a new work room

My first week as a non-employed person has been a full one. I ache all over and am somewhat worn out, but our tired 1980s throw-back dining room is looking bright and fresh in white and 'chartreuse' (that's lime green to you and me). Mark and I took up the old pale blue and grime carpet to reveal the original 1930s parquet flooring, then I stripped wallpaper, sanded and filled and sanded walls, painted (three coats of each colour), oiled the floor and sorted the books...all my cookery books in just one book case - amazing! I do have a couple of bags of books to go to the charity shop, but have kept most, they are just sorted by type:

cookery
international
cakes and baking
celebrity chefs
Christmas
healthy and vegetarian
general cookery
jams and preserves
confectionery

sewing/craft/art
stitching and embroidery
quilting and patchwork
toys
bags
general inspiration
art
miscellaneous craft
photography

other
gardening
travel
maps and walking
pets and wildlife
poetry

I know it's a bit sad, but I like order.

So here it is my new kingdom!

shiny new work room

Of course it still has to be a dining room too...

dining room

One of the things I am most happy about is that my favourite painting ('perfect wave' by Helen Campbell) is finally better shown off against a clean white background (I just need to keep the shelf below uncluttered).

perfect wave by Helen Campbell

The cats have been making the most of the mayhem, finding new places to sleep (that's my Bagpuss hot water bottle Rio's cuddled up with!) and making the most of a mirror on the floor so Max can admire himself.

Max and Rio

After all this hard work, it was so nice to spend this afternoon with Alison, my lovely friend from choir. We had lunch at Bea's Vintage Tea Room, which never disappoints. We spent several hours eating and chatting as the sun streamed through the window (as most people know, I can talk for England, but luckily Alison is a very good listener) and the afternoon slipped away very happily. I now feel sufficiently re-charged to start decorating the kitchen on Monday!