Tom posted a list of ‘Targets for 2010‘, and clearly defined them as “not new year’s resolutions” which is probably the way to go as I would say that New Year’s Resolutions usually have some negativety attached to them rather than being something positive to aspire to e.g. Give up sweets, drink less alcohol, etc.

So I might as well put a few targets on here, and see if I can complete any of them, and just like Tom I’ll try and keep you updated as at least I can always come back to this post as a reference.

1. Decorate spare room – I have a room that is currently storing junk, but which needs to be fully decorated (plastered, painted, carpeted, etc).

2. Pay off credit cards – I’ve currently got £2439.30 on my credit cards which is mostly debt I racked up whilst renovating the house having spent the majority of my savings on my deposit (plus some other bits). It is interest free until May, so I’ll try and get rid of some of it and then find another interest free card to transfer over to.

3.Lose a substantial amount of weight – OK, this is always in there. We know what needs to be done, so just do it.

4. Cycle to work at least once a week – I like cycling, I am only 2.3 miles from work, so I should cycle more. Yet again it’s that simple.

5. Take more photographs - and ones that other people may find interesting.

6. Visit more places - Okay so quite wide-ranging but I now have a ladyfriend who I would like to take to places other than Thanet.

That’s it for now then, and we’ll see how things go.

Do any of you do the same?

Of course the prices people are putting their houses up for sale for are not necessarily the value someone wants to pay for them or indeed their true value, but it does give a ballpark idea if quite a few houses in the same area are going for roughly the same price.

I’m happy to say that at the moment it looks like I’m quids in (having seemingly bought when the market was at it’s lowest), but as we have seen, situations can change very quickly, and I’m in this for the long run so it doesn’t really effect me that much. It still won’t stop me looking though.

NYE 2003

For the past decade New Year’s Eve has consisted of going on a pub crawl in either Broadstairs or Ramsgate whilst in fancy dress such as Morris Dancers, Mr T’s, Nerds, etc but to be honest I haven’t enjoyed the past couple of years as much as I have in the past. I guess the main factors are that I’m not getting any younger and that it now costs quite a bit to go out, so I decided that this year I would be having a house party instead.

I broached the question to my friends and they all agreed that this would be a nice change and it would also mean that those with children would be able to come along (even if only for a few hours) without having to worry about babysitters and I really wanted to make it possible for everyone to come and have no excuses.

I’ve off to Calais on the 15th December (using the Eurotunnel £15 deal) and will stock up on alcohol in preparation for the party and will try and do a few more bits to the house between Christmas and New Year, but it certainly won’t be as much of a rush as it was getting the place ready for my housewarming.

Housewarming party

The weather was brilliant, I had a BBQ, there was plenty of food, the alcohol was flowing and the layout of the house proved to be great for a party. The party started at 3:30pm and the last guests left at 3:30am, so it was basically 12 hours of fun but I went through to the end (as a good host does), and then I finally got my sleep.. but not for long as I was awake just after 8am and I needed to get myself sorted for Sunday football (just like Tom). An easy option would’ve been to sack off football and stay in bed, but where’s the commitment in that?

It was really nice on Sunday afternoon to just potter around the house and not have to do any painting or decorating, and I didn’t even finish tidying up from the party! I tidied up the garden, put the bottles and cans in for recycling, threw away and leftover food,but I thought the rest could wait until this evening when I have some more energy!

There is of course some bits that I still need to do at the house but those can for now be put on the ‘to-do’ list for the future.

If you want to see some photos from the housewarming then click here.

I’ve had to sacrifice 5-aside footy tonight and football training on Wednesday so that I can spend maximum time at the house as I’ve got the carpet fitter coming around on Thursday to fit the carpet in the lounge, hallway and staircase. I’ve done the rest of the carpet myself but thought I’d get the pros in for the tricky bits.

I did have one day of freedom though and went to France for the day with my football team for a general piss-up which was fun although we only spend a few hours in France due to ferry times, but half the fun is to had in the journey. This was of course from Dover to Calais, and not the Ramsgate to Boulogne ferry we have been waiting six months for.

