The Living Room Carpet
The living room carpet has been one of the banes of my existence since moving into the house. The reason I didn't rip it all out immediately was that a)it is a hell of a lot of work and b)I knew I had to buy some area rugs to cover the high-traffic areas for noise-control for Mum's place downstairs. This summer, I found some lovely rugs I could afford at Ikea so I was ready to go.

After cutting and ripping up the first section on my own, Tamara and Darcy were kind enough to escort me to Ikea, then return and assist with the arduous task of the second half of the room. It's a good thing they did because I don't think I could have managed without theirs and Theo's assistance.

As a funny (ironic, not ha ha) sidenote, it turns out that Sephie is allergic to the wool carpet, developing a nasty hacking cough shortly after they appeared which went away when I put the carpets away. As a result, I've sold the carpets and have to look for something in a nice synthetic fibre. So the floors are bare right now, which looks nice, but is pretty loud for Mum below us. Bloody cats!

The Bathroom
I was never happy with the faux finish I'd done in the bathroom last year, so when my brother James was here he offered to repaint it for me - provided I let him repair the botched drywall I'd done behind the main mirror and a couple other places. He didn't have to offer twice. I'm much happier with the colour now, even though it's still a little more blue than I'd intended. He did a great job, though, and his help on the drywall was indespensible. He does have a little to learn about cleaning up after a job, though.