It was such an innocent sentence, inserted in a post just over a week ago:
“I will be free to enjoy some wind (hopefully) and decorate a bedroom (regretfully).”
Well, you can forget about enjoying the wind and amplify the ‘regretfully’; what a shit way to spend a week.
The scenario seemed simple enough. On my left we have a smartly decorated little room, awash with computers and sporting a three metre long piece of solid teak masquerading as computer table. Regular readers will recall the saga of installing the beast. On my right we have a large bedroom with a large wooden bed and the beginnings of a photography studio (3 lights and a table). She who must be obeyed, who is getting seriously into this photography lark, has grand plans for backdrops and sidedrops and all manner of props sufficient to shoot crowd scenes for a major movie. But these grand plans do not really fit in with the concept of a guest bedroom.
So…..
Convert computer room into bedroom, convert guest bedroom into computer room and photo studio, you have one week. Go!
Stage 1 was simple enough, if long-winded and boring. Remove all items of furniture from bedroom and paint walls. This involved the usual mind-numbing preparation where flaky bits of wall were sanded down to reveal collapsing bits of wall and massive volumes of plaster infill would then follow. I then carefully masked off the edges to ensure the paint only landed where it should. This turned out to be a waste of time because she who must be obeyed decided to help with the painting.
My approach to painting a wall is to carefully go round the edges with a brush, just overlapping onto the masking tape; and then use a roller for the rest. I climb a ladder for the high bits and sit on the ground for the low bits. None of that nonsense for my wife. She appeared with an old broom, and stuffed the broom handle end into the roller to produce a long and dangerous instrument of destruction. Using her extended device she could layer on paint from floor to ceiling (and on the floor and the ceiling). What she gained in reach, she lost in precision; and her shock and awe approach to decorating left a lasting impression on places that were not expecting paint, including one of the cats. To her credit, she did then spend a couple of hours with various liquids removing the stray paint, although the cat remains slightly spattered.
I think the green tastes better than the white.
Painting done, it was onto stage 2; moving the computer table from one room to another. I will admit to losing sleep over this. I recall how difficult it was for four fit young men to install the thing; I failed to see how a geriatric with a repaired hernia and broken back was going to shift it; but I didn’t reckon on the blind enthusiasm of she who must be obeyed. She appeared with pillows and towels.
We put these under the legs and slide it.
That won’t work.
It did. At least until we arrived at the doorway and discovered that the table would not fit through the hole.
We will tip the table onto its side and then slide it through.
That won’t work.
It did. And although I was completely buggered afterwards, the monster table was successfully transported to a new home. We then did the same to a bookcase, which turned out to be even more difficult than the table and required some advanced manoeuvrings before it could be extracted and repositioned. And I am walking with only the slightest of limps.
The rest was comparatively easy and the new bedroom is now looking very smart and awaits the arrival of The Son. The studio/computer room is less advanced. Computers are operational, but the three kilometres of associated wiring is yet to be hidden away, and we have yet to commission the construction of the various studio components.
That was my week, hope yours was a whole lot better.
Comments 🔗
2011-01-18| TheSon saysI’ve changed my mind and would now like to sleep in the kitchen area, on that computer table, surrounded by studio lights. I trust this won’t be a problem.
2011-01-18| Spike saysNot a problem; the kitchen is where we keep the very sharp knives…..