Sunset from the ferry

I’ve realised I’ve tailed off a bit with taking photos of the house (and videos) but it seems I haven’t even got time for those although I did take a rubbish one yesterday of the front room I had been working on. I’ve got Friday off work and will use that day for finishing off little bits, moving stuff down the house, and generally making it look like a home…. and then I move in and have my party!

Yellow Dining Room

So I’ve finally arranged my housewarming for Saturday 23rd August which is great except for the fact it means I’ve got to get around to finishing off the house! It’ll be tight but I’m confident everything will be fine…

Although I’ve fitted the carpet in most of the rooms, I am getting someone in to fit the carpet in the front room, hall, stairs, and landing as this is all open plan and I don’t want to mess it up so it’s worth paying a little extra to get it done well. I’ve got them coming around at lunchtime to measure up and then I’ll have this week to finish decorating the front room before getting them to come back and fit the carpet before the party!

Boskoop Glory Grapevines

I would hope that it won’t be a mad rush on the last day before the housewarming but I know that won’t be the case! Have you noticed the amount of exclamation marks in this post… must be serious!

In other news I’ve finally got around to planting the grapevines I bought last week at the market. I’ve had a little read-up on how to grow them, prune them, etc but can I not just let them do their thing? Any tips?

That’s all for the mo as I’d better be making my house brilliant before the guests arrive!

Dwarf Firs from the market

I had some business to do down town this morning and whilst down there I had a gander at the plant stall usually located at the centre of town on a Friday for the market. I’ve picked up some great bargains there, notably my dwarf conifers for only £2 each, and so it’s always good to see what they’ve got and today I picked up a real bargain.

Pre-packed vine leaves

They were selling grapevines for only £3 each or two for £5, and so I opted for two and can’t wait the get them planted this evening after work. Nearly every home in North Cyprus (where half my family come from) have grapevines on their property and these are used not only for the fruit but also for the leaves which are used for stuffed vine leaves called dolma. Whenever I’m up in London I will go to a Turkish supermarket to pick up pre-packed vine leaves which are packed in brine, but I can’t wait for when I’ll be able to pop into the back yard grab some leaves and make my own.

I know it will take some time for the vines to establish before I’ll be able to pluck off leaves without fear of killing the plants but the vines will be growing in my new home and having oinly just bought the place I’m sure that I’ll be there to reap the rewards.

Anyway.. here’s a few pics:

The Master Bedroom

Another angle of the master bedroom

Before and After - Boiler Cupboard in the Dining Room

Dining Room being decorated

As you can see I’ve now got my bed etc in the bedroom and put up the blinds on Saturday, and over the last week or so I’ve been working on the dining room. That has had to be plastered in some areas, then wallpapered, and then painted so that I can disguise any imperfections on the walls. This takes time, but it is certainly cheaper than getting a professional plasterer in, although maybe in a few years I can save a little and get this done.

I’ve gone for a yellow to brighten the place up as I didn’t want magnolia everywhere, and I think it will look good once I’ve finished. The dining room is where the old immersion heater was located and that was removed when I got the new heating installed, so I’ve been working on converting that into a storage space to keep pots and pans, plates, cutlery, glasses etc, which will give me more space in the kitchen for food storage and preparation.

The aim is to get the dining room finished this week, and then party time will be getting closer!

Old gate falling apart

The old gate as you can see was falling apart and didn’t provide much security and looking around there were no suitable ready made gates that would fit the exact size I needed I got out my carpentry skills and made my own.

Making a mess with my carpentry skills

It’s not really an essential thing for the immediate future but I tell myself that it’s made the garden a bit more secure and also made it look a lot nicer.

The finished gate

I put a door lock on it so that I can gain access via the alleyway with having to worry about bolts or padlocks which are usually on back gates. Next up is to put some fencing along the back wall so that I have some nice privacy and to also put on some wood-stain to protect the wood.

The lock on the new gate

I’ve also put done some purple slate scree in the flowerbeds (after weeding of course) and will put in a few plants at a later date. I really do like my garden as it’s a nice size and I can’t wait to have some BBQ fun there in the near future.

The garden looking a little nicer

Not bad eh?