Time's-a-tickin...

I came across the 'Spiky-Haired One' again at the end of last week - I think he may have been self-breeding in the house as another electrician metamorphosed from the airing cupboard (it's very warm in there), and that's where last week's electrical problem existed. The heating/water system is all sorted now though and it seems as though the issue of an electrical certificate is the sparky equivalent of pest control - all scuttling, swearing sparkies have now disappeared as if they'd never been here. It's strange, but I almost miss leaving little cups of ridiculously sweet tea around the house for them; and I almost cried when I found a tiny cut off piece of electrical cable embedded in my foot yesterday. It will be tough, but I have to be strong, hope my heating system stays working and find a way forward. Sparky-free.

It has been a rollercoaster ride over the last few weeks though, what with one thing and another, but I am glad to report our house extension/refurb etc has now been passed by the Building Control Inspector. I now await their all important certificate which will allow us to sell our house in the future, if we so wanted. Hallelujah! Never thought this day would come.

The Glenster has been busy in the baby's room deleting the old artex ceiling and perfecting the imperfect walls. Just the emulsion, glossing & the border to go up so we're/he's nearly there. Which is probably just as well as we found out last night that one of the girls in my NCT antenatal class had her baby (prematurely) on Saturday - both mum and baby are good, although baby is in special care/incubator having weighed in at just over 3lbs. Bless. It was a little scary to hear, but it was a really great way to see seven grown men look gravely ill in two seconds flat. Double Bless. ;) Guess we should really go shopping at the weekend and buy some stuff as all our baby would have at the moment is a (nearly) cool room, a bottle steriliser, a funky top for skiing (yes, you read it right) and an outfit for a 3-6 month old. Oh, and a book.

But between now and junior's arrival there's just the staircase to strip, re-stain & varnish and the decking to go back down in the builder's yard (a.k.a 'garden').

I see light glimmer at the end of a very unyeilding, twisted, tenebrous tunnel. Which is hopefully what my baby cannot see at the moment.

Is this really it?

Perhaps, just perhaps. I may have finally done it. I have had two minutes to get this darn blog off the ground. Sick of being sighed at by Lucy et al, I decided it was time. Although I still don't know how I do all the things 'The Others' have on their blogs, but I'm sure I'll be told. Must just add it was lovely to catch up with y'all at Adrian Mead's excellent course in very writerly Bloomsbury on Saturday. Ass-pinching & boob-groping aside, it really was a splendid day.

So, here I am. The builders have gone - and left me in a heap of plaster dust - but at least they have gone. They forgot to take their spikey haired sparky with them, so he keeps popping up to finish power points, light switches, heating control valves and little riveting jobs like that. Actually, I'm not sure if he's living in the house somewhere and just hibernates over the weekend. Perhaps when I get round to the last packed boxes and cleaning up the final speck of dust (ha ha ha) I'll find his little den - or whatever electricians hibernate in. Until then, I guess he'll keep scuttling out of his socket den and find a wire to adjust.

One of the builders asked me why I had so many power points installed. My answer: I like having the power. It went over his head too.

Had better move on now as I really should unpack a pot, pan or something. Takeaways are wearing thin after three months. Until next time.