The unseasonably warm weather continues, and the office USB fans are struggling to keep the temperature to a manageable level. It’s time for some projects in the shade.

When we bought our house, it wasn’t the only dwelling on the land. We inherited a treehouse built for the previous owner’s grandchildren. Given our distinct lack of children or grandchildren at the time, the treehouse was used for storage and largely ignored. Recent developments in progeny have led us renovate the property and get it ready for a new inhabitant.

The structure itself was solid and hadn’t suffered too much as it is in a relatively sheltered corner of the garden. Most of the work was going to be cosmetic. I was able to climb about it without falling through, and I’m considerably heavier than Evie.

It’s amazing what a little paint can do. I gave the whole outside a couple of coats of fence paint, then finished the roof with a little tin of yacht varnish donated by my neighbour. The whole thing is looking much more presentable, and next I’ll be tackling the inside and surrounding area.

Office to be

The biggest project this year has been sorting the office/library. I hated the old arrangement with stacks of cheap veneered bookcases covering blown plaster. Admittedly my plastering skills leave much to be desired, but after a while I managed to take it from dreadful to…slightly better.

After the plaster was dry, I painted on a mist coat (diluted white emulsion). The mist coat is an important part of preparing for the top coat, improving adhesion and reducing the chance of paint peeling later.

There’s still more wallpaper to remove, then it will be time for the shelves. No cheap veneered chipboard this time thankfully, I’ve gone for solid wood and heavy duty brackets to reduce the chance of sagging with the weight of our many books. It’s time for a little break though.

Brewdog and Bullet Train

On a rare free weeknight we made it into the city for a date night, and visited the Plymouth Barcode for the first time. Brewdog was our first stop and who could resist sitting outside on such a beautiful evening. As I write this after 10pm it’s still 24 degrees Celcius and feels more like being in the states. We sampled a couple of different ciders and I had a buffalo chicken burger with loaded Korean fries. The food was pretty nice and quite similar to Hub Box offerings, and the cider was great.

The next stop was Bullet Train, a non-stop action comedy set on a Japanese high speed train. It’s a relentless murderfest with a great sense of humour, and worth a watch.