Busy weekend

Gerard the builder suggested on Friday that they could start working in the utility room and study - seeing as they couild be easily separated off from the rest of the house by closing the doors into the hall and the kitchen. So Lyn and I spent the weekend clearing out the study and utility room - a big job considering that we had used the "study" as a storage facility and over time it had got rather full to say the least! - Now our dining room is over full with all sorts of boxes and other miscellaneous objects. We finally threw a pile of things out into the skip outside

The builders arrive

Well finally the builders have come - initially the schedule was due to start at the beginning of June, but between having to revise the plans and the holidays, everything got delayed. But they are finally here and have started knocking everything down! I had cleared out the old boiler house at the weekend and it's just as well because by the time I had left to go to work this morning the roof was off and they were starting to demolish the walls. I returned home to find that a significant portion of the rear of the house was in a pile in the back yard. Still it's good to get things finally started. At least the weather is good at the minute - (unlike the South of England with floods) - last week it was still wet and I'm sure it would have interfered with the work.

It's raining

The builders are due to start in just over a week - and I hope the weather changes!!
It's been bucketing down for the last 3 or 4 weeks - some summer so far and if it is like this when the builders are working it will be one big mud pile!

New job!

I have in my infinite wisdom encouraged the creation of a website for the school - so I have been burning the midnight oil in setting it up - as yet it is pretty empty but it has been an interesting intellectual diversion - for those of you who are into web matters it is created using a content management system called Joomla! - for those of you who aren't - well here is the website!
Click here

Builders

Today we signed the contract for our house extension! - we started this process over 18 months ago, but due to various factors it is only now coming to fruition. We will get 2 more bedrooms out of this and a new living area next to the kitchen. Initially the work was due to start in early June but we had to redraft the plans as the first tenders were way too much - now work will start in mid July and may last 18 weeks (we have hopes it will be less seeing that that was the time on the first workplans when we had more building work to get done.) It remains to be seen. I will probably use this blog as a running commentary on the work - both for info to anyone out there and also as a mechanism for ventilating any frustration!!

The School Play

Ben and Bethy were both in the school play (Jack and the Beanstalk) this evening - well Ben was in the chorus and Bethy was a chicken! They also are in the school choir and the orchestra which were performing as well. The kids (by that I mean all not just our two) did really well - there was a lot of work put into it - not least by Mum who supervised and to a significant extent participated in the manufacture of 85 hats for the costumes! Here is Beth in her starring role!

Erins gym competition

Erin who goes to gymnastics every week (along with her sisters) took part in a competition today - her sisters didn't want to but Erin was really keen. And rightly so too - she came 2nd in the vault and floor exercises (there only were the two disciplines!) and 1st overall. Not bad eh! Here she is with her medals and cup. Click here to see the slideshow in full size