House' day 14.

I retract what I said last week about the van being spacious. For 2, it's fine. Add 2 unruly and bored kids into the mix - nightmare. Especially when they are in desperate need of sleep yet refuse to get zzzzzs while its still light. Muchos wine needed to get us through this patch....

Housewise, the decoraters are cracking on although the sparky failed to show this morning. The room which will become my office/spare room no longer stinks of cigarettes with the removal of the wood chip, although the stains are still showing on the ceiling through 1 coat of paint. Yuck.

Oh, and spent half the weekend at a Dalek convention and the other half hacking down some of the huge bushes in the garden. Discovered that we have a path down the full length of the garden, plus a new friend. Sadly he ended up in the skip;)

House, day 11.

Its been a frustrating week as nothing much seems to have happened. Ok, the phone line got connected and the electrician added some extra sockets, but nothing massively visible.

But today it all changed, the whole project notched up a gear! The builders arrived at 8am, waking us up from a wine-induced slumber, and made huge inroads into the utility/shower room downstairs. 1 wall removed, flooring taken up, a doorway partially bricked up and an odd glass/plasterboard contraption removed to create a huge opening from the dining room into what will be the new kitchen.

And then the kids arrived home! They hadn't seen the house until today and were a bit apprehensive, but manged to see through the mess and smell - and absolutely loved it. Luckily they seem to have gone to sleep in the van with no silliness, think grandma wore them out this week! A bit weird for us though, sat here in the dark at 9pm.

House, day 8.

The electricians are having fun today, and tonight we are back to B&Q for door handles and to change the locks. Rock'n'roll!

House, day 6.

Well, the van today rather than the house! Its surprisingly spacious and comfortable, with 2 bunks for the kids when they get home from grandma's, 2 singles/1 double bed for us, a proper kitchen area with sink, oven, cooker and decent fridge, lots of storage and a loo/shower room and changing area with a bathroom sink. 2 tables, fitted carpets, running water and plugged into the house to get leccy and the BBQ bottle to get gas for morning coffee. And heaps of power points, shelf for a telly (well, laptop with iPlayer in our case!), central and reading lights, fly screens and blinds on every window and a radio. Not sure what to do with the cassette player though, ditched ours years ago!

House, day 5.

Not a lot happening today as we are both at work and will be sloping off to my parents for the weekend to a) see the kids, and b) enjoy some proper home comforts. Plumber, electrician, builder and decorator are all booked, just need to find a plasterer and locksmith today.

Will leave you with a photo of the living room fireplace.

House, day 4.

Havs found some bizarre things in this house. From a stunning original 1920's tiled fireplace to a 1960's cast iron microscope (electric and still working - Mr Moo is getting it for Christmas!), about 4 chainsaws to some grotesque garden gargoyles, a million miles of cable linking cctv with data cables and sensors and lights, and some incredible DIY and decorating mistakes.

We knew the previous owners were wannabe inventors but the reality is that they are lucky not to have burnt the place down. Also turns out our plumber and electrician both know the family and have been able to give us snippets of why they lived like they did.

House, day 3.

We have cleared everything possible out of the house so today had a bash at the garden. The Husband was excited at the thought of having 3 sheds to tinker in but they will have to come down eventually; he did empty them of mouldy carpet, old filing cabinets and broken chainsaws. I hacked away at the overgrown garden and found 2 apple trees, a pear tree and a giant fig tree, as well as lots of thriving herb plants.

Tomorrow, need to order skip number 3!