Evening All

Well what a week that was! I walked into work on Monday morning to be told that one of our blocks of flats had sustained a fire in the early hours of Monday morning - as the morning progressed and colleagues from my team were allowed to get a little closer to be able to send back photo's, we learnt how bad a fire it had been - one elderly gentleman had died, others had sustained injuries jumping from 2nd floor windows - it was terrible - the communal areas - the one area, that is the residents only escape route was completely wiped out by the fire. The gentleman who had died lived on the bottom floor right next to where a local youth had decided to set fire to half a dozen wheely bins, we think that there had been an accelerant used to make sure that they really went with a bang.

Once the local youth had set that fire going - he then went onto another property - a house this time and did exactly the same thing - put the whelly bin up against the door and set it alight - luckily the residents managed to escape. The block of flats have been a crime scene for most of the week and the police arrested the youth and have now charged him with murder, attempted murder and arson.

Throughout the course of my career, nearly 23 years, I've found dead bodies were residents have passed away naturally, I've had houses blow up and once a house that was literally splitting into two halves with heave - but never a fire and never a death in this way - it's been a really horrible week - it must have been horrendous for the elderly gentleman and for the other residents trying to escape - My Nan and Grandad lived in a flat and I've thought, what if someone had done the same to them - we all just feel for the residents - 9 families have been made homeless by this young man's actions. Terrible......

Moving on, I said I would post pictures of the conservatory next -

This is looking down into the bottom half of the conservatory - we painted it in some magnolia paint  that had been brought some time back and hadn't been used, all the beams were oiled and then all the doors and skirting boards re stained in mid oak stain. The floor used to be laminate but in the winter your body would be warm but your feet would  like blocks of ice! so I saved up through the spring and we had the carpet fitted - we have 3 little dogs, so that is why the rugs are there, as this is the route through to the rear garden.

I then decided that we would change the curtain tracks in here (we have curtains to keep the room warm in the winter, the nets are because we have an extremely nosey neighbour, next door but one, on that side and because she is higher than us can look straight in and does if given half a chance!) so it was off to Argos again for those - then I decided to buy new curtains - I brought these curtains from Dunhealm and they cost £300.00 - now to me that is a lot of money, I suppose in this day and age 5 pairs of curtains for £300 is a reasonable price to pay - pity the quality wasn't! they must have been made in a little sweat shop some where in India, where some poor soul barely got paid anything for making them - there isn't one proper mitred corner amongst them and  I had to sew some of them  my self because the hems were up and down like a dogs hind leg!! - Note to self - never buy curtains from there again!!



The TV was the one from the front lounge and the nest of tables came from Church Stretton antiques market. The plates were from my Mom and Dad and are Royal Albert and I even have the certificates for them!

I picked up the dresser second hand and I spent a few days sanding, waxing and painting it, the plates and tea set all came from Church Stretton again and the plates on the wall round it, did live previously in the kitchen

I like wind chimes  and I've had these for about 10 years now - they make just the right tone when the breeze blows through

Then we move back up into the top part of the conservatory now - the curtain above closes over the side door which leads out to the log store - the clock came from Morrisons and only cost me £4.00! and it's got a lovely deep tick to it.

We brought the oak desk from a little antiques barn just outside Montgomery - it's like the teachers desk when I was at school in the early 60's  and has the shelf which pulls out above the drawers which your book had to sit on when you read to the teacher (those were the days when teachers listened to the children read!) I saw the oak filing cabinet at the same time that we brought the desk and the lady told me that they had come from the same old house - they're not matching but seem to sit well together and it is so handy for keeping all the household paperwork, tidy and in one place.

To the side of the desk is where my washer sits and the ironing basket - we all have hidey holes like this don't we????

So that's the conservatory - we did the passage way next but that's too boring to post pictures off - after that it was the kitchen - more pics to follow

Have a good Friday evening - best night of the week isn't it?

Byeeee