The Homeowner arrives!

It seems like forever but Minnie finally arrived safe and sound last night!





REALLY late last night.

It was virtually this morning by the time she arrived but we were both too excited to sleep so we've stayed up chatting and catching up with news.

I know - she looks nothing like me. I look like our mum and she's the spitting image of our dad. (She dyes her hair I think...but if you ask her she'll tell you it's me who dyes my hair *wink* )

She brought her little pet poodle with her so Cavendish here has a friend now, when we come over to visit her. She brought another friend with her too, but they're still touring the house upstairs somewhere. Not a lot I can tell you about them at the moment...I don't really know much, they're sort of mysterious...

Minnie has been into every corner, and she's super excited with it all.

She loves it! I knew she would but it's still exciting to hear that she's so happy with what I've managed. I was able to get a few last minute pieces of furniture, but just the basics and not a lot of it matches. Now that she's here though she can take her time and get a bit at a time, as she goes.

Everyone seems like they're going to be firm friends!

I can't wait to for us all to go on a tour of the village! It's going to be so much fun, now that my sister is here!!

It's been a long day though so everyone needs some beauty sleep. We'll get a good night's sleep and see what fun tomorrow brings!

Looks like Minnie's wiped out. One minute we were giggling and chatting about plans for tommorow...next thing I'm talking to myself and being deafened by snores. I just feel like pulling a blanket over myself and crashing here but I'll leave Minnie to rest and head home.

I'll just take these two out for one last trip to the garden before bed. What a day it's been. As tired as I am I don't know if I'll be able to sleep! I'm just so excited that Minnie's here!! Hee!!

I can't wait to meet the 'Mystery Guest' either! They seem...interesting! I hear them in the lounge, making up a bed on the couch so I'll just slip out quietly....





This will probably be my last 'guest post' at Fox Hollow now that Minnie is here, but I've had so much fun blogging that I may have to sneak in a post here and there if she'll let me. I hope so :)

Lets call the kitchen done...Almost

Wow, this kitchen has really got under my skin. Who knew a kitchen layout could be such a trial and error fiasco?! Not me, that's for sure. If it's been moved around once it's been moved a dozen times. Not an easy feat and at one point there were all four of us here and a couple of our friends too, lugging kitchen units around to try and find a good spot for them all.

Add to that the carpentry work involved to get the stairs in....
Oh yeah...See!! We have stairs! No banisters yet, but workable stairs none-the-less.

I think it's all come together for the best now, but it has been a nightmare to get all the units in without feeling cramped while trying to accomodate the stairs.

The front door opens into the kitchen area but with a bit of jiggery-pokery we've tried to do a (sort of) seperate entryway. The door is still in the kitchen but once the understairs units have been boxed in properly it'll hopefully seem like it's divided. I think it'll be nice with a little semi-island under the stairs. We've blocked off the openplan stairs to counter top level already.



There will hopefully be a few shelves to fill in the little gaps on the entryway side, where units won't fit, to use every available space and the open counter area will make a nice little breakfast bar bit and let light flow through to the 'hallway'.

The last of the advance money has gone on a new fridge/freezer and cooker and it was money well spent. I hope Minnie likes the models I picked for her, I got a bargain buying them together from the consignment store.

Anyhoo, I've asked Hives, Mr Bubbles and Flossy over for some sandwiches and cake to thank them for all their help so far....and to sweet talk them into a little bit more help. There's a little bit of papering to be done where the lounge wall was moved, the banisters need to be put on, there's the shelving to see to and perhaps....maybe another room or three to decorate.


We're running out of time though because a little bird told me that a certain little lady is only days away! I can't believe Minnie is almost here! I can not WAIT to see her! It's been so long. I don't think we'll get much more done before she gets here but I'll try and pull out all the stops to get a bit more finished.

In the meantime, I better get through there to help scoff the sandwiches, if there's any left. I hope they've saved some room for the cake I baked and iced. I'm not the best baker and I'd never win Masterchef with what I turn out but I do my best. I love to try.

I'll just put the strawberry chocolate one in the fridge here for later and take the strawberry vanilla sponge through. Hope it tastes as good as it looks!

Taking it to the next level

Today is very exciting! Work has started upstairs. I ran all the way here, I'm that keen to see what's up there! Cavendish came too to keep me company as he didn't want to get left behind at the Pet Center so I said he could come as long as he behaved himself.

I was expecting stairs, not a bodged together ladder made out of banister. I suppose it must be sturdy enough if it held Hives' weight. I see he's moved the dividing wall too... It does look better there as it opens up the kitchen a bit, but I hope he remembers fix the wallpaper above the door.

Cavendish will have to stay down here. He's not happy about it but he'll be ok down here for a little while. I'd need another pair of hands to get both myself and him up there in one piece. I'm a bit wary of tackling it with just myself to worry about. I'll need both hands to cling on to the banister ladder, without having to worry about having a tight grip on Cavendish too.

