Thursday, July 12, 2012


This morning’s weather broadcast said that only 1.6 hours of sunshine have been recorded in Edinburgh this month – at a time of year when the sun is potentially available for many hours a day. It is certainly not to be seen this morning.

After that statement, I am in rabbit-in-headlight mode. Where to turn?

The dining room wallpaper turned out to be seriously torn in a couple of places we hadn’t spotted, so it has come down.

Choosing new paper is not a job for me. My husband must decide, and he moves slowly. We made a start yesterday. Let’s assume – and it’s a big assumption – that we can reach a conclusion today. They can’t possibly finish tomorrow, so the job goes on into next week.

James will arrive on Sunday with two children. He’ll be tired from a stressful period at work, and he’ll want to go to K*rkmichael, which he loves. My husband seems to think that he and James could manage up there without me. He underestimates the stress his own care imposes. Not to mention organising meals.

I’ll ask the men when they get here how much longer the job will take (including removing the scaffolding, which has to be done before the walls are finished lest the new wallpaper get torn). Then I’ll phone James’ wife Cathy and discuss strategy.

Here are the socks. I think just at the moment that my vote is for Strong-Fleegle or Reverse French for a toe-up heel. That’s a Sweet Tomato you’re looking at, and it looks rather narrow. 


Jared has written and illustrated an interesting post about ease – a difficult subject.

7 comments:

  1. Oh goodness Jean, I do hope you can put all this ceiling business behind you really soon. What a nightmare!

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  2. Robin2:00 PM

    A month without sun will depress most people. When you add the challenges of repairing your dining room, it is no wonder you are feeling down. Good thing you are knitting red socks! They are a cheery sight.

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  3. Would it be possible to find a wallpaper producer who makes papers that would be similar in pattern to what you had on the walls? That may simplify things. I know in the States there are companies that produce papers for certain time periods.

    Just a thought.

    Hugs and mojo on everything working out to bring this adventure to an end.

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  4. =Tamar4:54 PM

    About the lack of sunlight: I would like to recommend getting at least one set of Ott-Lite daylight fluorescent lamps. They are fairly reasonably priced and give you as close to full-spectrum sunlight as can be had for less than $5,000. I find them to be a cheerful influence. There are small ones sold at knitting and sewing shops, but the bulbs can also be bought for larger existing fixtures.

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  5. Oh, the weather. It is an important topic around here as all the crops are close to failing due to no rain. I can't begin to imagine what this is going to do to our local economy.

    http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/06/25/505474/midwestern-drought-intensifies-i-dont-remember-anytime-it-was-this-dry-this-early/?mobile=nc

    According to my mother, the year I was born (1965), there was a hard frost on the 4th of July and it was 102 degrees three weeks later when they brought me home from the hospital.

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  6. Have you seen Kate Davies' blog? While still disagreeing that they have infringed her copyright, Debenhams has donated £ 5000 to a charity chosen by Kate.

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  7. I agree about getting a good light. I can highly recommend buying from the RNIB online shop, they are good lights and every purchase helps, they also are cheaper than some other lights but IMHO superior. I have both an OTT light and the White Floor standing light from the RNIB and I prefer the latter.
    http://www.rnib.org.uk/shop/Pages/Category.aspx?Category=lighting
    You do not have to be sight impaired to order either and they are efficient, parcels usually appear within a couple of days!

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