So Elli commented and said:

"That’s insane.  I would sell my soul to have that many bookshelves.  Love your v. retro armchair :)"

And I got dorky with my reply, and then decided to share it with you all, because I obviously didn’t make the shelf situation clear. (You see I LOVE things for putting things in, and I wouldn’t want you to think that that wasn’t the case.)

My reply:

yup, and normally i would feel the same - in fact when W bought the
house i *did* feel the same, but they take up a HUGE amount of floor
space, and since there are so many active walkways in that room floor
space is at a premium, plus they are shoddily made and too damn deep -
so they had to go.

We are going to have new shelves though - between the far wall and the
chimney breast - but at the top of the wall rather than from the floor.
thus all our books will have happy new homes, and we will still have
floor below to put chairs and things. cool huh?

mind you having spent the morning clearing the room in the baking heat maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all? ;)

btw thank you for the kind words about the arm chair. they were one of
those ‘is this a bargain? omg it really is!’ finds, where they needed
steaming cleaning and then dipping in a cold bath and leaving to dry -
which W did while i was out because i was being a wuss about it and
thought it would kill them. it didn’t - obviously- it just finally got
them clean. but it was worth the effort because now we can pretend to
be James Bond bad guys! :)

–

Right. Lunch.

Did I mention we’ve bought a sofa?

We bought a sofa! It only took *TWO YEARS* to find one we both liked, and it’s arriving in two or three weeks time, which means it’s actions stations as we finally dismantle the built-in shelving (that I hate) and sand the floors.

Yes apparently sanding the floors is eval and horrible and no one will ever do it again, but the yellow we moved in with is scratched and scruffy and won’t go with the new brown sofa <3<3<3 and thus needs getting rid of, and being replaced with lovely varnished floors.

So that’s my job on friday! (and saturday).

In the meantime take a look at the remains of the built in shelving. It was humungus! Too big, and with shelves that were far too deep and thus became clutter magnets.  So all the books and pictures are stashed throughout the rest of the house, and we’re getting ready to finally start sorting this room out.

Now we just have to work out what to do with all this wood!

So about a year ago someone* posted a photo of a Jay Ryan print “Sleeping in the Trees” which i just fell in love with.

And when i showed W he fell in love with it too. So i bought it. And now we’re big Jay Ryan fans.

So when My Little Mochi posted about her new Jay Ryan print, it reminded me that i should post about the ones we bought a few weeks ago, once W realised that JR had an exhibition in a gallery in Manchester.

This is what we having waiting to be framed, and to go up on our walls:

Edinboro University Student Art League

I *love* the Yak in this print. I really love their eyes and their expressions, but the yak’s fur just makes me very happy. Plus the colours are incredible.

(I’m pretty sure - unless she protests - that this is going to go in what was our spare room, but will become my sister’s bedroom in a couple of months. It’ll really suit the colour of the walls, and might even help her sanity as she comes to the end of her phD.)

The Wrens - The Race

I’m not sure what they’re looking for, but I love how careful they’re being. :)

(This one might end up in our room, along with “Sleeping in the Trees”.)

Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production of Eggs - Sovay

This was W’s choice and it’s inspired. I love the movement of the weed, and the way you can see the ghosting of the tops of the letters on the surface of the water. It’s a really clever piece and i don’t expect to get bored of looking at it.

Marmots, Chairs and Buckets

W is a huge chair geek, and this really appealed to him. I’m a sucker for colour and strong lines, and interesting composition, and squishy animals (not to be confused with ’squished’ animals) so we both won. (Though actually we had to get this one sent from the Bird Machine site in the US, since we
couldn’t stretch to the large, handscreened versions they are selling in Manchester.)

It makes me want to start drawing again.

* and i really wish i could remember who.

Our bathroom is on the third floor, and in the spring the horse-chestnut tree outside the window makes the whole room glow green.

Of course it also carpets our backyard in sticky bud cases that glue themselves to your shoes until you get about halfway through the house, but the green bathroom makes up for that.

:)

ETO:

Here is a shot W took of the same room. See the glow! :)

*Sticks head around the door*

I’m back!

I’ve had my second interview!

I am so behind on lots of things but I have the weekend to catch up. And see my sister. *crosses fingers* And pet poor W who has a cold. And take lots of photos. And get my Backtack and Nectar Lounge parcels sorted.

*makes long to do list*

So obviously, last night - despite everything - I start the Frost Flowers and Leaves shawl in the above yarn.  It’s lovely to be knitting lace again, and to have multiple projects on the go.

That said I need to knuckle down and get my sister’s jumper finished.  With a 2 year old and 4 year old on the holiday with us, not a lot of knitting was done. We played, and sniffed alot of flowers instead.

More later… including alot more photos!  But I’m back. :)