Oh, cool. I do apologise for the misunderstanding on my part, but I hope you understand that the 'this' gave me wrong idea.

I suppose that's the best way, James. Otherwise, you can put another thread up here; like that swan family one- asking how to rid rodents. Then SN massive may provide you with some great suggestions such as Stanley's crow bar, chasing them out with a Flintstone's club etc.

You should take a picture of at least one mouse on your phone, and post it up here for fun.

Big job, my friend. I bet you and the missus are knackered, but now you have to lay the new stuff out etc. Hard work, and I salute you two for buckling down to do it. House warming party in the new year for the SN Massive awaits!

Are you re-decorating now, or have you already done it?

I have to say that life without telly is fantastic! I was thinking of installing one in my kitchen, but then I thought "Hang on, you don't even watch the big one in the living room, so why bother?". I thought right, and not getting another gizmo for kitchen. I have some friends that have TV in car, in their bathroom, toilets, in their bedrooms and any other rooms etc. I don't know how they find time to watch it, and what exactly they watch all the time. I find most of the TV material shyte. But that's just my view. They're entitled to have that many TVs all over the place, and I but respect their choice for themselves.

 

By the way, if there's no wifi in your new house, how are you posting here? Through 3G? Watch out. your data charges could be in hundreds of pounds at the end of the month! Get internet sharpish, James. It's better and more useful than having TV imo. That's if you aren't sucked into it.

If you're using neighbour's wifi, that's ok. I put my neighbour on my wifi the other day. She's made up.

 

Using 3G/4G at them moment. Lol @ the duck thread!

P.s. Nowhere near the decorating stage. Still cleaning and tidying and getting rid of their fittings. Hoovering the chimney tonight.

P.p.s. Talking of wildfowl, took this on the day we moved in; Lizzy said it must have been a sign:

 

Careful. Don't get stuck inside your chimley while hoovering it. Hoover before the beers, not after. D

Good pic, but I wish there were a few more wind fowls to complete the tip-of-the-arrow pattern. However, what does Lizzie reckon it might have acted as a sign for, James?

 

Well nothing really, she's not superstitious, it was just that the formation looked vaguely like an 'L'.

 

Sure. And if you turn the patten over, it will look like J. Slightly less rounded than L, but still. Interesting.

 

Didn't vacuum the chimney; I watched Lizzy polish and reposition things whilst we listened to 'Brothers in Arms' and drank red wine. Must try harder.

 

Never mind. There's always tomorrow to get stuck in your chimley.

 

Did the chimney last night after our carol service. There's candle wax all over the hearth so need to research how to safely remove it without staining the stone.

 

Oh, and:

 

Oye, thou shan't deceive nor must thou kill; may it be a mouse or mice!

I'm pretty sure the Bible commands both those things. I can find exact number for them and who spoke it etc. but I'm kinda busy atm.

Oh, and....

With waxed clothes, you can iron them with brown paper on top of them, and the wax gets soaked by brown paper. With hearth stones, I suggest you use a hear gun to heat the wax and soak it up with discarded towel to begin with, and when it's only the residue left, heat it again and then soak it up with brown paper. I'm sure you can get a cheapskate heat gun for like 15 quid from B&Q. If there's no B&Q in your vicinity, then just use Lizzie's hair dryer. It's just that her hair dryer will take longer, but if you're patient, you may save yourself 15 quid.

PS: Heat gun shouldn't ruin your stone, unless it's Tajmahal sort of marble stone. If your hearth stones can take the heat of burning cinders in the hearth, then they should respond fine to the heat gun or the hair dryer. Good luck.

 

 

Not sure who plastered those walls mate, but I'd be getting someone else in next time if I were you.

Nice driveway.

 

I think his uneven plaster looks cool. I'm trying to work out how come the pictures are hanging so flat on the bumps.

I like the old bibles (or maybe they're something else) and the furniture as well. Old oil lamp will be much more appropriate for this setting.

 

I'm not sure how the pictures sit flat. There's one on the other side of the room that stands proud.

Agreed about the light - this place does some nice items:

http://www.artifact-lighting.com

Oh, and the books are volumes of the Spectator from 1739.

 

You like modern touch, Which is cool.

I'm more into this sort of stuff for that setting>

http://antiques.lovetoknow.com/Antique_Oil_Lamps#2

If you put a real antique oil lamp in that corner, the setting will look more haunted than it already seems to be.


Ah, ok.

The book most precious to me in The Little Black Sambo. It's not as battered nor is it the first ed. and signed etc., but the revolutionary nature of that tiny book with most simple drawings shows the power of literature.

I won't display it like that near a modern lamp with 1970's tacky looking furniture in my Thatcher era period property, no way.

 

I quite like this:

 

...and this:

 

Not my type. There's nothing ornamental about it. I can't but imagine a stuffed little bird inside it, imprisoned there forever in its posthumous state; just for the display. But if ithis lamp is cool for you and co., then you should get it.

 

Yes, I know what you mean about the dome, but I do quite like the Eddison lamps. See above.

 

Now you're talking.

This has more character than that taxidermy glass dome.

 

Definitely.

 

You can get new 'Petromaxes' for a oner:

http://www.conrad-electronic.co.uk/c...FcoaGwodRv0D0Q

 

Imagine you sitting on that chair wearing a black robe within hoodie on and pretending to read those ancient books. And when you hear missus's foot steps who's bringing you a wooden tumbler full of mead, you hide yourself in the corner with your lantern hidden under your black robe. Upon entering, she sees an empty chair and wonders- 'wtf! Where has my Jimbastic vanished to? '. At that moment, you jump out with your lantern right up to your face and go - 'WALLAH!' She'll scream and then lamp you one with your precious lantern!

Just be careful with the lantern hidden under your robe. Don't let the robe go on fire.

 

 

That's good. It's priced reasonable imo.

I'm not into smashing things out of anger or frustration, but I did smash one very antique oil lamp once, in some very complex circumstances. I'll never forget it, nor will I ever stop regretting that action of mine. It wasn't so much about the lamp, my shame was more about the lovely person who gifted it to us, and their sentiment behind it. I did aplogise to them, and they forgave me. Very noble of them.

 

Where have you got that from? I completely made it up tbh. I don't even watch horror films. Shame no thought is original any more.

I was made to watch one horror type Stephen King's film last night. I wanted to watch my daughter's favourite City of God, but my dearest son was hellbent on me watching The Bongoliers or something. It was so bad that we got bored half way through. The son looked at the duration that turned out to be 180 minutes of complete absurdity e.g. killing people by revolving a toaster in a pillow case and a traumatised arrogant businessman trying to look scary. What a load of rubbish it was. RSMatt would have loved it with his cat sitting next to him.

We turned it off after enduring 90 minutes of our restlessness.

 

It's Strider from Lord of the Rings and the scene sprung immediately to mind after reading your description. It's funny, because this morning when I ducked under the beam on the stairs the missus described the house as a "hobbit home".

 

Hm. The Collective Unconscious can't be just a concept, after all.

 

There are dozens of these little chaps running across my path as I make my way up the driveway. This one stopped for a photo.



Not the greatest of shots and looking forward to some decent photos in the spring. Stew, anyone?