MenoSundays; Life Lived Lovingly

On this day I would normally post something inspirational or deep and meaningful or mind fodder of some description. Today, though, it is going to be a little more personal than that; by way of gratitude but also a need for 'completion'.

Gratitude for all the warm and caring and concerned thoughts expressed in response to Friday's post of the 'kitchen kaper'! Completion in the sense that there were questions asked and I wish to provide answers - and show further progress. Forgive me this self-indulgence dear ones, but it serves catharsis as well. Am still a bit discombobulated by it all and certainly a bit achy and pain-y from all the unusual bend and stretch that has been enforced. Anyway...

There were questions regarding water damage... none since my arrival seven years back. However, there must have been some at some stage, for there is staining on the wall to suggest it; admittedly that may have been from the time before we had those major repairs to the roof and back external wall. This leads to the most-asked question -

Who pays for the repair? That would be yours truly. I own the flat - not a tenant. Had there been visible and traceable water ingress, then it might be another matter. The tenant in the flat above is very heavy-footed and I have often wondered if the lounge ceiling might come in (heaven forbid!!!), but I don't think that could be claimed against. The building insurance is the usual rort with large excess so not even worth trying for that. No. Deep breaths. I Will just have to see to it myself - but it won't be in any hurry because, for a start, this is not an 'urgent' repair, but considered cosmetic and therefore current lockdown restrictions do not permit entry to homes by workmen for such. Summer will be earliest and even then I may hold off. Once the father's estate gets settled it is my intention to get the bathroom ceiling at long last repaired and this one can happen at the same time. (Also wish to remodel the bathroom, so an all in one mess - hopefully - in about another year's time.)

The plaster has been up for well over a hundred years, and the building does occasionally shift, so a few cracks are there which weren't when I bought the place. It comes with the territory of this type of building.

Now, one other question was asked - "where is the shelving?" Which in a way pleased me, because I chose what I did in order for it to be low-impact on the eye. Anyway, it is wire, foldable stuff and this is it close up...

I think I may have squealed with delight when putting it in place, for it is exactly what I envisaged. A relief, considering it was not particularly cheap! Now, I suspect there may be a question as to why on the counter and not in a cupboard. The answer, my dears, is that there is no cupboard for them! The previous owner put in a kitchen to 'flip' the flat quickly. It was pleasing to the eye but turns out to be rather impractical. There were only two small drawers and there are actually only four and a half useable cupboards. Another houses the gas meter, and the 'half' is the corner over which these shelves sit, which is virtually inaccessible and therefore - currently - totally wasted space. That is the one I have been working up to sorting after the success of the neighbouring one. I'll get back to that. Anyhoo - back to the shelving, as you see it holds all my herbs and spices, cooking fats, eggs, treats tin, condiments and such like. Let's not forget the vegemite!!! Everything to hand right where I need it and it is all stuff accessed regularly, if not daily. Am so thrilled with these wires, am considering a repeat purchase for use on the other side. We'll see.

I just wanted to show you something of what was being dealt with -

I know some of you have an inkling of the kind of dust that comes from such tumblings, but here it is bold as brown! In the foreground, you see a portion that has been wiped down once and can also then see that it will need another going over at least twice. This stuff is disgusting and gets to places you wouldn't believe. Three days in and it is still falling out of the air. Something of a habitual wiper-downer at regular times I'm now going to be a hyper wiper for a while! Thank heavens for this stuff. As its promo promises: 

each squirt, in all it’s lovely non-toxic glory, delivers a mighty cleaning punch with naturally derived, biodegradable ingredients. it’s cleaners, derived from corn + coconut, break down dirt naturally, so every spray leaves nothing behind but a fresh scent + gleaming clean. knock out dirt with the power of plants.

I kid you not, it's the best stuff I have ever used - look at that stovetop! 

All the crockery and other items from this 'stage two' part of the kitchen were put through the dishwasher as even with gloves on my skin was beginning to object to water immersion. A little rejig of the upper corner (gas meter) cupboard meant that a few of the items were now going to be undercover. On Saturday morning, the new bin arrived. I shifted the dryer (inherited on purchase of Hutch and never even plugged in so a white elephant - pressed into service to hold all the plastic bags the grocery insists on delivering my shopping in) to the right and slotted the old bin minus its lid in behind and the new one in front. The first to hold recycling and the latter to gather all the other stuff. By lunchtime Saturday, stage two was more or less done.

Stage three was to clear all the stuff left over on the table and the drawer tops. I had inherited a couple of bedside drawer cabinets from Edinburgh and they are sitting back to back behind the table, now, and holding all the tea towels, napkins, stationery and other such stuff which had previously had to be in other rooms or just out on the surface. There is to be another set of cabinetry to come from Edinburgh, eventually, one piece of which will sit on top of those drawers and provide another important storage space, which I have temporarily sorted with more of those wonderful delivery boxes!!!

That table almost looks clean enough to eat off now.

Sigh... now it is back to finalising the cupboard rejig and the place will very nearly be working as I want it to. Thank you all for your patience as I narrated my kitchen kaper!