Saturday morning started quietly as we were all shattered, and we knew that we would need our strength for Sunday. Storm warnings were heading in for storm Chiara, so we decided on a ..

In the afternoon I went across and did some more paper stripping - it’s starting to get boring now, even with the electric stripper - and we appear to only have got just under two rooms done in a week. It’s looking like we’ll have to get some professional help with it all. We’ll start looking for a labourer to come and help.

Sunday we acquired a pew!!! St Clement’s Church where we are involved is having a re-ordering, and have been offering some pews for sale. I hemmed and hawed about them for a while, and we got the measurements, and considered how to move it, and where it would fit. The dimensions given, when compared with the dimensions of the ZipVan available for hire said that there should be 5 cm gap between the end of the pew and the back door. So, after church, I went and picked up the van, and with the help of trolley dolleys (I like those things!) we wheeled the pew down the ramp and towards the van - which was of course blocking everyone in who wanted to leave, as that was the only place to park to get the pew in. On the walk to the van, we were offered some help by a sound guy, who said he had ratchet straps in his car. As per usual with practical things, I said “yes please”, as I was concerned about whether I’d be able to lift it properly, so extra muscle was definitely needed. We got the pew lifted into the van, and right to the back - to find that it was at least 5 cm too long for the van!!!! (There is panelling in the van which I think has lost the extra few centimetres we really needed!!! So the ratchet straps were utterly invaluable, as was the help of someone who knew what they were doing with the straps. In a very short period of time, the pew was secured in the van and the van doors secured too. We borrowed the trolley dolleys and drove the van to the house, backed it up to the garage (hoorah for electric roller garage doors), and without too much stress, got the straps undone, the pew onto the trolley dolleys, and wheeled into the garage. The pew will live in the garage until the work on the house is done, and the pew has a few repairs, and then it will take its place in our house :) Sadly, because the storm was having its way spectacularly whilst we were loading and unloading the pew (and making it not fun for that or for driving the van) I don’t have any pictures of it, but here’s a view of it in its temporary home :) New Pew in temporary home