"It'll be ready by Christmas.................."

he said...................

"I'm just not saying which Christmas!!!"

Well two more false starts for completing the conservatory this week.

The guys turned up on Tuesday with the end roof window panes

For technical reasons that I won't even begin to bore you with the glass panel has to have a join in it, however the pieces they brought with them had the join in the middle of the length rather than to one end to match the adjoining panes. Oooops!

So we refused to accept this - not to surveyors initial drawings. The fact that the plasterer was hot on their heels ready to start finishing the internal walls was a bit of a sickener.

After much discussion we agreed with the firm that the fitters could complete as much as possible and the plasterer could crack on with the walls on the understanding that, when the roof panels were finally replaced with the correct ones, if the plastering got wet the company would pay for its replacement.

Ok - all fine and dandy - the plasterer worked like a demon for Tuesday and right up to 8.15pm on the Wednesday and completed the walls.

Saturday morning, a beautiful thankfully DRY sunny morning, was then scheduled for the fitters to come and replace the glass and fit skirtings etc for the final fix

Simple! ............. wouldn't you think???

Nope, sadly on this job nothing has been that straightforward!

New glass fitted - join still doesn't line up with it's neighbouring pieces of glass - unhappy customer - totally cheesed off fitters - no answer from the company - it's Saturday of course!!!!!

So here we are again still waiting for the roof glass to be completed, it will probably be in the New Year now - hence the comment about which Christmas.

However, in a bid to try and advance the job in another direction, Nigel decided after they'd left that he would put some paint on the plaster to seal it and the first coat is complete. Another coat of paint needed, the electric sockets and light switches to be connected up and two radiators fitted will complete the interior

I was toying with the idea of painting it the same pale aqua as the adjoining dining room but as he's painted it white first of all to cover the plaster I actually quite like it white - it blends in with all that uPVC - it'll probably stay white I think - after all once we've put the allocated furniture in there you won't see much of the walls anyway.

We've had a whistlestop weekend including a 500 mile round trip to Yorkshire to play Santa

Nick had football on Saturday morning and then a friend's birthday party in the afternoon. So, as Sarah's county match for the Sunday had been postponed, we took advantage of a relatively free weekend and set off for my parents at about 5.40pm

Luckily we had a speedy uneventful journey which took three and a half hours with one loo stop.

Initially we dropped into my parents' house for a drink and to collect my brother's spare house key as they were in Sheffield at a concert so we were to let ourselves in.

Late night for all of us once we'd caught up on the news with them too.

Next morning saw a beautiful sunny crisp start to the day, so we made the effort to walk down to the village pond and feed the ducks - sadly I didn't have the camera to hand. Tickhill (the village my brother and his pregnant wife live in) is one of loveliest and most desirable in the area and it was a pleasant interlude in an otherwise 90 miles an hour trip.

Then quickly back to my parents to hand over their presents and have a snack before heading back off down the road at about 12.45 pm in a bid to avoid the usual late Sunday afternoon/evening exodus that plagues English motorways.

I think we must have timed it just right as with three loo stops this time we made it back in almost exactly 4 hours with the only aggravation being the low winter sun in our eyes.

We have now said though that it's a trip we won't be repeating except in an emergency - just too far and too tiring for such a short stopover even with two drivers to share the load.

However it was great to see two thirds of my close family and reassure myself that my dad is well on the way to recovery - he was doing lots of his usual grumbling so he must be getting better :o)

After that trip last night and an easy tea of chicken casserole (previously taken from the freezer and left to defrost in the fridge) jacket potatoes and frozen veg all I wanted to do was something a bit brainless.

Stitching, in one form or another, always fits the bill and here is the result

I spotted a similar design a few years ago for an advent calendar with numbered squares all round the outside so adapted the idea for a Christmas wallhanging to try and capture the real meaning of Christmas.

It's been sitting on the back burner for easily three or four years and I only unearthed it a few weeks ago from a box of ufo's hiding in the loft.

So once the hand applique of the buildings and the star was complete I decided to do some 'Tonya' style hand quilting for the lettering which says 'Oh little town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie' taking the first verse from that lovely Christmas carol. Then I added a couple of little music notes at the start and finish and machine quilted the rest very simply completing the picture with a cream and gold starry binding.

Done and in time for this Christmas .......... unlike the blessed conservatory!!!