on my list of design aspirations!
Then sealed with two coats of Ronseal Diamond floor varnish.

And they look lush.....

The Sh*t West and the IBS

At the moment I really hate these banks. Hate them. I couldn't have less respect for their customer care policies and business liaison strategies if I tried really really hard.
I have lost count of the number of people who feel well and truly shafted by these, and other banks.
This week, after taking almost £1000 in fees for converting an overdraft to a loan, and insisting on a property charge as security - another £1000, they decided it would be a good idea to put a stop on my business account as it's over the overdraft limit. Even tough they are the ones who have taken it there by withdrawing the funds!! Even though they themselves are in the middle of recifiying this at the moment and it'll be done by next week! Are they dafts? I think they are past caring what customers think / want / need. Or did they ever care?!
How many business need to go to the wall before they realise they are crippling British industry? Bloody numpties.

On a positive note, it has been a gloriously sunny day, all my plants are peeping through in the garden, and Project Cathedral looks amazing - the banks can't control everything......

Susan Myers, Desperate Housewife anti-stepmom cowbag

Its been a very hectic day. Unbelieveably. Three lots of tenants in and out, joiner in filing doors at Pjt Cathedral. Ikea run. Shower fitted and bits missing. C's footie match playing top of league team.
And get in and sit down at 10pm, to food and gin, and listen to Desperate Housewives, showing how not to be a mother. This is what i live with every week. You try and be a great step mum, do stuff, be there, not to replace a mum, who can do that, but just be the best you can be, to make a child the happiest he or she can be in the worst situation - the fact that their mum and dad are not together anymore. And you get treated like a piece of shit. Instead of the most miniscule bit of appreciation that you are not being the stepmom from hell, and that you care when a child is happy or unhappy, stable or unstable, that you try and make their life ok and fun and happy when they are away from the woman they love most in the world, their mum, that same mum tries their utmost to make your life as hellish as possible.
Sometimes women are very stupid. Selfish. Self obsessed. And crazy mad with what should be let go of.
I have never had kids. I have never felt that bond of mother and child. But I do the best I can, and thats all I can do.
I hope Susan Myers realises how stupid she is being, and the writers of DH write this in the way they should.
Doubt it though, cause stepmoms are always evil, dontcha know.

Brain Yates - Pip - Happy papers

I've fallen in happy love this week with a range of wallpapers, guaranteed to put a smile on even the most credit crunched of victims. How gorgeous are these papers ?? Bright, colourful, packed with fun imagery; will totally banish the blues. I am hoping Mrs Rose Cottage will like them, they would look perfect .....
The PIP studio, famous for its "Happy products, happy people" has collaborated to create this delightful and cheerful collection of trend-setting wallpapers.

"An eye for detail with layered prints in the most amazingly "happy" colour combinations makes PIP a rather unique concept.

Classical garden birds sitting on delicate branches of blossom sparkle in gold and silver. Trailing florals interspersed with butterflies and a cute cross-stitch design can be used with more calming stripes and polka dots. There is a combination of photographic images and detailed drawings which can be applied to the walls or other surfaces like a collage.

Unexpected colours of fireman red, warm grey and canary yellow or fresh chalky tones of minty blues and greens. PIP is indeed a trend-setting and up-beat collection. Sold by the roll, 10m x 53cm and as sets of wallpictures."

Exposed beams & Obama's Kevlar V The Laguna

Most of the beams at Project Cathedral were, sadly, a bit crap, so had to be boxed off and feature lighting added to them for a bit of extra interest. One was ok, in the bedroom, and was duly sanded down using a hand sander. You don't need to get a particularly smooth finish, unless I get a tenant with extraordinarily lengthy arms, no-one will be running their fingers along it. Here you can see the difference where the darker section has had teak oil brushed on (precariously from a very wonky ladder).
The colours all come to the fore and all of a sudden a rather pale and uninteresting beam, looking a bit like my leg in March, suddenly looks like Posh Spice's Fakebaked pin in Milano.

