Being the kind hearted daughter that I am, this week I have been decorating one of the spare bedrooms at my parents’ house whilst they are away. The background to this started three years ago when they moved in and my Mum decided the room needed revamping. Originally, Dad used the room as his office but subsequently relocated to yet another spare room (decorated with jungle creatures around the walls – he has always been a child at heart) so the front room became a proper bedroom. Dad has been promising for a long time to repaint this room and got as far as putting one piece of masking tape along the top edge of the light switch, but then lost interest in the project.
The opportunity to do a bit of House Doctoring (how I love Anne Maurice) presented itself when the old folks booked a fortnight away visiting family and friends in the north east. Mum has been saying for months that she wants pale pink walls instead of the gaudy blue, so last week I purchased some paint and lay in wait. Having called them to make sure they had left the house, I headed up the road with the necessary bits, paint, roller, brush, ladder and iPod and set to work.
What started out as an easy job has morphed into a lengthy process as the blue paint is extremely resistant to change and keeps breaking through the pink to laugh at me. There are in fact three different shades of blue on the walls, and it is evident that units have been painted around previously rather than moving them out of the way. The socket covers needed sanding to rid them of the blue peril and the skirting and windowsill have also become part of the project as they have never been painted since the house was built. In fact, new skirting (of a different style) has been added but was still in a raw state until I waved my gloss paint at it.
So far, the walls have had four coats of ‘one coat’ emulsion which goes to show how hard the blue is to shift, but things are looking up and the room is nearly finished. The pink is now not as pale as was wanted (sort of a lighter Bazooka Joe bubble gum shade) but at least the whole place looks fresher and the woodwork has come to life. Despite all this, I can imagine what my Mum’s reaction will be................. something along the lines of “Eeeee, well it looks better than that blue, but I really wanted it in pale pink you know...............”
To those in the know, this is a typical reaction of a Geordie woman. I will of course get my own back by emptying the freezer of goodies prior to their return, installing a fish tank in the lounge (actually I did that once before when they went away, right in front of the gas fire which for the next umpteen years could not be used in the cold months) and signing Mum up for the local Meals on Wheels production service (well she is rather good at doing ‘light lunches’ for a couple of dozen people). I have not altogether ruled out the possibility of a pet goat for their garden, but perhaps I should wait until the flowers have finished blooming.
I have kept the original (short) length of masking tape so Dad can make a start on another room – waste not, want not.
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