Drop the Lime

I have this afflication now where I can't handle having my nails au naturale - it's been 2.5 years of regular mani/pedis and a lot of experimentation with new products to get the maximum wear for minimum stress/committment. The latest discovery was a gel nail product called Gellac - unfortunately it didn't last beyond a week so I'll be back to Bio-Gels (which last for up to 3 weeks and take 75 minutes to apply) - but the thing that was interesting was my 'random' choice of colour. Yup, it turns out I have a prediliction for this exact shade of citrus green. And it was a totally unconscious decision - when I chose it at the nail bar I was just thinking about getting away from my normal hot pink.

Oh and yeah, another music reference in the headline (look up Drop the Lime if you're into rockabilly dubstep)...

Great minds think alike

Img courtesy of Flickr

As soon as I have a weekend at home I will photograph all the things in the house that we've yet to sort out. The last three weekends have been spent in various parts of the English countryside - kicking autumnal leaves and drinking litres of delicious wine. Hopefully I can make some time this coming weekend.

Until then here's a lovely white kitchen which features a dash of high gloss on the counter top, and chartreuse green as an injection of colour. Oh and they've got moulded white retro chairs and wooden floors too. I used to cringe at my parents bold orange 1970s colour palette once the 1980s were underway, and I guess my kids will have the same reaction to our aesthetic choices before too long. "Eeoow, this house is so, 2008, urgh!"

The plumber came back with a quote - £2,500 to fit a new boiler and replace the water storage tank. Apparently all the necessary parts can be bought for around £1,000 which means the labour (ie one days work) is being costed at £1,500. No wonder so many people are re-training as plumbers! Rob's offered to buy the parts directly to see if we can negotiate a reduced day rate. Watch this space.

It's all white

Our downstairs colour scheme was initially fabulous. It was January when the extension became properly habitable, and the short winter days meant that our downstairs space felt spacious and bright, thanks to all the white furniture and white walls. But as the sun's started to feel stronger the glare in the room is just too bright. I spend each morning eating breakfast with sunglasses on. My neighbour thinks I've got a drinking/hangover problem (if you're reading this, those bottles in the recycling bin are from our many visitors!) cos if I'm not wearing the glasses I'm squinting at him.

Luckily (?) the glass splashback is a few months late getting fitted, and there are now lots of grease spots on the wall next to the hob. Rob bought some lime green (chartreuse?) test pots and we're peering at these colour samples throughout the day to see which one's the best fit. Initially I liked the middle one, but now I'm voting for number one. Rob's been cooling his heels at home for the last 20 weeks but starts his new job tomorrow (hooray!) so I'm not entirely sure when the painting is going to be done, or the splashback installed... I'll let you know as soon as I find out.