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It's getting towards the time of year when your credit cards try to hide in the darkest
corners of your wallet, hoping to avoid that Festive thrashing... Ours have been in hiding
for a few months now, ever since Carlos took his day trip to Jamaica and both Tesco and
the University Library managed to screw up my salaries!!! At long last, we've managed to scan some of the photographs we took of the house in St Ives about three months ago. They're not brilliant, but they give you some idea of where we live. We'll get around to taking more in the new year, hopefully, and keep the site updated. | |
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The first picture, logically enough, shows the front door... To the right is No. 2, where Doreen, our ex-London policewoman neighbour lives. She was very welcoming when we first arrived, helping us find our bearings, and offering help all the time. She was even kind enough to send us a "Good luck in your new home" card. Cheers, Doreen. As time's gone by, though, we actually see less and less of her. Last time I saw her, she was asking Carlos for some polystyrene we were throwing out, which she was going to turn into feet warmers or something - waste not, want not, I suppose. There's just a hint of No. 4 to the left. The couple there (I've never seen the guy, but Carlos assures me there is one) moved in - and were frantically painting - at the same time as us. We've not really made contact with them, though. |
| Another view from the front, this time giving greater prominence to the garden... There is something pretending to be a bush at the front of the garden (there's something pretending to be a fence in front of that, actually, but the less said the better!). Then there is basically a rockery full of Alpines and other small things (not all green), interspersed with bloody jaggy rose bushes (with creepers) - they were so over-grown, and gashed my fingers once too often, so the garden sheers were let loose, I'm afraid. Then there's a bit of a pathway, and a raised area, where there were strawberries, more Alpines, and (I'm sure) a whole load of weeds. I pulled most of them up. I also, apparently, ditched quite a few genuine flowers. Oops. There's a small patio area (we'll see how it works out, come the summer), then a flower bed in front of the window. Non-edible apples and ivy grow out of control on the front wall - we cut the latter back, but it's still clinging in, as it does. |  |
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The decor in this picture breaks down quite easily: white walls courtesy of a LOT of hard slog; decorative wooden bowl made in Morocco, bought at a market in El Prat de Llobregat before we went out to lunch with Antonio and Anna, reed balls from China (well IKEA, to be honest), massive TV from PowerHouse (just don't mention their delivery service, ok?), mega-gold-framed mirror (£20 from St Ives market!), gorgeous IKEA lights (another thing NOT to bring up in polite conversation), and the equally gorgeous original English tiled fireplace... Last but not least, Carlos's curtains from Ipswich, now replaced by something more ethnic and natural. |
| This pic shows the infamous IKEA sofa - known as such since the wonderful Swedish self-build furniture company took over three months to deliver the covers... This is the plain white basic model, without Carlos's much-coveted ++++++ drapes, which I have to say really do look a helluva lot nicer. The green cushions were not (I hasten to add) my idea! The Indian tapestry on the wall should be familiar to visitors to Baldovan Terrace, as should the lovely S. Eulalia poster, which we were kindly given by Jos� Antonio during our trip to Barcelona in January 2002. |  |
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As well as the lovely mirror, this image shows the back of Brian's head (increasingly bald, as you can see - mostly as a result of living with Carlos: just joking!), and the wonderful centrepiece of the room, the fire. Mmmm. Enough said. |
| Carlos assures me that he didn't deliberately try to make it look as if the light shines out of the top of my head... I'm not quite sure why he insisted on taking it in the first place. To the left is the IKEA side table, which was one of our more successful purchases from a building point of view but, although it is stylish, it takes up rather too much floor space in what is essentially a small room. Eventually it will probably be replaced by a comfy chair for visitors. There is the very vaguest hint of a picture frame also to the left - that's a rather colourful (if somewhat stylised) painting of a country scene we bought at the Saturday market in Cambridge. That's one experience you must enjoy when you come to visit. |  |
| The bed was another piece of wonderful customer service. We asked for a delayed delivery date and, my goodness, did they oblige! We slept on a mattress which Clifford and Elaine had kindly lent us for several weeks too many, and then, when it did arrive, it took almost forever to put together. In fact, part of it isn't put together properly, but we'll leave you to work that one out. A word of warning - if you see a beautiful bed online, don't expect it to be quite the dream you're expecting! The headboard for this effort is very stylish, but it's just a simple bolt-on added extra - the problem is not one of the six screws we were given to attach it to our bed is sitting straight... |
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So where are all the pictures of Carlos in his new house? I hear you ask. Well, there are, in fact, several of him sitting in front of the computer in our study, but he decided that there are enough pictures of him on here already, so you're stuck with impressions of Brian in his new house. In fact, there is another film to be developed, mostly of Carlos and his mum during her visit to England, with snaps of the house, but also of York, London and Oxford. When they've been printed up, we'll scan some more and let you know when they're posted. All that remains to be done now is to wish you all all the very best for Christmas and 2003! Those of you we saw in 2002, it was a pleasure. To those we didn't, we apologise, but we take this opportunity to invite you to come and visit us - two at a time, maximum, sorry! We enjoy living down here, but it's so much nicer to have friends to share it with. Love and kisses, Brian and Carlos |
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