My Gaff (Slight Return), or When I Paint My Masterpiece

The saga of the work going on in and around My Gaff over the last few months has been a frustrating, stressful (if, occasionally, amusing) one. It started in February when, just ten days before I was due to fly to LA for the Gally convention, the builders decided THAT was when they were going to start rennovation work which had been off-and-on-and-off-and-on-again for the last six months. Champion.

I, inevitably, expected some kind of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet-style shenanigans of cowboy builders, botched jobs and general sloppiness. However, I have to say that, apart from some decidedly slapdash plastering (the only bit done whilst I wasn't actaully there to supervise them) the firm - Frank Haslman Ltd - have been pretty decent, sympathetic to my needs and professional in their approach.

Anyway, most of that is sorted now - there's still the front door to do (Big job, apparently) and some external bashing about with scaffolding and bricks and roof tiles and cavaty wall insulation and the like, apparently, but all of the inside is now sorted. Apart, of course, from a little bit of redecoration that I've got to do.

This here is My Gaff.

Now, I know it might look like shit but, actually, I'm quite proud of it.

Here's a couple of photos of the front room that will, in all likelihood, scare the living bejesus out of you.

Now that 90% of the work on it is completed, I'm in the process of doing a spot of - very gradual - redocoration.

I'm currently painting the kitchen (or, "the scullery" for you older English people out there).

I've never been a huge fan of painting but I must say I'm quite enjoying this - just doing a little bit more each day and gradually shifting stuff around as each bit gets completed. Here, for instance, is a section in the corner. With much of my glasswork put back in place after the paint had dried.

The colour, incidentally, is called "warm yellow". It looked a bit yucky when I first saw it in the shop but now I rather like it. I imagine in summer the light streaming through the window will reflect off it and blind me.