Obama's heading off to have breakfast with Gordon Brown this morning, a bet Gordo's a laugh a minute to break a croissant with, eh. Apparently Obama's car has Kevlar wheels and a cavalcade of protection, well, he's got nothing on the Laguna this morning, fully loaded, primed and ready to do the Burton Rd, Ikea, B&Q, Bishops Corner, Stockport Glass and Ballbrook Court run. Kevlar wheels. Wet fanny.

Not a happy man; it must be love!

M's gripes......

A Its his day off and he hasn't even had time to shave

B Could the car be any more full, don't I know anything about a car's suspension and don't I even CARE about his car?

C Why do we never go anywhere else together but Ikea, B&Q and, er well, nowhere else really.

D The only place for me to squeeze into the car is haha right in his ear where I can chat about where all this stuff is going to go all the way down the M62.

Never mind all that Mills and Boon bollocks, this is true love ;-)

Project Lennon - Finished and tenant in!

Well, it's been an 8 week project, as planned, & the tenant moved today, she's an existing tenant who is up-sizing & moving from 1 flat to another. I'm really pleased with the studio it feels light & airy, & the high ceilings, new picture rail & revamped fireplace give it a sense of character and personality.

It's pretty unrecognisable....




There are still some bits to do, finish round the fireplace with oak beading and I'm debating mirroring over the red and damaged inset tiles in the fireplace.

The oak style flooring was good value, from Ikea, I have re-used a Klippan sofa which has been taking up room in my house forever (instead of spending money on a new one), both tables have been repainted in black gloss, and the mirror was an original pine monstrosity from Project Lennon which again had been repainted.

And when the tenant saw it, she gasped, and said, quote, wow, it feels like a real flat - which makes me think I need to do something to the one she was in......

Tenants Deposits and Brucie Bonuses

What a dopey cow. It's a glorious sunny Sunday and I am not, unfortunately on my girlie weekend in Cheltenham (instead it will be a home game end May). Instead I'm heading over to find out how goes Project Cathedral where they are putting down the floor. It's in the 'sticker' rooms - see earlier post) and the guys are beavering away on a Sunday as the tenant wants to move in this week. Along with the other 6 in and outs of various tenants this week, jesus.
I don't know whether it's the CC, but lots of people are moving in, out, up, on, around; making big life decisions and addressing things in their lives which in 'happier' times maybe they wouldn't. Never had so many people moving out, and then filled so quickly.
Which makes the admin a complete nightmare, when fitting it in between designing flats, organising workmen and balancing finances, and a home! Not to mention the dreaded utility warehouse.
So kinda explains why the lovely Claire who moved out yesterday just got a text from me at 10am on a Sunday saying would she mind awfully transferring £438 back to me as I'd given her someone else's deposit amount instead of her £600 Doh! She texted back that wasn't it a Brucie Bonus for being such a good tenant. I may be a nice landlady but I'm not that bloody nice :-)

OMG Annie Lennox is Victoria Wood

Annie Lennox or an alien

When I fell for this woman, years back, dressed in a sharp suit, with orange hair, looking like a sexy androgynous creature from another planet with a voice from another galaxy, never in my wildest nightmares could I have imagined that she would turn into a vision of BHS pastel sequinned squareness, with flappy arms, saggy pants and hammed up over-acting to every previously loved song. Bloody hell, Annie, get some bleedin advice on how to be a new millenium Diva, cause this Ethel Austin does Xmas impersonation of The Eurythmics has killed me. And what's with all the woooo wapp di wap wap arm waving??! And the shite backing singers and clearly shipped in audience? AWFUL. I wanted do dive into your ocean, really i did, but it was a bit of a 'take me as I am, I don't need advice, I am Annie, my voice isn't as good as it was but I don't have to up my game in any other way' performance.

