D (Duns) Day Minus a little less.Slowly, very slowly the small house in Duns is being moulded in the Huttonian (or The Wife's style)
Mirabile dictu as the Romans used to say every time Novus Labor won a bye-election, the wood burning stove arrived plus all the bits and pieces to make a chimney where none existed before. It looks nice in its box and will, one day, look nice on the hearth. 'How long to install, chimneyise and erect associated works?' I asked the builder highheidyin. 'One day will do it'? 'Tomorrow?' 'Yes'. I was tempted to invoke the rodents of disbelief, as many tomorrows have come and gone in this long running saga-not a kitchen sink drama in this case but the sitting room equivalent. But I kept my silence, recalling the Spanish 'Manana', the Arabic 'Bukra Insha'allah' and wondering if the Borders like the Irish have no phrase which conveys the same sense of urgency. And we move in on Monday-surely that is urgent enough in any language
On the further plus side the middle son in law and a bloggee from down the (D class) road have used a combination of rocket science and brain surgery to assemble an IKEA bunk bed-adult size but intended for various combinations of grandchildren. So at least, come the weekend-D Minus 1, when two of them move in even before the Wife and I, there will be one unit of accommodation ready for occupation. We may have to content ourselves with our large bed, the only one we are actually moving from Hutton, with the chimney pipe from the sitting room below, bisecting the bedroom on its way to the roof,dividing the His n' Hers pillows. Cold steel coming between us but cosy when the stove is lit.
Labels: Leaving the Manse, Small House in Duns
