Friday
Today we had a houseful of workmen; kitchen fitter, working surface fitters, electrician and plumber. At one stage there were five people working in our confined kitchen space.
Everything was coming together just after lunch at about the time I was due to go out to go for a hair appointment. Mr C was ensconced in his office on a work call and unfortunately there was still a few minutes work to do in the kitchen. I left it as late as I could but eventually, I had to leave and needed one of the vans moving off the driveway. But at least I was able to say my goodbyes and thank you as I left.
Due to my previous hair salon closing I was trying out a new salon for the first time. My stylist was lovely but I couldn’t quite get her to understand how I wanted it blow dried. So, I left with a much less bouncy hair style than usual and a couple of hours later all of the bounce had fallen out leaving me with straight flat hair. The salon experience was clinical rather than warm and welcoming. I have booked a further appointment, for a light perm in a few weeks’ time. But I am considering my options…
When I arrived back home the kitchen was complete, it has lightened up the space in the way I had intended. I love it and I am looking forward to my first home cooked meal from our happy place.
Before dining in Va Bene! in Broseley we visited mum who once again was in mixed states of mind. She hadn’t eaten any of her tea because she said it looked unappetising.
Va Bene as the name would suggest is an Italian Restaurant. The service and food were excellent a fitting finale to our two weeks of adventure dining out locally.
Tags: Broseley, Chez Nous, Flickr Toys, New Kitchen 2, Va Bene!
Thursday
Today saw subtle changes to the kitchen with the plinths above and below the cabinets being fitted. There was additional work on the under-sink plumbing which is still looking neat and tidy.
Tomorrow the working surface should arrive which will allow the hob and sink to be fitted. Then all that is needed is fine tuning to the electrics and plumbing.
After my afternoon volunteering in a local school for the ‘School Readers’ charity it was time for our daily visit to mum. I learned from one of her friends that she had not been having a good day and by the time we arrived she knew she had not been herself and was upset about her behaviour.
We returned home to relax with a small pre-dinner sherry before dining in the Orange House, Wellington.
Tags: Chez Nous, Delerium, New Kitchen 2, School Readers, Volunteering
Wednesday
I awoke to beautiful sunshine which made up for my early start to the day.
The kitchen is coming together nicely and I am falling in love with it already. I can’t wait to try out the new cookers and hob or even better enjoy one of Mr C’s signature dishes. For that we will have to wait until at least Friday when the working surface arrives allowing the hob and sink to be fitted.
We were able to visit mum early allowing us to chill out at home before dining in Miller & Carter.
Tags: Cherie's Place Thought, Miller & Carter, New Kitchen 2
Tuesday
Our kitchen fitter experiencing none of the previous day’s travel dramas arrived on time. Shortly afterwards the tiler arrived.
Later in the morning I drove to Attingham Park for my usual Tuesday volunteering at Visitor Reception. The day was lovely and warm compared to the previous Tuesday afternoon and also the flooding had subsided. This led to a steady afternoon with some regular visitors and dog walkers returning after Christmas and the subsequent cold snap.
I returned home to find the kitchen fitting had moved on in leaps and bounds. I love the tiled feature panel behind the extractor fan.
We visited mum, who for some reason thought she was going home. Her bag was packed and she had her coat on.
Afterwards we intended to dine in Miller & Carter but when we arrived, despite the website saying otherwise they were too busy to accommodate us and we would have to wait an hour. We returned to Wellington and The Cock Hotel where we both chose different versions of the festive roast than we had on our previous visit.
Tags: Attingham Park, Chez Nous, Delerium, Festive Roast, New Kitchen 2, Quorn, The Cock Hotel, Tiling Feature, Turkey
Monday
Today was intended to be a later start which in the end turned out to be even later due to two road traffic accidents blocking the route. Now the larder units are in place around the fridge freezer with one of them fully fitted with draws.
Whilst all this was going on I was wresting with technology in order to book a hair appointment. My hairdresser stopped trading on Christmas Eve due to circumstances beyond her control. I like to use Wella products and tracked down a salon that uses these. I had hoped to talk to someone over the phone but I got an answer phone message suggesting I could book online, hence my struggle with technology.
After the fitter left for the day we visited mum who was hearing voices telling her what to do and other strange things. We then dined in The Wickets Inn which serves good honest pub food.
Tags: Chez Nous, New Kitchen 2, The Wickets, Wellington
We spent the morning cleaning some areas of the kitchen in preparation for ‘New Kitchen 2 – Day Six’. Whilst this was going on I was also able to load up the washing machine with another batch of washing.
We visited mum and I took her some colouring books and pencils as she had requested on our previous days visit. She was mostly herself, but not quite. She said she hadn’t eaten her dinner because it looked unappetising. I am a bit fussy with food (quality), it looked delicious to me, apart from the sprouts which was the only thing on the plate she had tried.
After our visit we intended to have lunch in the Furnace Café but it was closed. We returned to the nearby Truffles café in Ironbridge where on this occasion I chose a ‘build your own’ toastie.
By this time the day was running away with us and no sooner than we had arrived home it was time for our Pre-Sunday dinner visit with Mr & Mrs C père.
Later we dined in The Mytton & Mermaid where Mr C opted for a Sunday Roast and I chose Mushroom Tortellini. I was tempted to a dessert which sounded refreshing. It was, but didn’t need the chocolate sauce (which I avoided). It would have been far better to drizzle with dark chocolate instead.
Now for ‘New Kitchen 2′ – Day Six…
Tags: Atcham, Cherie's Place, Dining, Mytton & Mermaid, Shropshire
It was nice to have a lie in after a week of early mornings. I was able to do some cleaning of surfaces and appliances in the kitchen. The fitter had thoughtfully reconnected the washing machine so I was able to put in a load of washing.
We had lunch at home before visiting mum. She was in bed and not in a happy place but mostly ‘herself’ which meant she can’t understand why she can’t go home yet.
After our visit we went to Ikea to purchase some draw liners for the kitchen cabinets. We found an ideal rack for the chopping boards but it was out of stock, but we could get one on Tuesday! We called in at Boundary Mill for a cup of tea and cake so that Mr C could browse the kitchen shop. I had other ideas, the clothing department called me. Luckily for the bank account we came away without making any purchases.
Later we dined in Giggling Squid, a favourite chain restaurant of mine which we first discovered when we were on holiday in Chichester. We were seated upstairs where it was cozy and warm with a lovely buzzing atmosphere. The food lived up to our expectations.
Tags: Fine Dining, Shrewsbury, The Giggling Squid