Quite possibly the most depressing but funniest email I will receive this year - Secret Millionaire

Anyone, anyone, anyone who is involved with property in any way shape or form is suffering at the moment, unless they are one of the incredibly rare people with cash in their pocket, maybe they sold a portfolio just before the markets seized up, or have owned property for years and years and have a very low LTV. The vast majority of people and companies I know - ranging from small developers / landlords fighting to keep profitable and finish off stuff they have started now finance has dried up and the rental market is up and down like a tarts knickers; to large companies whose chairmen once spent thousands on interior design and now send Mrs Chairman down to M&S with a strict budget - are not just tightening their belts, they are putting extra holes in with desktop hole punches.

Me included.

So I was tickled, amused and, in equal measures, depressed when this dropped into my in box today. Its past 10pm, and I am beavering away in the attic on paperwork, worrying about every penny........ and the, I am sure, lovely Anna Brent from RDF Media has the perfect opportunity for me. Hang on Anna, I'll just give the IBS a call and ask for  a couple hundred thousand to give away, I fancy having a go at being a philanthropist. Or maybe after reading this invitation, which is so far from being possible right now, I fancy just being 'pist..............

Dear Sian

I hope you are well.

I am writing to you on behalf of RDF Television from the award-winning and critically acclaimed documentary series about philanthropy that we produce for Channel 4. After three hugely successful series, we are now looking for people with the means to take part in the next hit series which will transmit next year.

We are currently contacting successful people from a variety of sectors including business owners, entrepreneurs and senior management. Having read about your success and seen the article in the Didsbury Magazine, I thought I would get in touch to see if you may like to consider being a potential benefactor as we are particularly keen to speak to women.

To give you some more information about the series, in each episode a different benefactor is given the opportunity to live ‘undercover’ in some of the UK’s most deprived areas. They do not reveal their full identity, and immerse themselves in the community for ten days; meeting the local residents, making new friends, taking on jobs or doing voluntary work - all with a view to deciding who they believe is most in need of their support. At the end of their visit, these modern day philanthropists reveal their true identities to those they’d like to help and offer their time, their skills and their financial assistance to help make a positive change to people’s circumstances.

This programme offers philanthropists a rare opportunity to actually meet the people that directly benefit from their assistance. It also allows our benefactors to highlight and explore specific social issues that may be close to their heart.

This project would require 10 consecutive days out of your schedule between now and the end of August.

Should you have any questions please do contact me on 0207 013 4395 or by e-mail of course. If you aren’t familiar with the series, I’d be more than happy to send you some previous episodes to watch.

I have attached an information sheet about the programme, some press quotes and testimonials from benefactors who have previously taken part. You can also watch clips of the previous series on the Channel 4 website - http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/S/secret_millionaire/index.html and the latest series is broadcasting now on Sunday evenings at 9pm.

I very much hope that you will be excited by the possibilities this programme offers.

Kind regards

Anna Brent

Too stressed for words

Totally boring day in Hope with the Daily Mail, last week's National Enquirer and the rheumatologist eventually refusing to do a biopsy until the blood results come back. And telling me all about Lyme like an expert even though he kept calling it Lymes Disease. Gives you such faith. But he did ask me to come back for an echogram and 24hr scan thingy as apparently I have a heart murmur. M was just surprised that they'd found one. Heart not murmur. I was just pleased to be out for The Apprentice, though the first ep was a bit lame, didn't the bootee have a very odd squashed up face? Anyhow.

Not feeling up to work, so went to watch C's school team play at a tournament up at Blackburn Rovers, but they are nice boys, far too nice for the terrier roughness of 5-a-side, and the ragmuffin City side won (very scary parents, boys likely to turn out much the same, hard to tell men from women, most had teeth missing).

Ordered furniture from Coach House then spent 2hrs stressing that I had spent too much, and should have gone to Ikea. 

Still no sign of loan from IBS. 

700 trillion emails to go through. 

