Busy weekend!

After a week of 'meh' as far as things to say - I've been busy but do you really want to hear about the fun of testing out new VDI environments, and keeping people on track for testing and using an environment that no one wants, and is going to make our life more difficult. Or my attempts at making our Scrum process better? Or working with other insurance companies to make our insurance request process that much nicer for customers?

No, I didn't think so! And so yesterdays post was not an easy one to write :)

But the last two days have been non-stop!

A trip to Ikea to buy some shoe drawers for the wall, making space for the stroller when it gets here. We found what we wanted, but the other things we were looking for were not really what we wanted. So of course we left with a trolley full of stuff (how does Ikea do it?) and enjoyed a Swedish meatball lunch - now with no horse!

After that we needed to go to a shop and check out the nursery furniture, then go to a second and check that one out (both of which are second or third visits...), pick one and order it.

Hahahahaha

The first bit went fine - saw the first bit of furniture and we were happy, the guy in the shop spoke to us about how to order, and what terms and conditions they have, and that was all fine too.  In fact it was very good.

And then, seeing as we were there, we started to look at strollers again. We had limited it to two - one with amazing off road experience, and one with a seat that faces both ways - so when Kleintje (see, I used the temporary name!) is small he or she can look at us when in the stroller and when older he or she can look forward.

After uming and arhing we decided that the backwards seat was going to be used more than the off road use and we had a decision!

Until we walked out of the shop, and for completeness decided to try the Bugaboo. Now... I'm against these mainly because I have heard of too many people who buy them because Gwyneth or Kate use them. Those comments always put me off!

But, we tried and it wasn't bad. The steering was really light - good for turns, bad for trying to walk in a straight line. It folded easily and was not heavy.

Back to two then...

Onto the second shop to look at their furniture. We love the set they have. It's solid oak and made in the same style, and by the same company, as the oak furniture in our living room.

The problem is that it has the same drawback. It has to be sanded smooth - and do you want to risk missing a bit and then putting the baby in the cot? The other drawback is that with it being unfinished you have to constantly wax it in order to stop it staining (even the demo room had stains where someone had split some water). In the living room that isn't a problem - you just wipe and then re-wax. I don't really want the nursery full of was fumes though...

OK - that made the decision for us. We preferred the oak, but went for the other melamine one for usability.  (Still have to order it though!)

OK - pick up a steam cleaner for the garden on the way home and call it a night!

This morning started with a run, wet and a little windy, but still warm and humid so no worse for it, and then start with the chores!

Sweep, weed, tidy and then look at how big the garden looks when all the furniture is at one end the edges of the path are visible!

That took me 90 minutes and filled out compost bin! Then plug in the jet washer.  Damn! When we picked it up we forgot to being the adapter for the taps. The person we borrowed it from has clip on and off taps and we needed the screw on type! 

Oh well - at least the garden looks 10 times better than it did this morning!

Lunch and then start with the shoe cupboards! Lined them up, water-levelled them and put quite few of our shoes in them. Moved the picture we had on the wall 30cm higher so we can still fit it and then moved the old shoe rack around making the space we need for the stroller. And I saw that there were 3 cables there that just weren't needed any more, and one that could be routed far better if the others were removed.

So, unplug the speaker cable that needed re-routing and carefully remove the old telephone wire that went to the ADSL cable that we no longer need (these days it's either a cable model (150/15Mbps) or fibre (>100/100Mpbs) that we will use - and that all has to go into the meter cupboard. Going back to a 6/0.7Mbps ADSL connection is just not going to happen so the cable can go!

Got rid of it all, re-fitted the speaker and then looked at the result.  A really neat hallway, space for a stroller (OK, then it won't be so neat ;p), and looking like a grown ups house for almost the first time.

I'm typing this with a pint of cider, and then I'm going to take the tools back to the attic, take a long, hot shower to unwind and start cooking the salmon and cod creamy strew we are going to eat this evening.

Yum!

See, nothing all week and then BOOM! A weekend full :) And best of all - I feel great for it (scratches, cuts and blisters aside!)

(PS Sorry for boring you with baby stuff! I imagine it's going to take a priority in life for a while here!)