Home improvements, slipper orchids and scavenger hunts

Home improvement - there's a funny phrase.  Not funny 'ha, ha', more funny 'painful'.  Because whatever guise this so-called 'home improvement' takes it always results, in the short time anyway, in a home diminishment.

I am very home diminished at the moment.  My desire to have two rooms knocked into one large room has resulted, so far, in a lack of any rooms at all.  But you see, I thought this through.  "June", I said.  "Let's do it in June. The weather will be lovely.  We can practically live outside."

HAHAHAHAHAHA. How the weather gods have laughed at that one.

Still, with the entire family holed up in the playroom for the rest of this month, I need the children to live outside. Admittedly, I'm not selling it quite like that.  No, I'm far more devious.  I used a scavenger hunt.

I cannot recommend it enough.  Take one piece of paper; fIll it with a dozen or so items to find and collect in the garden; give all children in sight a container of some description to collect their treasures; put on the kettle and shut the door.

As you will see from the photo, I'm starting with the easy stuff. If you want some inspiration try any of these you have in the garden:

Ladybird, oak leaf, dandelion seed, caterpillar, poppy, feather, ant, fern frond, rose petal, snail, bark, moss, worm, pine needle, pebble, holly leaf, daisy, purple leaf, walnut shell, lavender, mint leaf, fluffy clematis seedhead

But as the build progresses and my desperation for a room unsullied by children increases, expect some harder versions. I'm thinking four-leaf-clovers, parakeet feathers and slipper orchids.  Possibly, if we run into July, I might just add the fountain of youth, Lord Lucan and Shergar.  I mean you wouldn't want to make it too easy, would you?

 

Comments

[chutneyandspice]

What a great idea. I know exactly what you mean, we have been slowly doing our house for 5 years and it always brings chaos - but well worth it in the end. We're now thinking of extending and doing it in the autumn, we must be mad!

[Dawn]

Chutneyandspice - I have a theory that home improvement is something like childbirth - your body is flooded with hormones after both that are designed to help you forget the pain. That is the only rational explanation why we continue to subject ourselves to either.

[BelgraviaWife - sort of]

Oh this made me chuckle, and two rooms are better than one. While they're at it they can look for Glenn Miller & Titus Oates.....xx

[elizabethm]

I probably needed this reminder. After 6 years with my fingers in my ears and a blindfold on we are finally going to do something about the hideous, mouldy hell hole we call a kitchen. I was feeling quite keen...

[Dawn]

Belgravia Wife - I have added them to the list (the build, you may gather, is not going very fast).

Elizabethm - Sorry. I can only recommend leaving on the blindfold and fingers in the ear whilst it's going on.