We bought a house. It needed some work. I thought I'd write about it.
Saturday 13th March
Suddenly everyone wants a piece of us. Friends calling and texting saying hello, isnt it a nice day, are you coming over, do you want to go out? We remind them we’ve just bought a house and we’re renovating it. Luckily they all decide to visit the house.
It seems that the phrase “It’s a building site at the moment” doesn’t quite explain to some people that’s it’s a building site. People constantly look shocked that there’s no floor and a big gouge across the kitchen or that the bathroom is in pieces, or the downstairs floorboards are in the back bedroom.
We’ve been sanding away at the skirting boards with our brand new sander. They’re starting to look more and more like computer mice. I chose a Bosch PSM 80 that’s easy to grip with a pointy nose. When I get it to Badger Towers and try to sand with the default surface it turns out to be micro-velcro and not sandpaper. I’m supposed to attach the sandpaper strips to that. I feel like a complete novice, but I can’t blame myself completely, the instructions are rubbish, and there’s another velcro layer under that to keep micro-velcro pad on. Silly German instructions.
Part way through sanding and paint stripping we realise that the four layers of paint dating back to the 1910s which is currently wafting as dust around the room is probably made of lead. I also check the back of the Nitro-Mors Mrs Badger declared completely safe and find dire warnings about wearing gloves & facemasks, ventilation and an ominous “non-reversible effects if swallowed”. Mr Health & Safety closes the site and we go to the pub.
Found Today:
A label entitled Hotel Argentina
A label for “Materials braids ect” (sic). from “Witkower & Katz Ltd, 17 White Church Lane, Aldgate, E1” Which is now Red Hot Accessories Ltd.
There’s a bit more intriguing stuff in the loft area. I can’t quite date these things, since the Hotel Argentina thing might be a retro artwork, but “Bishopsgate 7914”, assuming it’s a phone number, dates it to before the 70s I’d say. (01 if you’re outside london).
