DIY

it has been some weeks since my last blog and i must admit that even that was not a very comprehensive one. I mean i totally did not mention that I had so much trouble with the visa office in Singapore trying to get here but i guess the people who read my blog whould have already had first hand news when it all happened...

so what else have i been up to since the gardening incident. Not much really. I have been doing bits of gardening and planting some new bulbs in my front and back garden, bought a small lavender plant at the scarecrow fair and placed it in my back garden. Besides that, I have been up to my ears in DIY at our home. Its totally different here, they do not hire contractors and hand over the keys to come back home to a made-over / renovated home, they usually choose to do it themselves here cos it is also cheaper than hiring builders or workers... and lots of stores here are catered to that, like B&Q, Wickes etc. so we have been ripping our dining room apart, rather it is me who went to tear off all the wall paper in the dining room, only to reveal a very bad damp section in one corner, as i was ripping the paper off, a puddle of water splashed down on me! we knew there was a previous leak but we thought we fixed it, so we decided since we need to investigate the leak, lets go and do the bathroom while we are at it, so dining room stalled and now workin on toilet, putting in tiles and all, grouting is my expertise me. I sit in my "office", ie our house toilet for 8 hours grouting the floor and wall tiles, now we are showering with bath curtains taped to the bare brick walls as we await the weekend to hack more off and for andy to place more up.

Also waiting for delivery are some bathroom stuff we ordered online, it is much cheaper than buying in the stores, but i hope it turns out ok, its just not the same not being able to see and have the "shopping" experience. by the way, still waiting for the 3 metre long wardrobe, still making its way from Germany by boat... due 19 Oct.

2 weekends ago, we went to the Scarecrow Weekend at Belbroughton while on our break from DIY-ing the toilet. it was lovely, like a street fair with lots of scarecrows on display by pple who lived in the village. see the pics. Weather has been alright, a bit colder i think and also the night is longer. Have not been out much.

I am still not yet looking for a job altho I think i should, it just seems a bit strange and difficult for me to start the process again after so long and also I have a little insecurity about trying to fit into this English society again. i know i worked here before, but that was slightly different, hard to explain, thankfully, Andrew believes that I will do it when i am ready. He has a lot of faith...