Sarah and Guy Build a Swimming Pool

This week feels a bit like it’s going to be a ‘nothing happening’ week because the surround needs to happen next and Gareth the Wood is away at Butlins….  On Monday I set to work staining the ceiling.  Again.  I know that it took 3 ½ hours on Saturday, so Karen at work (thank you again Karen) does my late turn at the office for me and I whiz home to get cracking.  It doesn’t seem to take so long as the first coat (soaks in less) but then I am somewhat thwarted by Dave the Miller turning up with the new surround corners.  Which is fine, but he does rather like to natter…. 45 minutes later he finally trundles off, and I get back to the staining….  However, the good news is that he ADMIRES the cabin and says we’re doing A Good Job.  Praise indeed! On Tuesday the last coat of stain goes on – HOORAY!  And a second coat on the stable door end wall and the window wall.  I ceremonially dump my cheap trousers and T shirt because they are now enti...

As Guy flies off to Spain on Thursday, we decide we will finish the ceiling tongue and groove on Monday/Tuesday and have a quiet night on Wednesday – romantic meal, last night together, candles, bottle of wine – all that stuff. The Monday and Tuesday bit works fine.  We tongue and groove till we are heartily sick of it – it’s a BIG ceiling.  Slight hitch on Monday when the remaining wood is delivered – meant to be cut to size, but actually not cut to size.  Still, we set up the mitre saw with a new lump of wood at the right place, and cut all 96 pieces ourselves…. On Tuesday we finish the last bit of the ceiling and I realise we also need to put in the ‘liner hanger’ before the surround (due to be delivered Wednesday) can be fitted on Friday.  Not to worry, we agree we’ll do it Wednesday before our Romantic Meal. On Wednesday the wood is delivered for the surround (looks lovely – needs four coats of oil before Friday, so plan to do one later) and we fit the li...

I had forgotten just how stiff it is possible to get Doing Things.  Due to my rather enforced three week rest, my exertions on Sunday (up a ladder Tongue and Grooving) make me as stiff as a board on Monday.    However, I have some VERY interesting phone calls:  Woodmerchant and Woodmillman are now speaking to each other and the surround will ARRIVE ON TUESDAY; Haulage company have remembered I exist and pool WILL ARRIVE ON THURSDAY WOO HOO.  That just leaves us Thursday night to put the walls up before Gareth the Wood comes to fix the surround on Friday. I am exceedingly optimistic and believe the nice man on the DVD who says it will only take an hour.  Guy is less convinced.  We put the base coat of woodstain on the new walls.  It’s a gorgeous honey colour.  And no, I can’t really take the credit for the colour as the choices were: ghastly yellow, honey, dark, darker, very dark and darkest.   Kind of chose itself, really… S...

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are wiped out with my wretched unwellness, so they don’t count.  I am off work and not eating, so am pretty damned feeble.  Still, it’s good for the waistline! On Thursday Guy comes round in the evening to put Jablite in the walls ready for tongue and grooving.  I have stomach spasms now so spend the evening bent double saying ‘you’ve missed a bit’ which I am sure is Most Helpful.  The pit base bitumen doesn’t get any air circulating on it, and the forecast is for more rain, so the blower and dehumidifier are back to help dry the base out.  As we don’t want to stand on the pit base, Guy balances precariously on planks across the top of it.  I must admit a lot of my thoughts lately have been heading towards ‘why did I make the pool partially inground?’.  I’m sure it’ll be Lovely When It’s Finished although I may well be heading for a nervous breakdown in the process…. Messy stuff to cut, Jablite.  We don’t want it...