Kitchen - Day Two.

This morning had me rushing off to Aber on an emergency mission ........... to buy an electric kettle. When dismantling the kitchen I'd set up the microwave, kettle and toaster on the old cupboards with an extension lead to provide power. Yesterday I used the kettle to make coffees in the morning and again in the afternoon though by that time there was so much going on the kettle had to be plugged into a socket in the bedroom. When I came to make a last drink of the evening the kettle was defunct. I pressed the switch but nothing happened. Thinking it might be the socket in the extension reel I checked the microwave was still working (it was), unplugged it and used the same socket for the kettle but still nothing. Twiddling the wiring did nothing, I made sure the base of the kettle and the stand were dry and even attempted to take the base unit apart but it had one tamper proof screw that stopped me getting in to check the wiring. Nothing for it but to buy a new kettle. I drove into town, no kettles at Lidl, their household offerings vary from week to week, but I did some basic shopping there. My original plan was to go to Tesco's for a kettle but with Argos right next door to Lidl I thought I might as well go there instead. Argos was completely empty apart from a member of the store staff who directed me to the screens and talked me through the process which was new to me. By the time I chose a kettle and paid for it it was already waiting for me to pick up. Once home I filled the kettle, plugged it in and ...... nothing. Eventually we worked out that electric kettles don't like extension leads. Both the new and the old kettles worked fine once they were plugged into the wall socket. So the new kettle wasn't necessary though it is nice to have a shiny new white kettle to match the new kitchen.

The day was bright but chilly so I was glad of the big yellow coat when I went out to work in the front garden. With the branches now all stacked in neater piles today I turned my attention to the ivy growing on and around the low wall across the middle of the garden. One full bin bag later the wall looked much better and my back was telling me it was time to stop. That was a shame because with everywhere inside in chaos I was unable to do anything productive and spent most of my time sitting at my pc reading blogs.

Speaking of kitchens, this is the progress so far. We struck lucky with the hole for the extractor hood. Nowadays most people don't bother with venting the cooking air outside but just rely on the paper filter in the hood to remove the smells but I wanted the full works. Not only do I have a keen sense of smell which is not always an advantage but with the kitchen and living area being open plan lingering cooking smells would not be good. The fitter found that there was already a hole in the wall from the original extractor hood that was probably put in 30 years ago. So no major drilling through the brick wall which saved a lot of mess and noise. The 'wine rack' over the hob has been remade into a more useful cookery book shelf. There is a problem with the last cupboard that went up over the fridge. Because the wall isn't straight the cupboard door has had to be put at a slight slant which is quite noticeable. The fitter says he'll work on it tomorrow. It'll be an early start as he and his father-in-law will be coming at 8.00.