And then it snowed...

The week started slowly as the groundworkers removed the root of the pine tree that Jan and I had chopped down last Sunday, and then dug a trench for the kerb edging round the left hand side of the bend (just visible behind the plastic fence). This has given us about 3 feet more width on the bend and will make life a lot easier for everyone as two cars will be now able to pass at this point.

As the rain of the earlier part of the week turned to snow on Thursday, so all the groundwork stopped. By Friday, we had about 6 inches of snow and quite a bit of drifting, as can be seen from the picture above. I doubt that any more work will be done on the driveway until the New Year.

Inside the house was a different story though as Matt and Bob made short work of fixing the remaining plasterboard in the bedroom. We now need just a few more pieces of oak capping to finish off the bay window. Once again though we're being held up by A J Joinery whose full order book is an obvious joy to them but a bit of a pain for us!

A J Joinery were due to deliver the front door frame and utility door frame on Monday, then Tuesday, then Wednesday, and lastly Thursday. In the end Roy collected them on Friday! Bob had hoped to fit these and their respective doors during the week, but that will have to be left until next week now. Talking of doors, our oak front door arrived with the timber merchant on Wednesday and they phoned me up to let me know. When I asked if they could deliver, they agreed for the next day. I gave the full address and clear instructions so that the driver could find Brookvale without trouble. Next thing I hear is that Roy has been told they haven't got transport and that he would need to collect the door. "C'est la vie" I thought, "as long as the door gets there". Three hours later and the timber merchant's driver was on the 'phone telling me that he didn't want to leave the door at an unattended site. Wondering firstly how they magically found a lorry, and secondly why there was nobody at Brookvale, I asked what address he was at - "6 Hillside Road" he said! No wonder - he was 1/4 mile away. So much for detailed delivery instructions.

As the roads in Bedfordshire were littered with dead cars and lorries on Friday, no work was done as none of the trades could get there, but the plasterboard and adhesive has arrived for "dot and dab man". I can still find no-one who can tell me what "dot" and "dab" refers to though. Steve Baldock, our dot and dab man arrives Monday to fix the plasterboard to the walls. Everyone tells us that this will make the biggest difference, particularly to the levels of light in the rooms. Can't wait.

Oh, nearly forgot. Our missing alarm man Michael materialised on Thursday and has fitted his cabling so that we have movement sensors in each room with an external door, and a sensor on the front door. We've decided that we'll also alarm the garage so the control unit can be tucked away in the garage, and the siren mounted on the garage gable end. Hopefully this will deter our nocturnal visitors.

Apart from a little clearing up there wasn't much to do today, but I will spend some time tomorrow staining the door frames and front door. Hope its warmer than the minus 7 of today. I did go to the timber merchants this morning as the door manufacturer had delivered an example of an internal door that we liked. How's this for coincidence - the door designs we liked, one with glass panels and one without are called Virgo and Pisces, the respective birth signs for Jan and me. (not that I believe in astrology)

The Clifton snowpeople