Time for Planting & Refreshing

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Late spring is always a busy time of planting both indoors and outdoors. Since my patio is not ready for summer enjoyment (the timeline for completion is end of June though I have my doubts given the pace of progress) I just have the community plot at the park and I'm doing a bit of indoor planting.

All these plants were purchased on clearance so they weren't in the best of health. Usually when I find plants on clearance they are quite root bound and in need of larger pots. So I went in search of plastic pots that would be large enough and also have some drainage trays. I put some stones at the bottom to help with water drainage as well.

These plants were on my mantle when they were in smaller pots now they are too large for that. I really can't buy anymore unless and until I have more shelves because the flat surface space here is extremely limited.

Once the indoor and outdoor renovations are done and more decluttering is done, I may consider getting a plant stand where several plants can be housed together. Time will tell whether these plants will even live long enough because so many have died once winter draughts begin.  I enjoy them while they're alive though and I'm hoping the ones I put in the hanging baskets will last longer because they should be out of the pathway of any draughts that come through the windows.

More hanging baskets

In addition to buying pots and planters, I found a few things I need at the thrift store. I wasn't expecting to find these but these items have been on a wish list for some time. First is a set of bed risers.  These come in handy when you want to store things under the bed. 

The price I paid was $6.99 Canadian

I've been using bed risers for a few years already but these new ones should work much better since they are higher than the ones I have.  They also appear to be unused and came in the original box though the photo on the box looks old fashioned so the items may be older but still new and sturdy.

New risers (L), old risers (R)

I also found these double hook shower curtains for the main bathroom. The current ones are getting quite rusted after many years of use.  The original price was $14.99 and they have not been used.

I still have no word on when the repairs will be done in the master bedroom but it will be lovely to have the walls freshly painted and the carpets freshly cleaned.  Everything has been moved out so it will be much easier for the work to be done. It will be wonderful to have a refresh of the master bedroom and some updates to freshen the bathroom such as new door handles and new faucets. I'm thinking to update the toilet handle and perhaps a new sink. I do need to also plan for converting my bathtub into a shower rather than a combined shower/tub.  It has been too difficult to lift my legs into the bathtub every time I want to shower. We never use a tub anyway. DH and I always shower.  The main bathroom will remain with a tub. I do have a faucet and a new shower head for the main bathroom which need to be installed. The door knob has already been changed & the light fixture has been well cleaned. I'm thinking of adding a towel shelf in the main bathroom. Slowly changes are happening.

Thanks for stopping by! Please come again soon. Leave a comment and let me know you were here and it will help me to go and visit your blog too.

New Faucet Installation ~ Part 2

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I've been wanting to change the faucet in the master bedroom for quite some time.  I finally took the plunge and bought a faucet.  Actually I purchased two of the same kind, one for each bathroom since both bathrooms are in need of a refresh.

The cap came off the faucet in the master bathroom many years ago.  I kept putting it back on and it would fall back off again so I gave up trying.  Unfortunately the way the faucet is constructed it makes it very difficult to clean properly.  The only way to properly clean it is to unscrew it and clean all around but that is too much work on a regular basis. Hopefully the new one will be easier to keep clean. 

It's so difficult to make this faucet look clean.

I decided to try and change the faucets myself; at least the one in the master bathroom and save myself the plumber expense. However I didn't bargain for it to be so very difficult to remove or unscrew the hoses under the sink. That should have been a relatively easy job, but the whole piece containing the hoses and nuts kept turning around and around.  I couldn't get any leverage to apply the proper pressure.  I also couldn't remove the nuts from the bottom end near the water shut off valves for the same reason. I was afraid if I applied too much pressure at the shut off valves, the plastic piping near the valves might snap and break and that would of course cost a lot to get a plumber to repair. 

I finally managed to unscrew the 'silver' nuts (as in the photo below) almost to the end of the threads. I finally asked my dear husband (DH) to try and do the last bit. With my knee and muscle issues it's very difficult to maneuver into the small space in the master bathroom or lie under the sink and do what needs to be done. I could only do it for short periods and after 5 attempts at loosening the nuts, I'd had  enough. 

These nuts were very difficult to unscrew

The rust looks terrible but thankfully the nuts came out easily

I don't know why, but several women on You Tube have said that it's easy to change out the faucets. I guess they have a different set up under the sink. One of my blogger friends tried to encourage me by saying one of her granddaughters was able to change one too.  I've heard plumbers on YT say that they've run into challenges removing faucets and have taken up to one hour to undo a corroded screw.  Others have said that it is very difficult in tight spaces to get enough leverage to loosen certain nuts. I guess my situation falls into that category.  I either had to get the job done, find a way to do it or call a plumber.

DH did what I asked but didn't have much patience. He noticed the same problem I had though I didn't tell him in advance about my experience.  When he realized what was happening he found it useless to continue. Being a handyman is not his forte, nor frankly his interest.

So I called a friend who works in construction. I thought if he could at least loosen the nuts, I could do the actual installation and I wanted to do it.  He came over and within 10 minutes or less he managed to to loosen the nuts.  He used 2 wrenches to gain leverage.  One to hold the moving pipes and one to loosen the nuts.  Frankly, I thought he was genius.  I know this strategy would take more strength than I have because one of my wrenches is rather heavy to hold especially while working upside down.  

The old faucet

The rusted parts

The new faucet

After the nuts were loosened, I told him I would finish the job but he didn't want me to get down on the floor again so he said he would do it and he did. Afterward, we tested the set up for leaks and all seemed to be working well. I had placed a yellow tub under the pipes and left it there after testing.  Then I went to Home Depot and out for dinner. I was gone for several hours. When I returned there was quite a bit of water in the tub. Oh dear. There is a leak after all.

