So, this is where I started on Monday morning.  My mission was to make this entire wall the colour of the patch of orange.

10:00 am

It took me about four hours to clear the shelf units and prep the walls and skirting board for painting.  This is where I got to at the end of the first day.

Our huge kitchen table was covered so I eked out some space in a corner for dinner.  It was cosy.  I love being in our kitchen even when it’s a bit chaotic.  I had easy food during the kitchen revamp.  That night it was leftover roast chicken, carrots and sweet potatoes gently warmed up in the oven whilst I was taking a bath.

Lovely leftovers

I also have to live with the new colour for a day or two, in all sorts of light, just to make sure it’ll work.  I can’t just pick a colour and say ‘Yes’.

Still life with utensils and orange wall

At sunset

The colour has to prove itself with the decor as well.

I made sure to stop periodically for a cuppa and to read a couple of chapters of my thrill lit book.

The Great British Tea Break

I had to pop into Exeter the following morning for another can of paint so I could give the wall a thorough second coat.  I had a high protein breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheese, spinach and tomato to get me started.

Breakfast on a ladder

In Devon and Cornwall we have a saying, ‘Proper job’, which expresses satisfaction.  The border where the orange wall and the white skirting board meet was a challenge to negotiate.  I did use masking tape, but in the end I had to go to and fro, alternating with each colour, with a very small paint brush and got a pretty darn good result.

Proper job!

Ta-da!!

48 hours later

Today, I re-stocked the shelf units.  They’re great.  Ivar from IKEA.  The shelf spacing can be adjusted almost infinitely.  I’d also given the shelves another couple coats of varnish while they were bare.  It makes then easy to keep clean in a high traffic area.

Today, I painted the remaining three kitchen walls a pale cream colour and the skirting boards pure white.  I should have it all put back together tomorrow.  It’s funny, painting the kitchen felt like the biggest job, so we saved it for last.  But it somehow seemed to go the quickest.  I’m a well-seasoned painter by now!  Plus, Steve’s been away all week so I want to get it all finished so he can enjoy it when he gets back tomorrow.

And you know what?  It’s not over yet!  I have decided to re-paint my studio in bone and pussy willow grey.  I’m just looking for the right paint.