Valentine's Day treats

I had the best Valentine's day I've had for years. On Thursday morning I mentioned to the builders that we'd like to move the fridge out of my daughter's room so that we could give the children their rooms back. I thought I'd get the ball rolling so that in a week or so's time they'd have done it. I was absolutely staggered to find the fridge in our bedroom when I got back with the kids from the school Valentine's disco that afternoon. ( Yes, most people would be staggered to have a fridge in their bedroom at all, but I was simply pleased and amazed that it had been done so quickly!) We spent the rest of the evening moving furniture between our three rooms upstairs with the result that

- my daughter has a lovely, light, white painted, wooden floored bedroom containing just her own furniture and toys
- my son ditto ( apart from a statue of buddha destined eventually for the garden which we bought on impulse in Chiswick last weekend. And unfortunately he still has woodchip wallpaper, which we will deal with at some point in the future when we have the money and energy even to contemplate more work on the house. Probably when he is about 18.)

After 6 months of sharing a room with each other, several inches of dust, two lots of furniture and a whole heap of junk from all over the house, they can't believe their luck. We got up this morning to find my son had been up for hours, reclining on his sofa reading Horrid Henry in glorious isolation. And my daughter slept through the night, which has been an unheard of event practically since she was born. Getting them dressed was a breeze - no need to negotiate an obstacle course of junk before I could get to their clothes!

Unfortunately all the junk that had been in the kids' rooms is now in our bedroom or stacked up on the landing. We also have the aforementioned fridge, a dining table and four chairs, together with all our kitchen stuff and the microwave. We have to wash up in our avocado ensuite. Still, you really can make a cup of tea without getting out of bed! I have rather belatedly discovered the posh ready meals range at Waitrose. Who knew you could buy ready made mashed potato? Goes very nicely with the chicken in tarragon and white wine sauce. About time too - I think we were about to get scurvy from our diet of bread and cheese!

Downstairs is starting to look much nicer now. The wood floors are down and the skirting is about to go in. I am really pleased with the new plaster cornicing we have used in the ex-garage and the dining room (where the ceiling had to be replaced.)It doesn't exactly match the cornicing elsewhere in the house but it's good enough to be convincing. My new washer and dryer arrived yesterday and I hope they'll be installed before the washing mountain actually reaches the ceiling...

Just realised we need to think about a new name for the ex-garage. It's supposed to be a grown-up sitting room but we can't call it that either. Maybe the folly....