Phew — today is incredibly hot. Possilbly the hottest day of the summer. And it’s October!
We’ve just had lunch outside; the girls have been playing outside all morning while I’ve been gluing and screwing the old shelves for the girls’ room, sanding the front door prior to painting it, and picking/uprooting some of the ready/past it tomatoes. Isa made a yummy peas and ham pasta/peas for lunch.
Now little Nevie’s asleep, Isa’s undercoated the front door, I’ve sanded more featherboard for the cupboard sides…
[later] The primer/undercoat for the front door was spoilt: it was curdled, full of lumps of semi-hard paint. We took a short video to send to Dulux and persevered, though we possibly should have bought a new one. I got a second coat of undercoat on and we left it to dry overnight. Meanwhile, I took the stabilisers off Lola’s bike and then took her (and Neve) down to the rec so Lola could try riding for proper. It was hard for her to pedal on the grass but she tried a few times before the lure of the slide was too much. We went again on Sunday and this time she went on the (tarmacced) basketball court and I was able to let her go completely (while staying close enough to catch her).
Sunday morning I rubbed down the front door; at this point it was more evident that sticking with the lumpy undercoat may not have been the bast plan. I wanted to put the first topcoat on before we went swimming but the girls were too excited and wouldn’t leave me alone so we went after I’d finished the sanding down. It was shaping up to be as hot as Saturday and we ended up trying the outside pools for the first time (at Lola’s request): very nice they were, too. We swam for nearly an hour then got out and showered. Isa had been doing a class in the gym and joined us in the changing rooms. Both Lola and Neve are using armbands at the moment and are both very confident in the water; even Neve can pretty much be left alone. I’m about as keen on armbands as I am on stabilisers but I couldn’t take them both in the pool without them.
So, once back home it was onto the topcoat while Isa did the shopping and Neve slept and now it was a race to get it done before the sun started hitting the door itself. Made it: just. It was sweltering work but enjoyable with Lola nearby reading me crossword clues, then doing some mopping (at her request) before reading some of her books. The music was on and we talked about which songs we liked.
The door painted, I started on putting the sides of the cupboard together from the featherboard I’d sanded and cut the day before. I got one side up and measured up for the next. Then the trip to the rec intervened; Isa (who we had left making ragú) joined us there to see Lola riding solo. Then home and straight off, en famille, to the allotment to get some spinach, water some stuff, and quickly (too quickly, perhaps) plant some spinach (real and beet). I’ve not been watering enough; and I need to do more weeding. And sort the whitefly out.
Back home, got the sag aloo on asap and then got the second side of the cupboard together just before the light failed completely. What a pavlova. Got cupboard side up, ate dins (kids having ragú and fired mashed potato; unusual for them not to eat what we have), got kids to bed, hoovered and mopped, collapsed.
A good weekend.