Not a year end review

As I've not blogged regularly for quite a while, it seems inappropriate to do a year end review, so I'll just round up the past month.

The build still rumbles on, it was supposed to start at the end of August and take six weeks. The builder was delayed on his previous job by around 5 weeks, and started work during the first week of October. As it took just a day to demolish the old extension and remove it, we thought we were going to be done and dusted by mid November. 

Oh, the best laid plans!  Once the external structure was up, the delays began. As we got closer to Christmas it became obvious that the build would not be done to such a finish as to get the decoration done. We still cannot use the new rooms properly as they are not yet fully painted or carpeted.  The outside has yet to be rendered as the builder was let down at the last minute by his sub contractor, so the cottage looks very much like a building site from the outside too. I imagine we will not be straight until the end of January, as everyone appears to take a two week break at this time of year. It has been a very disappointing time.

I was going to forget the Christmas tree again this year ( we had just moved in last year and there was no time to get our decorations out of storage) but OH insisted I put it up in our makeshift lounge.

      Not bad, and it certainly has made the place a little more festive!

We managed to cobble together presents and OH was spoiled by some of his students, with lovely bottles and boxes of sweets and biscuits.

I was given the first off the production line of his new ladies t shirts, only available to students.

No make up and half drunk!

These had to be my favourite themed pressie, always a sucker for jelly sweets

I've had a few nice little charity shop bargains in the past few weeks, although OH found a rather lovely leather Linea jacket for £7.95 when I reluctantly took him to the local chazzas. 

I managed to find these gorgeous soft leather gloves for £1.50

Just today I managed to pick up this fab top for a pound, my final bargain of 2015

The label just says 1974 originals, so I've no idea of the brand, but the top is unworn.

Even though we are living in a dusty mess and have run out of money, at least we can start the new year healthy, and with the majority of the work on the house, and associated mess, behind us.  

I will be starting the new year with only two chickens, as my lovely large French copper black Marans, Duck, passed away on Christmas Eve. I am pleased she got to spend a year in the countryside, and as she was 6 years and 9 months old, she had a good long life.

I am 50 in three days time, something I'm finding hard to take in, and hopefully this next year will be memorable in a good way.  We are both keen to see the back of 2015 for many reasons, most of which I'm not prepared to share.

I hope you have all had a good Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year!