It is coming up for half seven. I’m waiting on the three rings of the phone which signal Himself landing back safely after a day trip for work and is on his way back to me. I’m trying not to let PPG’s news depress and overwhelm me more than it already has with the rank injustice of it all (you SUCK, Universe: YOU SUCK!). I’ve put the pot of sausage and lentil soup made this morning back on a low simmer.

It is the fifth anniversary of The Face. Five years today since Himself came home with the news of the six month nine month one year two year assignment in Hong Kong. I can’t believe I almost forgot. I should have had a little clue earlier today when a bit of the Australia Day celebrations were shown on the news. I don’t know if I am forgetful, distracted or — maybe — really finally home.

and a plain Ikea cube is no longer see-through

Himself has started the overnight trips for work after the few weeks at Christmas and New Year’s lull so time on my hands is what I got these next couple days. I made a chair and bed runner

(and finally hung the big fabric panel) so now it is on to the Rast chest:

I have some Cat Street hardware for this little three drawer unit but it is still too cold to paint in the garage so the circles are as far as we go this morning. Time to head for the craft room to refashion something, but first there’s japonica and prunella seeds to plant in my kitchen window cill troughs.

I bought the bench flat pack kit right when we first moved in with the intention of using it in the craft room. It wasn’t such a well-thought out idea so the bench went down to the conservatory to become a sort of sideboard. Well, that isn’t working for me either these days. Perhaps I should use it as a potting bench, eh?

I’d put a water based white wash on the unfinished wood but never really got much further.

So that the garden hose will fit and be easily accessible, I removed a few of the slats in the bottom shelf, filled and sanded the holes

then drilled holes for drainage in the top shelf. There are smallish gaps between the slats but I figured a little extra couldn’t hurt. Gets kinda wet in my current neck of the woods.

But, when it came to painting, I got a little ahead of myself. It was too cold and damp to paint today after all. I really thought I could get away with a coat or two if I worked in the garage. Nope. I kept the first coat thin so it would dry quickly. That’s today’s project in limbo — with all sorts of other sewing, craft and house projects.

I guess it’s just as well because I think I want to lay some slabs under the kitchen window to make it easier on the feet when I am puttering (pottering?) away there. Also, you can’t see it too well in the first pix but there is a tiny shrub by the drainpipe and I’ll need to move that. In its place I’m thinking a climbing rose for the drainpipe which I can train over the window and further on across the roof of the shed.

Found just what I was looking for!

I slid the paper in front of the glass panels as it a). looked better and b). seemed a sensible move to keep the paper away from the bulb.

You’ll have to take my word for it that it gives off a lovely soft glow. I can’t seem to take a non-blurry night shot and am not sure where Himself keeps the tripod!

I got two of these lanterns at Ikea when I was there with Auntie B before Christmas. I removed the back glass panel,

acquired two simple brackets to paint with the second of the pale greens I mixed for the conservatory and

and put smaller, lower watt bulbs in the basic light fitting that came with the conservatory. I was glad to take out the proper 100w bulbs since you can’t get those anywhere now and I can use them in other lights in the house. Actually, Auntie B told me there is a place in Glasgow that carries them so I must investigate further. I can’t bear those energy efficient bulbs. I tried some in our bathrooms and they are decidedly icky. 

I thought I might have the right sort of paper to use on the glass panels: the only sort I had which would cover both lanterns was the banana paper I used on last year’s authentic reproduction Viking lantern (and who of us hasn’t made at least one of those at some point). It was too dark and brownish so I’ll see what I can see when I am in the city tomorrow or in the old stomping grounds over the weekend. The old stomping grounds in THIS time zone.

On to something else I’ve been thinking about for a while:

Every Christmas and birthday I get money from my in-laws. I think it is kind of insulting to give straight cash with the preponderance of gift cards out there (and, not to put too fine a point on it, to a girl whose husband makes a pretty good living for us and has done for some time now). Don’t know which card to get? Ask said husband which would be most suitable at this particular juncture in my life. With me you can’t go wrong with large DIY chains or bookstores. We’d best leave that for today.

I needed new counter sink drill bits and fancied a heavy duty staple gun so that’s where some of the Christmas money has gone. I still have oodles of the 44 inch or so spacers in the garage in two stacks: garden use only and better quality for inside jobs.

