I’ve been spending my time inadvertently sniffing the fumes from paint and varnish pots during the last couple of days. Actually I’ve been painting the vestibule, magnolia of course, keeping it neutral as we’re advised, the emulsion paint doesn’t smell nearly as bad as it used to mind you. After that I scrubbed the floor tiles and I don’t think they’ve ever looked cleaner in all the 25 years that we’ve lived here. Things are so quiet in the housing market at the moment though, I won’t be at all surprised if nobody turns up to view my hard work, when we do put our house up for sale!

The varnish was worse, smell wise anyway but it did actually do what it said on the tin and was touch dry in two hours, which is just as well because it was the staircase that I was varnishing, and even although I knew I wouldn’t be able to go upstairs once I started on them and planned ahead to take books and things downstairs, there were several times when I wanted soemthing which was up there and I just had to do without. But I’m pleased with the outcome, the stairs are looking a lot better now.

So I feel that I’m making progress again after being at a standstill over the winter. ‘Stuff’ has been recycled or binned – again. Why do I hold on to things like split boots instead of just chucking them immediately? I did actually try to get my 35 year old red wellies on, but my legs have thickened over all those years. I’ve definitely not worn them since we moved here, they’ve just taken up space in the cupboard as they perished.

But I did get quite a lot of reading done today too. I decided just to start the Catriona McPherson book – The Winter Ground. I had intended waiting until I got the first of the Dandy Gilver books, so that I could read them in the correct order, but I read a bit of it then just kept reading, which is surprising really as the book setting is the Perthshire winter camp of a travelling circus. I can’t stand circuses, I even hated them as a child, but strangely, I’m enjoying the book.