After a bit of investigating, not much because it was quite late, I think that I must have damaged the flexible hoses when I was trying to remove the nuts.  I was thinking to buy new hoses but after discussions with my friend we agreed I should just reuse them.  

I'll do more testing over the weekend to see if this is really the cause of the leak.  

Oh yeah, when I went to Home Depot, I purchased a new tool but I realized I forgot to buy some clear silicone.

This tool by Rigid, is supposed to make the job of replacing faucets in tight spaces much easier. It also provides a mechanism for immobilizing pipes that go round and round while trying to unfasten tight nuts. Time will tell whether it works as well as I've heard. 

I have another bathroom faucet to replace but I think I'll give it a bit of time before I attempt it again.  There are lots of other things to get done.  I also want to enjoy a bit of summer since it seems all I've been doing is working or dealing with major projects (patio renovation and master bedroom leak and repairs).

New Faucet Installation ~ Part 1

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope your week is going well.

The other day when I was out doing errands I purchased new faucets for both bathrooms. 

I couldn't wait to install them. I've never installed faucets before but I've heard it's a simple job.

Have you ever changed a faucet? Was it a simple job?

When I started the installation I found it very difficult to loosen the big nuts.  I could also see that the small bolts holding the faucets underneath the sink are completely rusted so that might make them difficult to remove (as in the experience with changing the toilet lid cover in the main bathroom recently).

This simple job is going to take more time than it should.  Normally my brother would help out, but he's very tall and it's a very cramped space in which to work.  There's no way he will have room to splay out in the tiny bathroom or be able to fit underneath the sink.  My husband might fit, but he's not home until quite late. I hope I can manage it myself. Wish me luck or say a prayer.

A Bit of Hygge

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Some of you will have read my story here about the lost and found item I picked up late Saturday night. I tried to go to the local police station on Sunday but it was closed by the time I arrived. I went again on Monday and thankfully made it before closing. I left the wallet with an explanation of where I found it and my name. Now it's in the hands of the police and hopefully the person who lost it will find their way to the police station or maybe the police will somehow locate him/her. I don't even know if the person is a male or female because I'm not familiar with the names.

I got a long-ish walk in over the span of several days going on errands and going to and from the police station over 2 different days.

To be honest, my body is really suffering from aches and pains and inflammation in the neck, back and hips. I wanted to get a body massage or a get in a foot reflexology session but the timing didn't work out. So instead, I have been trying to have moments of hygge by relaxing and revelling in some of life's quieter pleasures.

Like reading good books.

I was able to complete Crow Mary (favourite) The Paris Assignment (2nd favourite), and Miss Morgan's Book Brigade (3rd favourite)  I enjoyed all of them and would recommend them all.

I spent some time caring for my plants, watering them, removing dead leaves and transplanting one of them into a larger pot.  I also purchased a new plant. I think it's called a Kangaroo Fern but I'm not 100 percent certain since I've never seen one before. All of these plants were purchased on clearance over the past month or so and were in rough shape when I bought them. I'm trying to bring them back to life but they need more sunshine. I'd like to take them out to the patio but need to wait until the workers are gone.

I have this one in a hanging basket.

I just transplanted this one.

The fern on the left is new

I'm going to buy another hanging basket for the new plant on the left in the photo above. I can also see that the aloe vera needs dividing as it's gotten too big for the pot it's in.

I always enjoy seeing pockets of beauty when I'm out and about. I found this cute gem of a restaurant on Sunday and hope to return one day when it's open and when I have more time. It has a cute little patio on the other side.

I did a bit of shopping. I've been thinking about changing the bathroom sink faucets and saw these ones when I was browsing in the stores.  I think they'll do for now.  I purchased two sets, one for each bathroom.  I'll only open one until I see how it looks after installation.

When I'm out I like to dine by myself.  It allows me to rest my feet and catch my breath since walking and shopping takes a lot out of me. I also like to read while I wait for my dinner. This Bento Box is called a Nigiri Bento box for the raw fish (salmon, tuna and prawn) but it also had tempura, beef teriyaki and a dynamite roll. It came with the customary Miso soup which I love so much.

All in all I enjoyed my outings. Thanks for stopping by!

Lost & Found

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I was busy the whole weekend cleaning, running errands and reading the latest books borrowed from the library.

Saturday evening I ran an errand to the pharmacy to pick up milk and cream. On the way back I found a wallet sitting on the sidewalk in the corner of a very busy intersection. I was just about to cross the street when it caught my eye so I went back for it.

I opened it at home to find cash, a debit card, some health cards, but no information to help me locate the owner. I had a name and a country (Hungary) so I went on line and wrote a message to a few people to see if they might be the right ones. But these folks were not active on social media so I don't think they ever saw my message. 

Sunday I decided to go to the police station but when I got there kind of late in the day I saw that it was closed. I tried buzzing but there was no answer. Outside I ran into a police officer and told him my dilemma. He suggested I return tomorrow or go to the police station's property office. I asked him if he could take the wallet and he said no because he didn't have the right paperwork to complete. 

I expressed concern that the individual didn't have access to money or debit card and he assured me that the main thing was that no one was using their ID. So I had no choice but to return home with the wallet and hope I can make my way back to drop it off on Monday. 

Who knew it would be so difficult to return a wallet? When I picked it up I was assuming it belonged to a local not a foreigner. I hope the foreigner has a place to stay because they don't have their debit card or cash right now.

After the stop at the police station I decided to go to a nearby retail store to look for bathroom faucets. I found one at a good price and bought 2 of them, one for each bathroom. I also bought a fern that was on clearance. I intend to hang it from the ceiling since I don't have any flat space to put more pots.