Rewired
Followers of this blog will recall that our Edwardian home was rewired at the end of November. ‘We’ don’t take kindly to upheaval, of which there was plenty, so I had to unpack and put back a lot of goods (including hundreds of books) afterwards – notwithstanding the need for remedial decorating – in order to make the place bearable for Christmas. Note the ‘We’ and the ‘I’.
Redecorate: Magnolia and White

Today, the remedial redecorating commences (not a DIY effort), so I’ve been repacking goods all over again. I’m the youngish, averagely fit one – and I’m already knackered! Even my FitBit agrees. My back has only just recovered from November/December; my fingers are sore; I’ve run out of empty boxes (how, I can’t imagine); and am almost out of floor on which to stack stuff. We have too much stuff.Â
I have done my employed research for the week. Does anyone else working from home recognise this kind of thing?
‘I thought you might have started cooking dinner by now?’
‘But I work until 5 …’
And I did work. Then I cooked. Then I packed and stacked, and continued stacking and packing this morning. The lounge looks like a library on the move – and is now so much smaller, in terms of cubic air volume, that it’s actually perceptibly warmer with the same heater settings.
But even women who feel as though they’ve been dragged kicking and screaming back to the 1970s, against their will, have their limits. The kitchen is being decorated first, so it’s fish and chips for tea. There will be no cooking here.
Research?
I’m only contemplating research to the extent of acquiring a decent recording device this weekend! I’m starting an exciting new research project soon, and as soon as the ethical approval process is complete, I’ll be raring to go. Monday will see the Magnolia and White project going on elsewhere in the house – hopefully my own working environment will by then be spick-and-span – with me sitting enjoying remote training to ensure that the new research project goes well.
Now, what colour shall I inject into my magnolia and white dining room to make it a joyful zone in which to work …?
