Home again - with a new kitchen

They finally finish the kitchen mid-afternoon. We then start the melancholy job of emptying all the banana boxes & deciding where to put what. I'm surprised by how depressing I find this. It's partially that by mid-afternoon I'm tired, too tired really to get down to such a demanding job. There's quite a bit of thinking involved, deciding the best place for pans as opposed to food, the most convenient for a well functioning kitchen. I suppose, too, it is partly that I had hoped to cook once more, to christen the new kitchen. There's no hope of that. We end up at our local pub. My morale is much restored by a tasty coq au vin, with loads of mushrooms in the red wine sauce.

The clutter is the first thing to greet me in the morning. I had thought I'd get to church this morning, it being sunny, but I'm up late. I just had to take some sleeping pills last night - I just couldn't stop thinking about what to put where - with the result I was late up today.

During the night I discover the Fox has managed to empty a few more boxes. Nearly all the glassware is out. I note the odd breakage but that's inevitable.

I had told myself today I wouldn't do much in the kitchen. We'd found the essentials of cutlery, crockery & spuds yesterday. Nonetheless I find I keep having the urge to re-arrange this or that.

But it is with some satisfaction that I manage to sit down & get some potatoes peeled. I shall do my usual Sunday chores of bed-changing & sorting out the washing. The Fox will, no doubt, be doing a bit more unpacking. The one thing we are determined on is eating at home. It will only be something simple, if for no other reason than the fact we haven't got as far as unpacking the boxes of food, all the tins, bottles & jars. Still, I remember we have a pie in the freezer. Carrots went with us to the cottage & returned uneaten, so we'll have them. Above all, it will be cooked & eaten in the peace of our own home once more. And since we've found the glasses we can even have a bottle of wine too.

Oh, by the way, we are pleased with the new kitchen. It looks great - all the more so after the dark impractical one we had at the cottage. Unfortunately they do make the rest of the room look a mess. Luckily while we were away, we think we've come to a decision about the lighting so that can be sorted promptly. The next decision will be the decorating &, in the meanwhile, we're having to walk around on bare floorboards, partially covered with loose carpet tiles. It had never occurred to me that the tiles couldn't just go back where they were until we had got around to deciding on the new floor-covering. It gives the room a vaguely camped in feeling. But at least the units are in, & look great. That should be the worst phase of the job done. The rest we can take our time over.

And it's certainly to great to be home again!