Summer 2010 Opening (I think...)

Yes, I have made a decision! ...well, sort of...I think ...at least, it's a definite maybe.... of a kind...

Oh, blow it - this is what I have in mind, although it may change, as my mind seems to vary from day to day, mood to mood and so on...

I am thinking of opening the shop next summer and moving in for the time that it is open. Probably the summer months from June to August or September. During this time I will let my house out for holidays, and this will bring in some cash, as I don't expect the shop will make any. For years. If ever. At least it will get it out of my system and I can see whether my stuff sells or not.

Giles has finished off the floor for me...

... put in the hatch to the cellar...

... and completed some other little jobs, such as putting the lights in the downstairs toilet and upstairs shower room.

He's coming back next February to do some more work there, and in-between I hope I can stir myself to do some wall filling and painting. If I manage it, I'll let you know!

The Shop That Time Forgot

Well, almost...

It was costing a great deal of money, and I wasn't sure that opening it would be a success, so I called a halt to all the renovations.

That was back in July.

Now it's getting to the end of September, and I ought to make some decisions. I have a few ideas.

Keep visiting and I'll run them by you....

Update

Well, it's a while since I had anything new to show you, although work has been progressing slowly.

The first floor now looks like this:
Ian has built the back of the cupboards from the boards that formed a partition upstairs, and they look really lovely - I even like their original colour!

The bedroom on the second floor now has the shower room walls completed - and all that remains (apart from electric switches and a small glass transom window, is to put in the shower screen (That's it standing next to the French bed).

The ground floor doesn't look much different, as the floor is not yet down, but Ian is starting on that at the end of this week. Here are the latest photos, though.

Once the shop floor is down the major work will be over and I can start the finishing and the decorating.

Totally Floored

Well, the First Floor at least. Here's what it looks like now...

Peas please, Louise...

Amongst the old wood brought home from the shop yesterday were the old shutters that were on the front window. Here's a picture of what they looked like.
Ian had noticed that one of them was repaired with a flattened-out tin can. I took it off at home and cleaned it up a bit. Interestingly (in the days before Baked Beans, presumably) it was a tin of peas!

Partly Floored

It's been almost a month since any work was done in the shop, but this Monday Ian was back in to start the first floor. All the old, short boards that were left were removed and the new pine boarding started.
When you looked down through the unboarded half - this was the view:

This morning I went over to Le Dorat and helped Ian to get all the old boards and other bits of wood that are not needed here (but perfectly good for the wood-burning stove) into his van, and we took them over to my house.

This pile is just the old boards from upstairs...
... and now my woodshed is stuffed full!...

Ostension Sunday 12th

I put some decorations in the shop window today for Ostension. Even if I can't be open, I can at least show willing!

I made the little hearts yesterday evening and the green and red tasselled trim was bought when I was visiting Jason down south last year.