After nearly four months of waiting, the last appliance has finally made its appearance. After last week's fiasco, with the two deliver men deeming themselves insufficient, this week they sent ... two delivery men. Plus a risk assessor. After much umming, ah-ing and measuring, they decided that it just might be possible (but that the four man team wouldn't have helped because there's no way that more than two guys would be able to get at the thing whilst lifting it up the stairs). After removing the fridge doors and my front door handle, the proper application of brute force seemed to do the trick, and the last hole in my kitchen is finally filled. Final risk assessment - this shows what can be done - but also what really shouldn't be attempted...
So, it looks like I may finally get my shiny new fridge-freezer soon. In fact, it's due to be delivered on Monday. Something of a wait, to be sure, but it will be nice to have the kitchen finally finished. In celebration, last weekend I picked up a few bits and pieces to help finish the job - a nice blind for the window, and a little stool so that I can sit at the table to eat breakfast (an exciting new experience). Of course, I fully expect it to now prove impossible to manoeuvre the darned thing into the flat, at which point I shall be forced to curl up in a corner and cry.
So I've finally got an install date for my shiny new kitchen - 12th June. those of you who have seen the current one will know that the only way to say anything nice about it is not to say anything at all, so I'm really looking forward to getting the new one in. Of course, there are still a bunch of other things I need to do - today I visited my good friends at Carpet Right to order some vinyl flooring (currently I have carpet. Who puts carpet in a kitchen?).
Other things to do:
Get an electrical survey done - all those shiny new appliances are going to need power, and it would be useful to have some sockets by the worktops where they'll do some good.
Get tiles and paint (OK, that's fairly self explanatory)
Get the phone socket moved to somewhere more sensible. Like, say, the living room. Not vital, now that health and safety thwarted Plan A (which would have but the over directly in front of the 'phone socket).
Probably some other things I've forgotten about.
Other things like sorting out a table and chairs can wait until after the fitting.
After I'm done with the kitchen, the final step of the redecorating spree will be the living room. The fun starts just with the logistics of getting everything out of there and finding somewhere else to put it. The sofa search is also proving tricky - the main stumbling block here is that the only way in is through the front door, up the stairs, and then an immediate left turn through the internal door. Finding a sofa which it isn't physically impossible to get in here is going to be a challenge...
Last weekend I was up in Yorkshire, visiting the lovely frayer. Whilst on a brief expedition to the pretty city of York, we discovered the ideal solution for those little snack cravings - ( Collapse )
Yesterday, I ventured in to down to run various errands. On coming round the corner from my flat, I was confronted by this ( Collapse ) Naturally, I plan to live for ever, but should the worst happen and I end up the guest of honour at a funeral!t00bage, I expect you all to chip in to send me off "Swiftly, and With Style". (Points to any one other than Freya who gets that reference.)
Once I got into town, I was rather surprised to see a couple of people carrying Krispy Kreme boxes, not being aware of anywhere in Oxford selling said doughnuts. After seeing several more people (including a policeman with several boxes) I got onto Queen Street where it seemed that every other person had some. Turning the corner, all was revealed in the form of a long queue of people leading to a lorry filled with such boxes. A few minutes later, I was the proud owner of one dozen free original glaze doughnuts. Yum. ( Collapse )
Thus fortified, I ventured forth unto the kitchen showroom, where I did verily order a kitchen. Finally. A slight tweak to the original plan to put a proper corner-cupboard on the wall rather than just leaving a void, plus selecting the worktop, appliances, etc, etc. In a couple of month's time, I should have a kitchen worthy of a king. As opposed to the current one which isn't worthy of a pauper...
After other assorted shopping ad some food, I went to the cinema to see V for Vendetta. Whilst most certainly not subtle in its politics it was more so in its action sequences than the Wachowski brothers' most recent efforts - more plot-heavy than effects-heavy, even compared to the original Matrix. Plus you have to love Stephen Fry being, well, Stephen Fry, and Natalie Portman is so much better when the director actually permits her to act...
Since then, I've been mostly playing 24: The Game. Whilst certainly not having the most original or high quality gameplay in the world, what it does do very well is re-create the feel of the TV show - most obviously the clock, but also the use of split-screen and technobabbleollocks. Having the original voice cast really helps, and they actually did a pretty good job of making the characters look real. So far, pretty good fun.
