Updates
21st August:
This afternoon we were treated to a fine display as our friendly neighbourhood Sparrowhawk
caught one of the many blackbirds and then ate it on the lawn.
I've missed at least 3 appearances of our local bird of prey so it was good to finally see it.
She was fully aware that I was there watching as she kept on looking up at the camera before
having another blackbird appetiser and only disappeared with the remaining bits after about 10 minutes.
This afternoon we were treated to a fine display as our friendly neighbourhood Sparrowhawk
caught one of the many blackbirds and then ate it on the lawn.
I've missed at least 3 appearances of our local bird of prey so it was good to finally see it.
She was fully aware that I was there watching as she kept on looking up at the camera before
having another blackbird appetiser and only disappeared with the remaining bits after about 10 minutes.
18th August:
I thought I'd share my recent decorating experiences. No, I've not gone all Michaelangelo
and painted a replica of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the bathroom but we have
just painted the front door, and 6 or so months ago we painted the skirting boards in
both bedrooms.
Our front door is now a very attractive shade of green courtesy of Crown's Herb Garden High Gloss. This is guaranteed to be a one coat coverage. At least that's what it says on the tin. The tin lies. The front of the door has now been stripped, sanded, primered, sanded again, undercoated, sanded again, glossed once and glossed again. Sadly there's still a little white undercoat peeking through. Had I used the paint within 60 days of purchase I'd have taken it up with Crown, but sadly it's been a year since we got it so I don't have a well glossed leg to stand on. I think it even says that no undercoat's required, which is even more of a joke. Still, the front door looks great so all's well that ends well.
We did all the gloss painting in the bedrooms with Dulux Non Drip Brilliant white Gloss and at the time they looked great. Sadly, only a couple of months later they started to yellow which is a disappointment to say the least! There is a theory that the recipe was changed in 2010 to reduce the VOC content of the paint and as a result it's particularly sensitive to a lack of UV light. This is backed up by the fact that the paint around the window frames is still brilliant white whilst the skirting boards are going an impressive shade of creamy yellow! The yellowing is also apparently more severe with the Non Drip. Wonderful.
It hardly needs to be said that the rest of the woodwork that needs to be done in the hallway, landing and lounge will not be using the same paint. We're going to try a water based Satinwood paint for this as this is supposed to keep its colour. First tests on the new improved loft hatch is looking good, obviously not as shiny as the gloss but there is definitely a satin sheen to the finish.
I thought I'd share my recent decorating experiences. No, I've not gone all Michaelangelo
and painted a replica of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the bathroom but we have
just painted the front door, and 6 or so months ago we painted the skirting boards in
both bedrooms.
Our front door is now a very attractive shade of green courtesy of Crown's Herb Garden High Gloss. This is guaranteed to be a one coat coverage. At least that's what it says on the tin. The tin lies. The front of the door has now been stripped, sanded, primered, sanded again, undercoated, sanded again, glossed once and glossed again. Sadly there's still a little white undercoat peeking through. Had I used the paint within 60 days of purchase I'd have taken it up with Crown, but sadly it's been a year since we got it so I don't have a well glossed leg to stand on. I think it even says that no undercoat's required, which is even more of a joke. Still, the front door looks great so all's well that ends well.
We did all the gloss painting in the bedrooms with Dulux Non Drip Brilliant white Gloss and at the time they looked great. Sadly, only a couple of months later they started to yellow which is a disappointment to say the least! There is a theory that the recipe was changed in 2010 to reduce the VOC content of the paint and as a result it's particularly sensitive to a lack of UV light. This is backed up by the fact that the paint around the window frames is still brilliant white whilst the skirting boards are going an impressive shade of creamy yellow! The yellowing is also apparently more severe with the Non Drip. Wonderful.
It hardly needs to be said that the rest of the woodwork that needs to be done in the hallway, landing and lounge will not be using the same paint. We're going to try a water based Satinwood paint for this as this is supposed to keep its colour. First tests on the new improved loft hatch is looking good, obviously not as shiny as the gloss but there is definitely a satin sheen to the finish.
13th August:
We've got Ladybirds! A lot of ladybirds. They all appeared a couple of weeks ago
and have since been stripping the plants and trees of all the aphids. Well, most of
them have been doing this. Others, like these two have been engaging in other pursuits!
We've got Ladybirds! A lot of ladybirds. They all appeared a couple of weeks ago
and have since been stripping the plants and trees of all the aphids. Well, most of
them have been doing this. Others, like these two have been engaging in other pursuits!
Flickr for the pics
You can still visit our Flickr page
for the latest offerings.