I picked up this lovely brown silk in a remnant bin ages ago when I was working on decorating the guest room after the return from Hong Kong. It has a really large repeat so it needed a really large use. I’d envisioned it as a throw or perhaps a wide runner to put along the foot of the bed.

This idea for temporarily covering up a wall when you don’t have a real piece of art has been in my house design ideas notebook for ages. I wasn’t sure about how much to leave for turning and stapling — next time I will cut it closer.

It certainly wasn’t the hardest home dec project anybody has ever done/will ever do. I put a staple in the middle of each side to get the fabric on straight and tight, then stapled to within six inches of each corner. I folded those in more or less present-wrapping style. If it had been heavier fabric I suppose I’d have trimmed the corner point off first to reduce the bulk. You do as you like. You can always take out a wayward staple and try again.

Had the print been a little smaller I would have seriously considered a triptych. This puppy is about 38 inches square, hence the two extra bits added for stability. I am dithering over adding a further cross piece just in the centre section.

Despite having power tools and a very competent skill set, I do love playing The Housewife and The Handyman with Himself. I need him to hold this up at the foot go the guest room bed while I lie on to figure out how high it should be hung.

Now to tackle that HUGE bucket of wine corks and caps….

Himself loaded my new caulking gun with super duper silicone sealant and we got to work. Funnily enough — considering all the building experience we have between us — we’d never done any glazing work before so learned as we went along. An hour later the rain started but the goop had cured so I am good to go for January seed planting!

And then we got back to this -

Photo by IWOM, finger = Himself. More over on Big Boy With A Salary!

HNY y’all.

I started the book he reviews in his column this week when Himself and I were on his side of the pond last month. I wish I’d gotten further and plan to borrow this book next trip so I can finish it. The review doesn’t spoil the ending — the depressing verdict on the topic isn’t exactly a surprise  – and in a decade or two a whole lotta people are going to be wishing they read it.

And then DID something about it.

a). he has to sign up for an online dating site

b). he’ll wish I did not own so many power tools

c). he’ll have fallen into the media/retail trap laid for men who don’t know their wives all that well — if at all — and/or have left their shopping until the last minute and believe that these three things are good presents because (allegedly) ‘you can’t go wrong with these three gifts’ 

or

d). all of the above.

(You’ll need to imagine my eight Brew Dogs Brewery shares

because they are currently only in electronic/virtual form)

I’ll just mention here that he’s taking me on a trip to Asia/Australia/Hawai’i next year for our twentieth wedding anniversary. (That’d be a clue).

I believe I am gonna keep ‘im around for a while longer yet, which makes ‘d’ the right answer.

The replacement panels arrived less than 48 hours from ordering them online but given today’s wind and temperature (the former too high, the latter too low for silicon sealant) I’m going to be looking at this for a wee while yet. The solution? Let the dishes pile up in the sink!

It’s doesn’t always have to be rocket science.

On a more positive note, my favourite charity earned a respectable amount last week at their  Christmas fair — I hope to arrange my life in 2012 in such a way as I can actually donate TIME to them but that’s going to be a challenge given that I live 30 miles away on the other side of the water and their opening hours are not always conducive to the life of the IWOM and Himself.

The kneeler project for Roslin Chapel ticks away. I am still working on the backgrounds. Boy kneeler clearly must be a subtle tartan, girl kneeler waffles between a heart or flower design of a patchwork square nature. Perhaps I should post pictures and ask for a vote. I think I need to build some sort of rig like we had at the Royal School of Needlework for our big ol’ slate frames. You could adjust the angle, sit in any sort of chair and it (they, rather, since it was two bits between which you set up your frame) did not take up much space when not in use. I’ve never seen them for sale (as if I would BUY vs make them) so perhaps an email to my peeps at the RSN with a request for some pictures is in order for this horrid windy wet cold and Himself-less couple of days. A look through our 1997-1998 album might be in order as I do recall taking pictures of our workrooms.

While cleaning the craft room yesterday I procrastinated by looking over my origami papers. I would not need THAT much more to fold a senbazura in 2012 (for those keeping count, it would be my third — the others being in 2004 and 2007). Muji and the Japan Center in London, plus a funky little paper shop near the old flat are available to fill in the gaps. Anybody want to join in a fold-along?