DIY

I have been wielding the cordless drill with joyful abandon recently. If only I had realised that DIY was this much fun! For years now I have been hunting for this 'Postal Mail Only' sign. I knew I had bought one, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Finally it turned up while The Man was cleaning out his shed before I left the old house. I was so excited! Now I can elegantly refuse junk mail:)

I love this cowbell. It was a Christmas present many years ago. It came from India, via the Oxfam shop. I am very happy to report that I have not bought a single new decorative item for my new house. It is all about reusing my old favourites, bringing them out of storage, dusting them off and hanging them up. Actually, now I come to think of it, I bought two houseplants. But the pots are reused:)

Benson-the-bad-dog has discovered he can jump over this section of fence to chase the cats. This week at work I had not one but two neighbours ring me to let me know they had returned Benny to the fold. I have such lovely new neighbours.

Today I bought a bog-standard fence topper panel from the hardware shop and sawed off one leg (not mine, the fence panel! Though the other is always on the cards with me and tools), and screwed it onto the fence. I am SO proud of this very ordinary achievement.

The first retaining wall post! I had these sleepers delivered the other day from a local timber mill. They are a family operation, with very reasonable prices. Their delivery truck has a wooden truck bed that is growing grass from when they carted hay last summer. Makes it a pleasure to buy local.

I borrowed a friend's circular saw to cut the sleepers in half for posts. I didn't cut off my leg:) In the end I managed the post holes with only one bag of cement per post. BUT two posts are a little wobbly. I think I used too much water. I may have to top up those two holes with another half bag of cement. Will that work? When it stops raining..

When it rains I come inside and put up dozens of screws and nails for Posy's pictures in her room. Now she can't ever change any of her furniture around. Then I put up pictures in my room. I never change furniture around because I Fear Change.

On the right is my great-grandmother's school slate. I have a slate pencil somewhere. When I find it I will write something pithy. All the other pictures are from the op-shop and the mirror I bought years ago but could never find exactly the right place to hang it, so I left it on top of the wardrobe. Finally it is on the wall. I think I need one more picture on the left to balance everything..

Tell me about your DIY projects. I love to see people making their lives their own. My brother, for instance, is handpainting his motor bike paisley. Because why wouldn't you?