Friday July 9, 2010
Ten days since my last post. It’s been a quiet time, you see, with a blank canvas on the easel (well, not blank exactly but we’ll come to that) and a largely blank mind along with a mostly empty to-do list.
Things hotted up these past three days with a visit to IKEA in Cardiff, a provisioning trip to Swansea, and the annual trip to Neath Abbey to take the little silver Ford in for MOT testing. All accomplished successfully, even the IKEA adventure.
I was proud of Graham there. We’d gone with the intention of buying pseudo-wood laminate for the second bedroom floor. I knew there was something wrong when I was sent off to find a chair while I waited. Some little while later, when I’d got bored, I made my way back to the aisle between the towering storage racks to find him with a sample of every type of laminate they do, fanned out on the floor in front of him.
“Wassa matta, chook?” I asked.
“Well, look at them. They’re all rubbish and I can’t choose between them.”
“If you feel like that there’s no choice at all. Put ‘em all back and we’ll have a re-think.”
“You may be right. Give me a bit longer, though. See if you can find a place to sit down again for five minutes.”
Isn’t it astonishing that a furniture store has so few places where customers can rest their weary bones these days?
So, anyway, he put them all back and announced that laminate wasn’t for us.
“Too cheap and clicky under foot,” he said. “I’m sorry to have wasted our time like this.”
“It’s not a waste. You’ve reached a decision and that’s a good thing.”
On the way home I asked him if he’d decided what we would put down in the two main bedrooms to replace the last of the old carpet we inherited with the house.
“I don’t think we should put cork down,” I said. “Too much like hard work, and not really bedroom friendly.”
“No. You’re right. Looks like it’ll have to be carpet, then, and after all the bad things we’ve said about dirty, smelly carpets.”
“Not to worry. At least it’ll be our dirt and our smell.”
So, back home, a welcome cup of coffee and a late lunch of hash and eggs cooked by Graham.
“I don’t think I’m as keen on IKEA as I used to be,” Graham said.
“Ah. Had to happen. Pass the ketchup, please.”
Finally, returning to my painting, I took a long time bringing up the work in progress to the point where it had totally and absolutely failed to please, gave a big sigh, and scraped all the paint off. Then I gave it a light coat of titanium white overall, using its translucent quality to my advantage so the main landscape and sky colours show through. And it’s been sitting on the easel drying off ready for a second go. That’s one colossal advantage of oil painting on canvass — you can make as many false starts as it takes, and it’s always easy to recover.
Starting over with a new house and a new hill
IKEA: I know….. we have gone through this too (albeit since we live in France now, it was Leroy Merlin) – after having been through hundreds of laminate, we decided to go for real parquet! Costly and therefore put to one side for just the moment, but it will be very beautiful.
Sometimes we MUST have another think – not only in matters of floorings, furniture and such!
Sitting down: MY FEELINGS exactly. At least Ikea has a restaurant….. here you might as well drop dead before you can find ANY seating opportunity at all. Don’t they all not have any tired customers? It’s not only Ikea, other shops haven’t got chairs either.
Painting: It’s nice to start with a clean canvas, over and over again…. isn’t it?! NOW I know where this expression comes from!
Bonne continuation! Bon appétit!
And, please remember, there are those who would have us believe that that prepped canvas was a finished work. Well, actually, it IS quite pretty and very restful, as well. But I can hardly wait to see what ensues. Anyone ever visited the Rothko Chapel in Houston? I did. Yawn. Probably just me.
Finally another person that was underwhelmed by Rothko. Success in America is spelled hype, hype and free passes to the news media.
Wall-to-wall carpet will be pretty if you & Graham go in that direction. Ikea kind of fell flat for us too. Some things are great and some things are just OK.
I’ve still never been to Ikea but I’m beginning to think I haven’t missed much…..
John, You realize, of course, that what you said to Graham about wasting time (or not) applies as well to the decision you reached regarding your painting. Too bad you can’t just paint that same soft texture onto one of the bedroom floors, because it looks serene and would most certainly encourage rest. P.S. Does Mickey always watch you as you paint?
Real wood, pre-sealed, does come dearly and it may be more than Graham cares to tackle, but there’s nothing like it once it’s done. It’s easy to maintain and readily warmed/softened by not-too-large inexpensive rugs with non-slip backing. Since ours is still the house of many animals, it has been an ideal combination for us as those rugs go right in the washer and dryer as needed.
It’s nice to hear from you and of your doings in any event.
I seem to recall years ago gesso being used to go over a canvas. Or have I lost my memory totally?
Over here bamboo flooring is taking quite a favorite spot. Scott wanted it but couldn’t afford it so settled on the Pergo that he cussed mightly putting down.
I looked at new flooring options just last week, we have the 3/4 inch solid oak throughout. They have developed lots of pre-finished laminates that look just like ours, yet will not warp as badly.
It’s nice to see you are painting once again, that means all is well in the creative field, over in the Bailey household.
Lovely to hear what you and Graham have been up to, just like old times
Actually, I must confess that I think of IKEA as a furniture store, not as a flooring store. I mean, I know they have stuff like that, but I would think that some variation on a lumber supply/flooring supply/building supply store or one of the big box stores that serve both DIY people and remodeling contractors. (Over here that would be something like Lowes or Home Depot or I might look to Arnold Lumber, our local building supply place.)
I’m not surprised that IKEA doesn’t have laminate flooring that suits Grahams plans, but why not look elsewhere? Or is it that he’s decided that it’s not so much IKEA as it is the entire category of laminate flooring that does not meet his needs?
I think IKEA is for dormatories or starter homes. Laminates bubble up if liquids spill. I think hardwood is the way to go, if Graham is willing to invest the trouble. They manufacture some nice slot and groove hardwood now.
I’ve broached several alternatives to Graham but thus far he’s resisted, and insists that we go looking at carpet stores later today. The trouble with laminate floors, even if made with IKEA’s semi-industrial grade versions, is that they click as you walk on them. We’ve grown used to the complete silence of cork, but Graham doesn’t want us to go to that degree of expense.
Hey ho. Time will tell, and isn’t it wonderful to have the luxury of time!
You do know that’s a gentle lovely.
There’s a decorating theme in that translucent titanium wash over the outlines of your painting. I wonder if it appeals to Graham…hmm? Yes, I hear his dislike of laminates. Me, too.
Hugs from the granite and iron-ore mountains of Asia, ~ Sil
How nice to hear from you.Yes, it’s better to think about it for a while than make a costly mistake.I see the painting is in the same situation.
Still love Ikea. It’s sort of a basic supplier for everything one might need in a house. But if one wants something special or personal, then one has to go and look somewhere else. And now I’m looking forward to the personal development of the painting!
I love the clean lines of Ikea. I wish we had it here. I get the catalogue just so that I can have an ogle.
I am on the list of those who are looking forward to see what your canvas will yield
Just painting colored blocks is nice too. Just putting paint on canvas is fun and doesn’t have to become anything picturesque.
My problem with painting pictures is the end product and what to do with it and the thought of having lots of finished works and what to do with them is not really something I want I guess.
This is random, but have you ever watched Sponge Bob Squarepants? It’s so sunny, I mean funny but sunny too I guess.
…I think that twittering may be the haiku of the blog set … short and sweet.