It all started, some time ago, with a unpleasant snap as I sat down.

Our sofa was last replaced when I had hair, in the last century- about 1998, to be more precise.

My better half offered the opinion that we needed a new one. I didn’t disagree, but I was resistant to put a new sofa into a room last decorated and carpeted in 2011.

As it was, that didn’t work out. We ordered a new sofa in February, and it arrived in June, but we hadn’t got as far as that room in the long, expensive, and difficult sequence of events starting in March, triggered by this.

That room that was decorated in 2011 was the last room we decorated, the kitchen units were falling apart (being the shitty ones that were fitted before we bought the house in the early nineties), and the bathroom was last touched in 2006, the dining room in 2004. You get the picture, things got in the way.

At time of writing, we’re part-way through. The hall has had floor tiles and been painted, we have a new kitchen and shower room with new tiled floor, one bedroom, the stairs and landing have been carpeted and painted, along with the lounge with the new sofa.

Even with the huge cost of doing this (we’ve paid someone for much of the work because it’s too much for us these days) there’s been a good amount of DIY: replacing an electrical back box and socket, lots of filling, SDS chiselling old floor tiles (and some plaster in the cellar), fitting new blinds, assembling furniture, lamps etc etc etc. We’ve had help from friends with some bits which has been much appreciated.

It’s a good way through now, but there’s still the rear lobby area (and a new back door), the dining room, and the back bedroom to do.