Well, that wasn't so hard. Climbing off the ladder was the hardest part. I think getting back down might be scarier than coming up though. And, I definitely need to get my hair cut if I'm going to be doing this regularly. Hair this long is just an accident waiting to happen on a building site like this.

Yikes! Minnie asked for "Pink and girly" but it's a bit too sweet for me. She'll love it, I know she will but I'm getting a sugar rush just from looking at it. Looks like the papering has been done but the roof and paintwork is looking a bit ropey. Pity there's no room in the budget for doing that up but maybe it can be added to the 'to do' list for when Minnie gets here.

I see Hives has brought a helper with him to lay the carpet in here. That's Mr Bubbles, he runs the Bait and Tackle shop 'Hook, Line and Sinker' down in the village. He's been talking about giving that up though and trying to find a new line of work. He says the bait shop is a hinderance to him finding a girlfriend. It's stinky work and nobody wants to cuddle up next to him after a hard day at the shop. I mentioned to him that he might want to open a perfumery and he loved the idea of a shop that sells things with a nice frangrance for a change. He's even thought up a name for it... 'Soapy Bubbles'

Anyhoo, back to the house-tour. A bedroom with sliding doors out to your very own balcony. How fantastic! I'd love a room with these doors! I think the other side of the house has a balcony too...time to investigate.

Well, it doesn't look like I'll be seeing up there today. I hope that banister is gone soon, the suspense of what's up there is killing me! Never mind, there's still one room left to check out on this floor.

Oh, this would make a great office/workroom or maybe a sun room, that would be cool. I wonder what Minnie will turn it into. Maybe a craft room, she's big into crafty stuff. I'm the animal lover and she's the arty farty one.

Ooh, look...a couple of feathered friends...lets get closer...

...Closer...

...Closer...Ohh, their friendly!

I made a couple of new friends! A perfect end to a perfect day.

Speaking of friends, I better navigate my way down the bannister ladder and get Cavendish. It's almost dinner time and I'm sure he's going to be as hungry as I am. I might phone for take out and treat Hives and Mr Bubbles to dinner at my place for today's decorating. I wonder if they like Pizza....

Lounging in the lounge

Well now, someone's been busy! Hives called earlier to say that the wallpapering was almost done in the lounge and I should pop up to see how he was doing. I've been a bit busy down at the Pet Center I run so he's been left to his own devices a bit up here. Today when he called I felt a little guilty that I'd left him on his own to do it all but he said he was in his element and just wanted me to see how it was all coming along. I was all set to get my sleeves rolled up anyway and help him but it seems like he's had everything under control and I've missed all the fun...

The hard work is finished and it looks amazing. Minnie sent over a rug that she loves and asked that the decor match the colours on it so I hope she likes what we've done with the place. I think it matches pefectly.

When I arrived Hives was taking a well deserved siesta. It was the least I could do to make him a cup of tea but when I went to ask how many sugars he took I think I must have shaken him a bit too roughly as he leapt up shouting, "Batten down the Main Sail!! Look lively!"

He said he wasn't sleeping, he was just resting his eyes but by the sound of the snores I'd say his eyes were fully relaxed and well and truly rested. Goodness knows what sort of dreams Hives has... Harking back to the glory days, no doubt.

Anyway, it's all done and looking lovely. I want to wait until Minnie gets here and chooses her own bits and pieces to decorate with but I couldn't resist putting up a little photo of 'Pusska', our pet cat from when we were younger. We both loved her very much and I have an identical photo in my own house so I hope Minnie doesn't mind. I'm sure she'll love it.

Small beginnings

Hi! I'm Daisy, Minnie's sister. Minnie still hasn't arrived, she's had some sort of hold-up and we're all waiting here impatiently for her arrival.

We had hoped to be further along with the renovations by this time but Flossie couldn't take any more time off from the Crab Shack so I've stepped in to oversee things for now. Minnie is on the phone constantly with suggestions for things we can be getting on with while we wait for her but we're all a bit nervous of making any big decisions and would rather wait until she gets here. I'm still finding my feet as a 'Project Manager' but it's fun.

The new kitchen wall has been put up to divide it from the lounge area and the wallpapering is done in here so we've made some progress! I think she'll like it, it's neutral enough that she can personalise it with her own style. I got here earlier and gave everything a good wipe down and sweep up and I think it'll look great when it's all done. We've managed to find a sink unit and a cooker at the salvage yard (although the cooker has seen better days and will need a bit of TLC) but we're still on the look out for more kitchen units. It's quite a small space and once the stairs are put in it's going to get even smaller so Minnie will have to be creative to get everything in.

