Tales of This, That and Things Falling from the Sky

I can't believe it is nearly a month since I last posted to this blog. Some of that time has been really busy, and some has not.

So, where have we got to ? Our hand-carved stone fireplaces have been made and are ready to be fitted.

....but....

Surprisingly, the stonemasons have advised that the rooms are plastered first. We are not ready to plaster because

1. The electrician has not finished first fix (don't speak to Jan about the electrician !)
2. The ceilings cannot fully go up because the bathroom plumbing is not quite finished
3. We have ordered some oak casings for the steel beams from a local joinery shop and they are not ready yet
4. We have not yet fully designed/decided the workings of the spiral staircase

However, based on various promises on the above, and ignoring number 4 completely, the plastering of both the new lounge and the basement room has been scheduled to begin on Tuesday week.

This will be a huge step forward in overall progress. I can feel a whole lot of spending coming up !

So, there has been some preparation work going on. Jan has finished the tiling and grouting of the bath surround and splashback areas, and the bath has been lifted in, hopefully for the final time. The tiling of one wall of the shower is now up to the ceiling. Bathroom pictures will follow later.

During a week at home while the Children were in Wales, Jan and I pressed on with a few other jobs. The remaining telephone, Cat5e and COAX TV cables were pulled through :

Noggins to support ceiling light fittings were installed :

Extra supports for the waste pipes (note the more rudimentary method of installation when compared with the light noggins) :

A new (the 4th I think) waste for the shower was purchased and fitted (this is a top-access waste, so does away with the need to access it from below if it becomes blocked - perfect) :

And finally, the acoustic insulation has been fitted up between the joists :

The basement room is completely insulated, and the lounge half done - the half that hosts all the plumbing is still open until the final water-tests for the waste system. Jan and I had a good production line going - she cut it to size with a kitchen knife and I made local tweaks and pushed it into place. Most of it wedged in nicely, but some looser pieces are held in place by zig-zags of string anchored using a borrowed staple gun (thanks Dad).

Unfortunately this productive week ended prematurely when I (possibly) stepped out of the loft onto a ladder that was no longer there and landed with a thud after a 7' fall. I say possibly, because I was knocked unconscious and have no memory of these events. Jan was very quickly to my aid, and called an ambulance. I came round after 7 or 8 minutes and was strapped to a board and carted off to Gloucester A&E (no Chris, they didn't go down the hill !). Apparently even the NHS helicopter was scrambled, but it was stood down when I started talking sense again. That'll teach me to keep my mouth shut !

The accident was last Sunday, and I was quite poorly for a couple of days, but I am now much improved. My neck is still very stiff but only about 50% of the muscles between neck and waist ache now, rather than all of them ! Fortunately there do not appear to be any long term effects, but I think I have been lucky.

By re-construction we believe on reaching back into the loft to close the hatch I managed to topple the step ladder. It went one way, and I the other. I have no head injury or even bruising so think I must have been knocked out by whiplash as I landed on my back. Fortunately my head missed the marble-topped bedside table, and the falling ladder missed the Georgian D-table !

Needless to say, not much has been done this week. Jan won't even let me drive - it would have been a good time to investigate some far-afield pubs. Why have I only just thought of that ?