I suppose it was inevitable.

It's been more than six weeks in which I've had no living room furniture and have been camping out in a small area of my dining room with one chair, a side table and my laptop, while the living room is piled high with paint cans, dropsheets, a power saw, ladders and so on. All my books are packed away. My study is so full of stuff that I have trouble moving through it, but there are things I need (like my clothes) that are in there. It seems like I can't put anything down without a dropsheet being thrown over it.

Also I've had three consecutive very broken nights' sleep.

And the dogs have been a bit of a worry. Robinson has now decided to develop separation anxiety, and apparently barked so much on Monday that one of the neighbours complained. The two painters who have been working in my place have been very good and helpful and yesterday allowed him to hang out with them while they worked, and he was perfectly happy.

This morning, however, I was invaded by three painters - one I hadn't met before - the contractor and an impending electrician, who was going to need to work in the kitchen, where I had shut Robinson. The new painter was a woman with a butt crack and an attitude as long as your arm, who objected to Robinson sniffing her crotch. When I was asking them if the dogs were going to be okay with all those people, she declared loudly that she couldn't be responsible (which is a perfectly fair statement, to be honest, but it should have been obvious that I was trying to be accomodating, and I really didn't need the hostility).

I wish I was the kind of person who gets angry rather than upset. I would have liked to have said "This is MY fucking house; leave your fucking attitude at the door!" Instead, I had to go outside so they wouldn't see me in tears. My contractor, however, did see that I was upset, which was probably a good thing, because I think he's going to try a bit harder to get things done more quickly. I THINK it's only going to be one more week.

We'll see.

Meanwhile, to be safe, I'm going to have the dogs looked after again until the weekend, and bring them home again on Friday. They may have to go back again next week, but if the painters at least are finished there might be some space created where I can shut the dogs up while other work is being done.

I know it's going to be awesome when it's done. I just want it done soon, please.

I could write a long, long post about this whole, rather strange, summer, but I think it would be too long and rambling and that you'd probably prefer (and it will be easier to write) short bits, so here goes.

Part One: Where we are now

I dream of a day when I can have my house to myself, and where things are where they're meant to be rather than where they've been put to get them out of the way, but that day is not yet come, and is probably a couple of weeks off, at least. I pray that it will be before I start teaching again in September; ideally I'd like a week before to move things and tidy up, but I'm not sure I'll get it.

The contractor was supposed to start July 1st and be finished by now. He didn't, and he isn't, but I suppose I always knew that was likely to happen.

What still needs to be done: kitchen: install dishwasher, over-the-counter fan/microwave, and remove and replace a window. Paint trim. Hook up electricity to several new outlets. Living room: paint trim and built in bookcase, and install doors to hall cupboard. Bedroom: finish prep work (stripping wallpaper) and paint three walls, cupboard and trim. "Dining" room: more prep work to repair plaster walls, remove and replace sliding glass door, prime cupboard door (it's faux wood), paint walls and trim. Put an electrical outlet in the bathroom (the bathroom was the only room in the house that I didn't hate, and is thus the only one to escape renovations this time round. Perhaps next year). Install new light fixtures in kitchen, hall, and bedroom. I have new living room furniture which needs to be delivered and put in place, but I'm waiting for everything else to be finished. I think I may order some Ikea furniture for my bedroom, which will need assemblage. Some old furniture needs to be put on "Used Victoria" or Freecycle, or I should have a garage sale (but that feels like a lot of work after a long summer of hauling things around).

What has been done: Kitchen was gutted, horrible old lino floor pulled up and removed, new floor installed, complete replacement of cabinets, new floor, walls drywalled and painted. Living room: horrible old panelling removed, drywalling throughout, including ceiling, all except trim painted. Dining room: new floor, some prep to wall. Bedroom: more panelling removed, one wall drywalled, another wall repaired (where Cholmondeley as a puppy had eaten a chunk of drywall), most of the wallpaper stripped.

I moved out for 2 1/2 weeks and had dogs in kennels for a month, but am now back home, and dogs came home yesterday. This will not facilitate speedy finishing, but that's really the contractor's problem - I could have had both myself and my dogs out for longer if he'd started earlier, but he didn't.

Other than that, I have to say that my contractor has been wonderful. All has been done with minimum disruption or damage, and my house is beginning to look fabulous.

I just wish it was all finished, so I could invite everyone over for a party!