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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Friday

I awoke to a beautiful sunny frosty morning. Not long after our kitchen fitter arrived followed by his son who is working on the electrical parts of our kitchen refit.

First the electrician investigated the reason for the kitchen ceiling light failure. After investigation it was deemed that ceiling light was faulty and corroded which had led to the fault. It is not surprising when you factor in that the oven extractor fan with its disconnected hose was venting out directly onto that light fitting for several years.

Mr C went to purchase a new light fitting so that it could be fitted today along with the new electrical switches. Our electrical switches and sockets were mismatched because when our previous kitchen was installed, new sockets were installed but the old sockets were not replaced.

Now we have light!

A cupboard door has been fitted so that we can get an idea of what the kitchen will look like when it is complete.

With all that has been going this week I almost forgot it was Friday, the day for my dental appointment. Thankfully something Mr C said triggered a lightbulb moment and I remembered just in time.

We visited mum who was out of bed sitting in her chair. She was partly herself and partly with the voices in her head rather than with us. She had no memory of what happened the day before.

Later we dined in Smithfields restaurant rather than have takeaway Fish & Chips. The food was delicious and the glass of wine went down a treat.

Thursday

The kitchen is now begining to look more like a kitchen again. We called in briefly to see mum after the fitter had left, she had been in bed all day and although she was pleased to see us she told us to leave.

We dined in the Vineyard Cantonese Restaurant for the first time since the current owners took over. The food was excellent.

Wednesday

Our kitchen fitter had a personal commitment in the morning which meant we could return to our normal routine rather than getting up earlier than usual.

Our fitter arrived at lunchtime, complete with a substitute light to work by due to our currently non-working ceiling light. He worked through into the early evening which meant I had to visit mum on my own. She was partly herself today but suffering with the sniffles.

When I arrived home, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the new cooker units were now in place. I am looking forward to using them when the time comes.

This evening, we dined in William Withering. It has a lovely friendly atmosphere and you can’t go wrong with a meal and a glass of wine for around £10.

Monday

We had to be up early, although not necessarily bright for and 8pm start.

The kitchen was completely stripped leaving only the electrical appliances, including the cooker which is not part of the new design.

The two-week work schedule and options were discussed. The spaghetti plumbing underneath the sink will be tidied up, the plug sockets will be changed so they are matching and additional wiring is needed due to the make of cooking appliances we have chosen.

We dined in The Sutherland (formerly The White House) which is now part of a small chain, The Grill club. The service and food were excellent.