After the visit from family it was back to decorating the room again. There is a strange need to get back to comfortable at end of day when the living room is involved. The comfort of evening relaxation. I even shove pictures on/off/on/off/on again at end of day to the yet to be filled and second coat paint needed walls. And a few ornaments on soon to be scraped again shelves. It all helps in keeping calm and chilled when the mess could provide angst. The two sofas are to be soon gone. But for the moment also provide a semblance of normality. The mess from decorating can be profound. Decorate one room and the other closer rooms suffer from mess too. Also, paint being stripped off wood is a ‘bits love to jump into the surrounding area’ exercise. The carpet that is to be ripped up and replaced with a new one is both surface covered and ingrained with dry scraped plaster and wood dust. Hoovered regularly throughout and at end of day the carpet is nevertheless staying where it is for a while.
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The old floorboards in this house are wonderful, but would not provide an ambience for daily and evening relaxation and comfort if stripped back in the living room. There is beauty in stripped back floorboards. But there is also a hollow feeling in it’s presence for elongated relaxation needs. Moving through a room with the slate or wooden floors is a wonderful feeling. Brief stays too. But sitting on a sofa tip tapping wood like a Fred Astaire wannabe? Nope! I have stripped back the bedroom floor, stair rails and doors. I know how long it takes with a simple couple of centimetres in length metal triangle existing on the Bahco scraping tool to finish these tasks. The gaps in the floor boards from shrinkage over their one hundred and forty years of existence needed small strips of slivered inserts in the bedroom. Lots of resulting splinters and expletives. Again……Nope! A living room woollen Berber carpet, exactly the same as put down on the stairs, is just the ticket for the living room journey. It’s been bought and paid for anyways.
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Yesterday was a planned intention to do a little more painting. Paint the coving, window frames and inner panels. To scrape off the previous owners gloss paint on said window furniture. Leave the primer and undercoat in situ as a ‘key’ to adhere the chalk paint. I scraped back to wood in a couple of places and the grain peeping through begged to be seen. It was a whisper prompt of ‘guess what you would be missing out on if you don’t look further’. I find wood has a very persuasive nature. So I opened up the door to freedom, hot air burned off the paint, scraped off the under varnish and in the gentle glow of evening, from table lamplight, found that I was forever switching my gaze back to it’s beautiful presentations. ‘Thank you Wood for that tap on the conscience shoulder and sweet whisper into my ear’ was my inner conversation.
There is something about wood grain. It provides a Mindful opportunity to simply sit or stand and take it in. It could be the simple presentation as a piece of art central to tea ceremony focus. It is a non changing consistent presence that is nature’s swirling Mandala.
Below is both the room’s progress and the stair’s finished project. You look at one and sigh with additional ‘yet more’ hovering on your lips. You look at the other and give a sigh with ‘does feel better’ bouncing around inside your contented mind.
So more to do still. A lot more! Moving onwards.
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Gray Summers 
I love your musings Gray – and not your intention, but I loved the view from your window … looking out onto the countryside – living in the built-up city, your view is so tranquil.
I’m with you on the appreciation of the warmth and character of natural wood, but our floorboards wouldn’t deliver either … being over 100 years old too.
I also loved your fires … they looked so cosy. Again, we do have fireplaces but in the 30+ years we’ve been here, they’ve never been serviced. I don’t think we could use them.
I hope you are enjoying the results of your labours
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The view from the window is tranquil. We had a friend visit decades ago and whilst myself and Angie were out at work, she loved sitting on the bedroom windowsill whilst reading her books, drinking tea (a Yorkshire Leeds lady) and looking at the view over to Aberdovey. It was a great compliment to the house ambience. The floorboards are the type where the outsides were painted with deep dark varnish and a central floor covering put down in all the rooms. Tedious to scraping off the outside edges. But worthwhile. The fireplaces are in place in some rooms but not used other than the front room. It was bricked up and a neighbour called to welcome us to the village. We said we had an open fire in all the living rooms of our houses. He literally gave us a house warming gift. Disappearing to his work van he bought back a sledgehammer and bish, bash, bosh we had a hole in the wall. I built the hearth and we created and gained a nice warmer ambience to the room. Swept the chimney of jackdaw nests first of course! They still try it on every year! A cowl dumps smoke back into the room, so can’t put one in place. It’s great being full on free to choose daily deeds. But…..I ran and caught a patient back when I was nursing and stopped her from falling. Result was damaged and stretched muscle and tendons in right arm. Get periodical pain ever since. So do have to watch it sometimes. Cheers and all the best Brenda.
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I know exactly whatypu mean about those painted boards … I remember my gran’s house being like that when I was younger.
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They are difficult to renovate. The varnish is dry, dark and dusty on removal. It all looks okay now but took a lot of work. A Bahco blade is brilliant but does take a long time to get the job done.
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I’ll keep my living room carpeted as I remember it being like that too
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Great idea. Much more comfortable. And warmer. Berber (wool) carpets have been our go to since our first house. When you know something works then stick with it. Hessian (paper backed) and old 1970s influenced small floral Laura Ashley designs for wallpaper are timeless too. But now? I’ve found the painting of bare walls with chalk or clay paint is amazing on older houses. Helps the walls to breathe too. Cheers Brenda. .
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Ps I hope you weren’t affected by the quake in Wales I saw reported this morning?
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No. It was down South Wales. Too far away to feel any effects. Thank you fir asking.
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beautiful it turned out great!
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Thank you. It’s good to be able to take time and not be concerned with deadline limitations. Still a bit to go with this room. But it’s taking shape. All the best and your comment is very much appreciated.
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