The Truth About Our Bathroom

We have known since we moved in that the bathroom probably could need some fixing but I didn't really know how bad it was until now.

As was getting dressed this morning, someone knocked on our door. I thought at first it was someone knocking at the wrong door (it happens now and then), but then there was another knock. Rushing to get at least half decent, I found some men outside, one of them saying he was the plumber and he was going to remove the bath tub and have a shower cabinet fitted. I remember Rik mentioning that the landlord was planning to do this at one point, but we had never been given a definite date. Luckily, I've got some overtime worked up, allowing me to take the day off, and about an hour ago, the two other blokes (not the plumber) turned up and got the bathtub out.

Now I was prepared for flaking paint (yes, some idiot thought it a good idea to paint over the tiles on the floor), but the sight that met me was a bit more nasty than I had expected. It seems damp might have gotten into the wall, or at least the wallpaper, and the flaking paint made it close to impossible to clean the floor (although I made a hearty attempt). The piping is a mess and the drain is a catastophe.

Although a shower cabinet certainly will make it a little bit easier to clean the floor, I suspect the whole room needs to be re-done; tiles ripped out and replaces, walls stipped and tiled, if possible. To give you an idea, here's my documentation photos that will shortly be sent to the landlord:

Running a tight ship, or a shite tip....?

Busy times! Rik and I came home again from Liverpool in the late hours of Monday night with four full suitcases and a very nice civil war reenactment sword! Rik was obviously very chuffed about the latter, whilst I was (a little bit) more thrilled about the big 250 meter roll of 1/4" cotton tape and the almost two kilos of cream muslin acquired at Abakhan for next to nothing (at least compared to Norwegian prices). The woman behind the till was also rather surprised when I asked for every packet she had of medium sized self-cover buttons. I love shopping for fabrics in Liverpool! ^_^

Well back in Oslo, I'm getting closer to finishing off the stays, and it's really cutting it close now as the larp is next week. I have decided to leave the lining for when I actually have time for it, so now I'm just focusing on finishing the reed boning on the back of the left piece (the right one is done, huzza!) so that I can wrap it all up by sorting the binding out at last! I think Rik might be even more happy about me finishing them than myself, as he's constantly commenting the lack of visible proof that we do, in fact, have a kitchen table, a coffee table and, well, a flat underneath all my sewing stuff. Too bad I've still got a lot of other stuff to sew before the larp. He'll moan about it, but he'll live.

Next on the list is a shift and I'll be using the muslin for that. Then there's the burgundy jute, which will most likely become a bodice or a jacket (I've not really decided yet), and I'll be lining it with one layer of thin wool mix and then a layer of thin burgundy cotton. Also, there's Rik's trousers. I got some thin, dark grey wool for that and I'll be lining it with some plain black cotton. I've got about a week to finish it all off, and I'm probably going to end up taking a few short-cuts. But I have no ambitions of sewing any of these things by hand, so I might just make it. I've managed to sew a wedding dress in a week and a half, so it is possible. I think. Wish me luck! O_o