The Clan of the Cave Bague

John’s already posted a little update about how the house is nearing completion. He is up at the house assembling another flat pack while the babes sleep. I have to say that it is amazing how many people I have met who miss our presence in the town. Some have commented on how weird it is not seeing us walking about the place going about everyday business. Whenever I talk to someone I keep telling them to go and get their smoke alarms up and make sure they all work. I would like to let everyone know that fires dont just happen in the movies or ’somewhere else’ . they are very real and can happen anywhere. That is the main reason we have kept our journal going.

— Debbie.

If anyone is searching for information on house fires in scotland, the scottish executive are launching a campaign over the festive period about house fires and their likelihood. the url is

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2003/09/SEJD308.aspx.

I’ve just assembled 90% of The Flatpack Of Doom(tm). Every single point which was drilled to take a dowel had a knot on the back of it which popped out when I put the dowel in :-/

Anyway, the joiner is almost finished the porch and the tiler and painters will be in monday/tuesday. Huzzah! Alfie is threatening to drag me back up to the house for a “build everything in the universe in one sitting” fest. As there are only 2.4 things left to build (that are going upstairs) he’s going to be disappointed All the downstairs stuff really needs to wait until the painters are done, so that just leaves a wardrobe and a bookcase to be done. Still, having a clued individual around while building dirty great tallboys is damned helpful.

We’re very nearly there. The joiner is replacing the double glazed panels in the front porch today, and then finishing off the last odds and ends of woodwork. All that’s left to do is the kitchen tiling, a couple of laminate/carpet interfaces and general tidying up and nit picking. As a result, I’m in flat pack hell. Argos delivered the main batch of furniture yesterday. The good news is, it’s all solid wood and therefore goes together very well. The bad news is, it’s all part of the “Bloody Heavy” range.

My friend Alfie turned up with a dirty great van yesterday (cos Argos wouldn’t deliver it 3.5 miles up the road) and we shifted the whole lot up in the morning. We were at it till midnight building stuff for the boys room. Not that we’re rushing the builders or anything, but, er, we’re moving in lads

It’s Tristan’s birthday, that’s what. So everyone is up. It’s hard to believe he’s 8 already, but there we go. He’s been waiting for Mario and Luigi to be out for the GBA for months and today’s the day, so he’s up at the crack of dawn.

Bah.

The back of my throat seems to be a battleground for hordes of streetgang lurgi, all vying for overall lurgi supremacy. Gak. Anyway, I have a bloke coming out to the house this morning to measure up for carpets. Gripping, huh? At least it indicates that things are progressing – just not quickly enough for my liking.

Ok, so we were kinda psyched up about getting back into our house next week. Aint happening. The kitchen is apparently being fitted “Next week or the week after that”, which is suitably vague. Given that all the flooring is down and there’s really just painting left to do, you’d expect it would be quicker. I think the situation is basically that the builders have started another job and are eputting all their resources into that, instead of ours. As a result, we have to sit in this depressing place.

On a happy note, the Scottish Ginger Squirrel (Well, Red) is on the way back! They were very nearly extinct until recently (cos of an influx of american greys) but the wee ginger hard ones have decided enough is enough and have started a kind of rebel Alliance kind of thing. something to do with developing an immunity to some kind of squirrel-based lurgi that the many American ones carry. The Force is Strong with Ginger Squirrels(tm).

Yup, the joiners are busy laying the wooden flooring in the living room and dining room as we speak, while the painter finishes off upstairs. After that, they’ll swap over, doing the floors upstairs while the painter waves his magic brush of doom downstairs. After that it’s all hands to the kitchen. We’re getting there – I think the end is in sight.

Not that this will all matter to us, cos Mario Kart: Double Dash is out tomorrow.

I never waited up to see the ghostie, incidentally, but we have had some more odd noises and giggles

On other fronts, I’ve started working on a CV for the first time in ten years. For someone who writes as much as I do, you’d think it would be easy. It’s not. Oh well.

Just back from the doctor’s surgery, at ten past two in the morning. Harmony has been hacking and coughing away all night with a cough nasty enough to make her gag. Thought we’d better check her out to be on the safe side. She is, of course, fine, but parenthood bears its own form of paranoia.

Off to bed

I’m supposed to be attempting to sit up through the night tonight. Our little ghostie is getting fractious – probably all the talk about us looking forward to going home – and has started moving stuff about, making noises, and waking people up. I think she’s starting to bother Dotty too, cos she’s always talking about the lady in her room. I’ll sit up and see what happens. Might be able to have a quiet word