I had a strange moment in my house yesterday. It was just a normal day. Mrs T and I had been playing together, we’d had lunch then I put her down for her afternoon nap. As I sat down on the sofa with a cup of tea I had a niggling feeling that something was amiss. The house seemed strangely quiet. Yes, Mrs T was asleep rather than screeching, bashing or chatting, but there was something else…
Then it dawned on me. Mrs T and I were alone.
There were no workmen in my house!
It was a enlightening realisation. I had my home back! I could FINALLY relax on my sofa without my feet resting on plastic flooring and staring at the contents of my kitchen. I could drink a whole cup of tea without being set upon by my builder asking me questions about the colour of the grout or how I wanted the tiles to be positioned. There was no plumber hammering away, telling me tales, trousers slightly too low around the waist for my liking.
Don’t get me wrong, they are perfectly lovely people and I sometimes appreciated having the company and somebody to chat to. But, after four months of seeing my builder more than my husband, of being confined to half the house and eating meals cooked in a microwave, I am thoroughly loving the peace and quiet and more importantly, the privacy. Suddenly I feel less stressed as I am not worrying about problems ongoing work presents and I no longer feel uncomfortable in my own home. Plus, I can finally tell those who keep asking, “YES, it is finished”.
It feels amazing to reclaim our cooking space and even though it has taken twice as long as expected and cost far more than we thought, we are incredibly happy with our Neptune kitchen.
We are just awaiting a window (comes in handy) and a new door with our new dining table due to arrive this week. The builder will also be making an appearance again to add some finishing touches, paint, shelving, little things like that. After some time out from each other it will actually be rather nice to see him again.
One thing is for sure, after all the hard work that has gone into it, I will always appreciate this kitchen. And, I will never take my privacy or the simple delights of a silent home for granted again.