All contracts to do. Still.

Still opening post from 2 weeks ago.

Oh god.

Loving the breakdown and pink kitchens

Despite having a million things to do today, I agreed with M it was important to get these lesions biopsied, so was about to head off to hospital with him after the school run..... and the car has broken down. I think someone up there is smiling at me, allowing me this extra 2 hrs to get contracts and paperwork etc done just in case they keep me in, never have I been so pleased to be able to do office work.

Quick browse on mydeco.com, and loved this pink kitchen post from ellis1711, agree with her B&Q's coloured glass tiles are extortionate and suggested getting clear toughened panels made and painting behind, much cheaper and you can change the colour when you get bored of pink!

Merv King holding back - fiscal stimulus Mr Brown?

Where the bloody hell does Gordon Brown think all the money comes from for his ridiculous notions of increased fiscal stimulus for god's sake?? from bloody tax payers who have been squeezed dry from years of hidden taxation, badly thought out tax policies, and overspending and wasting public money. Why can't we go back to giving out tax payers money to those who deserve it, not those who can work the 'system'. Everyone who claim benefits should be made to work for their payments, simple system - so every street, every estate, every public area can be revamped, revitalised and reinvigorated by the very people who either pay for them or use them i.e. everybody. Is that a hard concept to get your head round? If people felt like they had a vested interest in the success of this country instead of being so far bloody removed from it that it's failure also becomes nothing to do with them either, maybe we wouldn't be in the mess we are in.

Leek and tallegio rissotto

Slightly depressed by my GP's admission that in 25yrs he had never met a patient with Lyme, we needed comfort food in my house. This was found in Nigel Slater's Leek & Tallegio Rissotto, M had a coronary at the price of the cheese (needed 225g, asked him to get 300g - £5.40, he was still sputtering an hour later). Utterly delicious, forgot the garlic, splashed in some extra vermouth, and served with tarragon marinated chicken.

I spoke to the kids about maybe having to go into hospital; A (16) thinks it's par for the course as I am a walking medical disaster area, C (10) is very worried. He's a sensitive soul, wanted to know if it was like cancer, what do you say to that? We spoke about it for ages, and he's so very perceptive, wanted to know if I was worried, then he could gauge how he should feel too. A conversation about bacteria, virus's and other medical sturf ensued; thank god for google. 

Lyme?

Oh I am hoping it's not true. Previously baffled by my startling array of weird and wonderful symptoms, a friend's friend (who is a bit of a medical whizz - Louise!) heard the symptoms and suggested Lyme Disease. Having read up on it, and been to the GP and suggested the diagnostic test, I am now (eagerly??) awaiting the result.  

If it's positive, I am crapping myself, as I have about a million tenants moving in and out over this next few weeks, a flat to finish, a clients house to finish, plus an office full of paperwork, and a potential visit to Crete. Bollocks! Life is sent to try us, isn't it. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger? And all that crap ;-)

Coach House

Back in January Homesmine did some filming at Birmingham Interiors, which was fab. Not as ott as previous years, pared down for the economic tightening of belts, but interesting and inspirational nonetheless. One stand I found myself wandering round stood out more than most, a company i've never heard of called Coach House, and I was stunned to find they were based in Accrington. I'm from that area, and their lights have been well and truly hidden under the Lancashire bushel, no-one I know had ever heard of them. And they are massive! 

The stand was gorgeous, full of fabulous room sets, stylishly decorated and rammed with all sorts of goodies.

Anyway, I finally found time on Friday to go up there for a quick hour at the end of the day, and found an Aladdins Cave of treats to furnish Projects Lennon and Cathedral. I haven't been doing much physical stuff due to the mysterious hand problems I have (now thought to be Lyme Disease urghh sounds hideous tests tmw) , but all their stuff comes ready assembled and ready to go. Just need to whittle down my choices now, but the black velvet chesterfield is a definite on the list!