Tuesday 13 February 2018

New door

Yesterday we had a new front door fitted.  I can hear you saying, in this weather?! Yes, we are obviously nuts. Lack of a door for much of the day meant that the house became bitterly cold. Trouble was, the old door had taken as much objection to the cold and wet as I have. Swollen joints, creaks and groans from both of us. What a tussle it had become to get the blasted thing to open, and then twice as hard to shut. It was a solid old door with handsome fittings. But it's goodbye to all of it because we've replaced it with (oh, wash my mouth out) plastic. And the plastic door comes with some very ordinary, modern furniture. There was a time when I would have objected strongly but now I've conceded defeat, I just want a door that doesn't sulk or fight back but one that opens, closes and locks with ease.
We had to clear the area ready for the workman. We moved from a farmhouse to this cottage twenty years ago and are still not quite accustomed to the lack of space. Don't mention the word, declutter. (I have a super friend who is an organising consultant. She worked in Japan for several years and her business is called taisei, the Japanese word for system and order. She's very sweet-natured so she doesn't look me in the eyes and tell me to get some control.) So, we took the pictures off the walls and moved the carvings from the floor. How strange it looked without them.
Today the new door is fitted. The surround needs to be painted but things have been put back, more or less, in position.



Phew, door sorted, just before the next deluge arrived.

It's Shrove Tuesday. I hope you're eating pancakes!

17 comments:

  1. Hi Rosemary, the door is nice! Sometimes defeat is an easier pill to swallow than struggling every time you need to get in or out!!! :) The artwork is lovely!

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    1. You're right, Rain. It's great being able to open and close the door without the application of my shoulder and boots!
      The artwork in the hall is a hotch-potch of family pieces, work by friends and gifts.

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  2. Hooray for doors that open and close and lock properly and easily! It looks great too. Thanks for the little tour of your artwork; I really like that last one, the white one.

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    1. The alabaster relief carving was made by Himself quite a while ago. He usually works in wood but alabaster is a lovely material.

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  3. You new door is/was needed. Love all your artwork the last one looks like a quilt, Beautiful !
    We never had Pancake Tuesday, just Ash Wednesday.

    cheers, parsnip and mandibles

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    1. Pancakes with sugar and lemon - delicious! trouble is that you stand as the stove swirling and turning, mouth watering, then they take half a second to eat!

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  4. What a lovely house. I really like your hub's artworks (for want of a better description). They remind me of the 1930s and 40s resurgence, but without the Eric Gill vulgarity!

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    1. P.S. The topiary is coming along too. Peacock or pheasant?

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    2. Since we live in the former gamekeeper's cottage we are aiming for a pheasant.
      (No Gill vulgarity in our 'ouse, we keep our underwear on when climbing ladders.)

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  5. We had doors perfect for freezing out us all on our farm. House had been built 1860s, barely warm enough for a bug. Mmm. Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday!

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    1. The pancakes were good! Didn't toss them, just shovelled them in, one after the other, as soon as they were cooked!

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  6. We were very late in finding a new storm door, and the winds at the lake were slamming the old one against the house itself. We've got it barricaded with wrought iron porch furniture for the time being. When I get up there next I am going to get it installed, rain, cold, sleet or snow!

    Thanks for visiting my blog, I came right over and read your last few posts. Really enjoyable! I also like your husband's blog, Himself. The stories are just the right size to read in a jiffy. He's a talent!

    Stay warm and dry!

    Jane

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    1. Hello Blondie. We are warm now but with so much rainfall keeping dry is a big ask!

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  7. "I just want a door that doesn't sulk or fight back"
    Enjoy the pleasure of just opening and closing a door.
    PS: The plastic is hardly visible in the photo.

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  8. Hello! You came to visit me today and I wanted to reply to your comment but you are a no reply blogger, and there is no email address to contact you. Anyway thank you so much for your kind words and I was curious as to how you found me after all these years of my blogging? I will stop by and peruse your blog to see about your world as soon as I can. : D

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    1. I'm snowbound at the moment and wandering around Bogland. I think I came to you via Donna of gather. I left my email address on your site, so don't know what happened there. LOVED the way you decorated your house over Christmas - no wonder it took a while to take the decorations down!

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