Adult proofing

Stair gate

Our house is now stair-safe for Scarlett, but a hotbed of tripping danger for me and Barry.  She won’t be able to get up or down the stairs until she grows about three feet and gets some serious manual dexterity going, which is excellent.

However, whoever designed the bloody gates with the bar at the bottom (and pressure gates STILL NEED SCREWING IN, don’t be fooled) had a real sense of humour.  Scarlett’s in more danger from me falling flat onto her because I can’t pick my feet up that extra inch.  I think Barry might have shed a little tear screwing gates into the house, especially into the black wall and the wooden bannister.  I could tell he was wondering whether we could move house before fixing the holes.

Socket covers

We’ve also got these things that go in the electricity sockets so she doesn’t electrocute herself.  Good job I’ve got nails for leverage, otherwise there’d be no getting those bad boys out.  And then I would never be able to iron.  Now, where are those nail clippers…

The neverending tale of the black wall has an end

Changed radiatorFinally! We’ve had a decorator in for the last few days to paint the black wall that has been looking at me since we half painted it in, erm, well, embarrassingly… March.  Time flies!

Here’s a reminder of how the wall has looked since then.  Yes, that is indeed been like that for eight whole months.

As I mentioned recently, we asked our shiny new decorator, Josh, to split the jobs we’d asked him to quote for into three parts, and he’s been busy doing the first (and cheapest!).  And now the wall is completely black!  Hurrah!

Black wall

Our new wall is not only sleek and sexy, but it sports straight lines and a glossy newly painted bannister.  Oh yes.

Josh has whizzed through quite a few of the “to-dos” on my depressing visual representation of all the jobs left to do: the kitchen post from way back in April – sanding and repainting the rest of the kitchen ceiling and walls, glossing the skirting boards, and painting the stairs wall, ceiling and handrail.

Black wall 2

In fact, we’ve only got two jobs left on that list now – tile the kitchen walls and replace the switches with brushed silver ones.  Both things that can wait a little bit, so I’m feeling a bit smug.  I think I’ve got enough lists going on without that one anyway (do two things make a list?).

We’ve asked the decorator to come back in early January to do the next instalment (middle floor hallway/stairs up to our room/nursery), can’t wait!