An Autumnal Update

Welcome, welcome! Do I have a treat for you this fine autumn day, or what? Step right this way, ladies and gentlemen, and prepare to marvel at some photographs of.... Soil! Radiators! Filthy walls! Oh yes, there is no end to the inspiration overload. Behold:

I planted bulbs! Hundreds of 'em. Bluebells, purple crocus, three types of daffodils, big purple alliums, and two types of gladioli (white and magenta). I also planted nine (teeny tiny) lavender Munsteads to form a border along the edge of the path.

So the front driveway that used to look like this:

And for a while looked like this:

Now looks like this:

In fairness, all that lush green foliage in the before picture is looking pretty good right now, but fingers crossed that all our hard work will pay off come spring.

Let me see, what else did I promise you? Oh yes, radiators and filthy walls:

Yep, with the drop in temperature came the realisation that our house is going to be absolutely freezing in winter, so we bought and installed a bunch of new radiators, stat.

Who am I kidding, right? First we tried to make head or tail of the bizarre pipework (a combi boiler AND a hot water tank? A central heating pipe that flows to the hot water tank and then out to the radiators on the first floor - which, by the way, are always lukewarm even when the heating is turned off?), and THEN we experimented with electric radiators, and THEN we bought a regular radiator that sat in the hall for a few weeks before we got round to doing anything with it, and THEN we dealt with a leak that flooded half the living room... you get the picture. It's been a wild ride.

In prettier news, the acer leaves have created a stunning autumnal carpet in the back garden:

And we live with the hope that one day, one day! the house will look as pretty on the inside as it does outside:

In the meantime, work progresses on Natalia's bedroom - the walls are plastered and sanded, paint has been chosen, and we're nearly ready to get cracking with the floors. Huzzah!