March is over....

Did I meet the deadline?

I chose Pickett Hill and Cockleshell Cottage as my UFOs for March. With my back problems I've had to forget about Pickett Hill and concentrate on Cockleshell. Did I meet the deadline? Well, sort of. The landscaping isn't done yet, but that doesn't seem to worry the seagulls on the roof. The rustic bench at the front of the cottage provides a comfortable place to sit and watch the day break or sunset or talk to friends.

The curtains on the window in yellow and white strip give a bright and cheery contrast to the blue of the cottage, and match the curtains that cover the front of the cupboards under the sink and the preparation bench. Upstairs Uncle Bill has settled for a Holland blind that matches the coverlet on his bed. Somebody is a seamstress obviously -- a relative perhaps, or a friend?

Upstairs Uncle Bill has his bedroom and a well organised workroom. He has started building a new boat and it is set up on a little stand he has made, on his worktable. The hole in the left wall above the two pictures is where the light will go when it arrives.

His supplies are stored on the shelves - paints and brushes in the green box and other supplies in tubs with labels: fittings, sails, glues, tools, timber and rigging. A model sailboat sits on top of the shelves, and pictures of his first two model boats hang on the wall above the worktable. The shelf under the table is bulging with plans for boats, and the boat-shaped bookcase is full of reference books.

Uncle Bill's bed is made neatly with it's blue checked cover. The drawers in the bedside table hold neatly folded clothing, and a larger chest (on its way) stands under the front window against the wall. On the wall above the bedside table is a photo of Uncle Bills beloved fishing boat 'Lovely Lady', which he sold when he retired.

Downstairs I've still not found the plates and kitchen appliances that I have put 'somewhere safe' so poor Old Uncle Bill doesn't have anything to eat off at the moment. I'm sure that as soon as I start on something else I will find those though, and the shelves for the china can go on the wall above the preparation bench. That bench has actually had to be made shorter to fit, if you compare it to the photo of it in an earlier post you might see that it is slightly different. I reduced it by 1cm, added the lower shelf (which was going to happen anyway), and made the curtains open further to give a clearer view of the frypans and saucepan.

I've also changed the kitchen table for a different one.

It took a lot of fiddling to make the cupboard to set the sink into, but I'm happy with the result. It's less than 2cm wide.

This photo gives a better view of the pots and pans in the cupboard.

And here is a better view of the cats enjoying the fire.

Uncle Bill is out walking the dog at the moment, but before he left, a huge smile lit up his weather-beaten face and his blue eyes sparkled as he patted me on the shoulder and nodded as he told me that he is very happy indeed with his little home.