SPRING IN THE AIR

Spring in the air.  (Spring in the air yerself, said she).

Anyway, enough silliness!  Spring has sprung and while a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love this gal's thoughts have turned to ... spring cleaning, fixing and refreshing.  Oh No! The time for hard work is upon me! Well, more accurately upon my husband and any others I can rope in.  Yes, I'll do some cleaning and a lot of supervising and after all that supervising, well deserved coffee breaks.  I have to save my energy for the weekly clean once guests arrive after all.

Over the past few weeks I have been making out a list of 'To Dos' for my band of helpers.  My husband hasn't seen the list yet ~ I find it better to drip feed the 'To Do' list and especially when it is actually things for him (and others) to do rather than me. 

So what's to be done?

~ A fresh coat of paint on exterior walls of Daisy Cottage.  I suppose not strictly necessary as it was only done last year, but still.

~ Husband to finally get my 'bread and butter' cupboard painted in that scarlet red I bought last year for the job.  For those who don't know what a 'bread & butter' cupboard is, it is my name for those tall cupboards seen in many kitchens in the '50s and '60s which stored food and dishes and the door in the middle opened down to allow the buttering of bread.  There you go, now you know what a 'bread & butter' cupboard is.

~ I'm thinking about painting the downstairs bedroom in a fresh spring yellow.  I currently have my husband painting the furniture in that room white which I think will be so much nicer than the dark wood (that's the dark wood I just had to buy last year!).  A lady can always change her mind. 

~ Finish the hem for the gorgeous black and white gingham curtains I made last year for the kitchen window.  Honestly, I spent ages making the curtains and then never got around to actually finishing them.  I'll do this job ~ himself wouldn't know one end of sewing machine from the other.

My pretty gingham curtains ~ must hem!

~ Have himself tile around the work top.  I took ages last year picking lovely little black and vanilla coloured tiles which would match the units and the black granite work-top and then between everything else that was happening getting ready for our first season, the tiles were never put up.  This year for sure.

~ Tile the floor in the 'glory hole' ~ the cupboard under the stairs.  And put oil cloth on the shelves too.  That way it will be cement dust free and I will be able to store all my spare bedding and towels there rather than hoisting mountains of fresh bedding and towels down each week when guests leave.  Plus, it will then be uncluttered once again.  You would not believe how much junk I managed to gather in the past year and it's all packed in under the stairs in the 'glory hole'.

~ Paint the walls in the games loft.  This was one of the jobs that wasn't done in time for the season last year but I'm sure the benefits of enjoying a game of pool or a game of air hockey was more important than painted walls.  Of course we are now arguing about the colour to use.  I want something really strong and bright ~ the ceiling is very high and so can take it.  Himself wants in a paler colour (I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that I still have a full tub of vanilla coloured emulsion left over ...).  Luckily my son has a VERY tall brother-in-law who is brilliant at painting and very fast too so it will be done quickly.

~ Make bunting to drape around the Great Outdoors Under Cover (the covered and paved patio area).  I just love, love, love bunting.  It makes me feel happy and think about parties so I think it is perfect for guests on holiday to enjoy days and nights relaxing outside.  I actually bought all the material, tape, and so on last year and it sits waiting my fair hand, pinking sheers and sewing machine beside me in the kitchen at home. 

Bunting + champagne + blue skies = PARTY!

~ Put shutters up either side of the two front downstairs windows.  I have wanted to do this for a while but we only got around to measuring the size last weekend.  I think against the yellow wall, brightly painted white shutters will look very pretty.  I'm sure I won't love them as much when I have to wash them every week, but hey.  I won't put them on the upstairs windows because of the nice white 'relief' on the yellow background on the upstairs exterior.

~ Make window boxes.  This is another of the things I was to do last year but never got around to.  That's a fib actually.  I DID buy the boxes, the potting compost and lots of plants and made up two window boxes.  But I did actually get someone to climb up a ladder and put them on the window ledges and you can take it from me there is no way on earth I'd do it ~ I get height sick in very high heals for goodness sake!  So two are made only one or three to make depending on whether I put them downstairs too.  We'll see. 

~ Make a 'House Manual' for Daisy Cottage!  This is the hardest of all.  There seems so much to put in it.  I have been working on it since long before we rented Daisy Cottage and it's still not complete.  I am never happy just to jot down something and that's it, done and dusted.  Oh, no, no, me?  I have to write tomes.  Guests will need to eat lots of spinach prior to visiting so they have the strength to lift the 'House Manual' let alone read it.  I jest.  

And that's it ... so far.  I'm sure I'll think of other little projects.