Well. That was - interesting. If I had known just how long or how chaotic THAT was going to be I might not have bothered. Or maybe I would. I am now the satisfied (if somewhat frazzled) tenant of a nice, spacious studio. Albeit a little rammed with books and general bumph. Moving everything from one room to another was a labour of Hercules. Actually, I think even Hercules would have been daunted...
I also changed computers and went broadband. In the end it all worked well, but there was an initial shock at discovering that new PCs don't have a dial up plug...loathe to change to BB, I trekked to PC World and picked up an external modem. I have only one word to sum up my recent computer experiences - Vista. If you don't know what I mean, let's just say that the new Windows operating system is like an ultra-smart kid who doesn't know how to fix a nice cup of tea. The modem didn't work. I gave in. I got BB. It worked at once. I was amazed. Now I know what the fuss is about; blogs which usually take ten minutes to download flash up like magic. Video clips actually appear. Sites don't crash. I can listen to the radio online.
So, I got a few bits of cheap furniture, which only added to the muddle. The futon base had to be stored in the bath, while we slept downstairs...oh what fun.
Shifting heavy furniture about in a few inches of space - and then realising they didn't work - and moving them back again. Trapping myself in the room with piles of books. Just a couple of the happy moments from the last three weeks.
But at last I have a dedicated sewing area, with all my craft and needlework books in one place - and my dear old jalopy of a machine ready for use. I haven't used the poor thing in seven years. I found an unfinished sock, with lovely wool which Stuntmother sent me two years ago. I discovered the blocks from a patchwork quilt I had pieced but never joined. Story of my life.
Some of my best books and toys on a lovely oak bookcase I picked up for next to nothing. Fairy stories, toy reference books, nursery rhymes, 'Brewster's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable' - everything inspirational on hand and not in a pile.
We even got to sleep upstairs again, and some lovely people rebuilt this six foot square bookcase for us. For the first time in my life I can reach my books without having to negotiate them out from the middle of a heap. (Although I still have piles of books in odd corners - who hasn't?) I love going to sleep in a cocoon of books.
So now what was a bedroom...
...is now a lovely, light studio. My portfolios are tidy(ish) and art materials organised. Best of all, my creative doldrums disappeared amid all the carnage; I'm ready to work again, and come back to the real world. I owe people emails, presents and general thanks for support. I have blogs to catch up with...what have you all been doing? I'm going to find out.
Being a bit of an anal type I kept a record of the whole process. If you are busy procrastinating, have nothing better to do - or even just enjoy watching someone else dig a hole, you can find the set on Flickr, here.