If I know Minnie she'll make a fab job of it though. She loves finding old furniture and giving it a new lease of life so I'm excited to see how she puts her stamp on Fox Hollow. I'm looking forward to seeing her again, it's been a while since we got together and it'll be fun having her living just along the path.

Anyway, I'll get back to work in a second. Hives just dropped off a cheeseburger and some cola for me so first I'm going to have a seat and tuck in. It's hungry work being a project manager!

Kitchen planning

I made plans to meet Hives over here bright and early this morning. He was already waiting when I got here and had thoughtfully brought some donuts to nibble on while we disussed what was needed for the kitchen decor. I've managed to get myself cosy here drinking tea, eating donuts and reading my magazine while he sorts himself out over there in the kitchen. Luckily I brought a fleecy blanket with me to wrap up in. I knew the heating hadn't been hooked up yet and it's chilly up here with the sea breezes rattling through the chinks in the windows and doors.

Hives had brought his stepladder and some samples for me but I don't think his choices will work. He means well but Minnie probably won't want a purple kitchen. I'm picking up the wallpaper as soon as the shop opens later so he'll be able to make a start on that in no time. I showed him some photo's in my magazine of what I had in mind for the kitchen and he says it's going to look very sunny in there. Perfect. That's exactly what I'm hoping for.

To keep himself busy until the wallpaper arrives he's working out what he'll need to sort out the staircase to the upper levels. The stairs that were there have had to be taken down as they were really old and wonky and were a bit of an accident waiting to happen.

He's talking about putting up a wall to divide the kitchen/living area's too. I think it'll look great as two separate area's. I'm sure he knows what he's doing but he's just checking the blueprints to see which walls are load-bearing...or something. He did tell me but I was only half listening because donut selection takes a lot of concentration...yum!

Hives tackles the guttering...

Hives (or 'Captain Hives', as he prefers to be known)was working on the guttering today. He said that the guttering had seen better days and needed a good coat of Hammerite paint to sort it out. The guttering isn't easy to get to so he cobbled together all sorts of inventive ways to get to the high bits. He nearly had me in an early grave! He hung off a rope tied to the chimney to get to one side of it and hung out of windows by his feet to get to other bits. How a man of his age managed it I don't know! But he did, and I'm very grateful.

He's amazing but he's fond of telling tall tales so I'm never sure what to believe. He says he started his career as a Boatbuilder but after an unfortunate accident with some hot boiling glue he had to give it up as his hands were left badly disfigured. Not long after that he joined the crew of a fishing trawler and worked his way up to Captain.... That's how the story goes anyway. Some of the stories he tells makes me think it was a pirate crew he joined though so I'm never sure what to believe.

I was so glad when he finally managed to make it all the way around. I think that last bit was the worst, he had his step ladder perched on top of the coffee table and then tottered about on the top of it all. Scary to behold!

He says he was used to leaping around in the rigging and he was perfectly safe up at the guttering but to be honest I had my eyes covered for most of the time.

I know you'll probably be wondering what the green stuff is around the bottom of his legs -I did too when I first met him. He says it's a habit he got into on the boats, he wraps tape around his ankles to stop the rats running up the inside of his trousers! I don't know what bothers me more about that...that I believe him, or that he believes there are rats loose and ready to run up trouser legs!

Ah well, that's another wee job done. Thanks Hives!

And so it begins...Fox Hollow has a new owner!

Oh Hi!  I'm Flossie and today I've just had news that the new owner of Fox Hollow is arriving from overseas at the end of the month! It's all very exciting.

Fox Hollow belonged to my mother and I inherited it when she passed away but to be honest I haven't really been able to look after it properly, not on my salary. It's been in the family for years but it was turning into a bit of a money pit because of all of the constant repairs and upkeep, and the wages I earn over at the crab-shack barely even cover the bills so I made the decision to sell. I was sad at the thought of it going but it's been sitting empty for a few years now so it was the only way to go. I had a few people come to view but no offers came in......

Then, a few weeks ago I got a phone call from someone called Minnie who said she'd been here visiting a relative and loved the area. She'd had word that Fox Hollow had a For Sale sign on the porch and she knew she just had to have it. She bought it sight unseen and was very excited at the prospect of moving into the area. She's just finalising things where she is now and can't wait to start afresh here at Fox Hollow.

Minnie says that she isn't that fussy about the condition of the house as she had plans to put 'her own stamp' on but I still want this beautiful house to make an impression so I'm trying to rustle up a bit of help to get it spruced up before she arrives.

I've spoken to Minnie and she's sent some fabric samples and colour cards and she's happy for me to make a start on things for her.

It's all very exciting!

So, it's all hands on deck to try and make a bit of headway before Minnie gets here. I'm really looking forward to meeting her and helping her settle in!

Better get inside and see what needs doing!