Apologies...

I know. It's been nearly a month. I do intend to resume regular posting as soon as possible.

For once, this is not due to technological problems. They appear to be ticking over nicely (touch wood). Indeed, I am on fibre optic broadband now, so posting should be quicker (though obviously it is the writing, rather than the uploading, which is the issue).

No, it is my lounge. My lounge is my winter project. It is by far and away the biggest room in the house to rennovate. And it is rennovation, rather than simply decoration, which is being undertaken.

To date I have chipped off the majority of the plaster that was in there (well, that which didn't fall off). I have also moved and installed new electric sockets and replaced the single light with a 10 lamp, 4switch system. The room has been plastered and painted.

So, what is left? The floorboards and the ancillary woodwork: architrave and skirting. Simples? Just two items on a list of a dozen - that should take no time?

Unfortunately not. The floor needs sanding. To sand it I need to a) knock in and protruding nails, and b) fill any holes or gaps. Then I can sand it. Then stain it. Twice. Then varnish it three times. Then look at the architrave, cutting it to size, staining and varnishing. And then the same with the skirting and the door.

I have set myself a target-date for completion: Easter. It is a rather arbitrary date, no particular reasoning behind it, save that a) furniture tends to be in the sale at Easter, and it would be nice to spend the longweekend shopping for it, or at the least relaxing in my nicely completed lounge; and b) Easter is the busy time for starting my seeds off for the garden so ideally I would have the room completed by then so I can spend my "spare" time on the garden. And, of course, if I don't set a target date, it could go on in perpetuity. But it is relatively arbitrary in as much as I don't have any one else dependent upon it: I don't have deliveries arranged, a moving date or a party organised.

So that has been where all my concentrations have been spent. And any other time has been spent recovering from my exertions. Late nights painting mean that washing up, cleaning and tidying has to be done in some other "down time". Which means, really, that my only truly 'lazy' times are on the train.

The blog isn't the only activity subject to the hiatus. I haven't swam this year (though some of that is due to how busy the pool gets in January with the many people who take up swimming for their new year resolution then drop off during February as they forget or get bored). I have only been to football training once or twice, and Monday was the first time I did press-ups in a long while. I haven't undertaken any of my other projects either.

And it isn't for lack of want. I have a list as long as my arm of topics I could write about. I have a list as long as my arm of various things to do, to download, upload, copy, watch and generally catch up on. I like lists.

So my frustrations are overbound, and the finish of the project cannot come soon enough so I can resume "normal" life (after a few weeks of cleaning, tidying and getting things that have been put to one side back up to date and in order).

I shall try, though