What we did on our Holidays, Part 2, plus a DC fic question

[fredbassett]

Well, holiday nearly finished ....groan.  As promised to mrs_sean_bean, I did post some pics (see previous post) and might manage a few more when I see what final progress on the house has been ...........

The tiled floor in the main room has been laid and grouted and on Monday we went shopping to a massive warehouse style trade place outside Perigueux and loaded up a borrowed flat-bed truck with all the cupboards etc for the kitchen and utility room, various sinks, two massive water heaters, acres of work-surface and goodness only knows what. All bought from the very cheapest end of the scale, but I can at least be smug and say I chose it all because I liked it, not just because I'm too tight-fisted to spend a fortune on upmarket/expensive stuff that probably isn't much better anyway.  And for what we spent, we all thought a loaded truck was pretty damned good value!!  Mr fb and our friend have spent the rest of the week fitting the kitchen and we're about to go back to the house to carry on.  I'll go back to staining doors. I think I could do the sodding things in my sleep, but as each side takes two coats, it seems to have taken forever just to do three doors!  I think I'll still be staining doors and shutters by the time I'm 90!!

We have managed 3 caving trips!  Photos posted from one, and I'll see what I can get from the other two when I see the pics.  I even managed a 3 hour trip without feeling knackered both underground and the day after (No aches and pains!! GO ME!), so I must be fitter than I'd given myself credit for!

It's been lovely to have had internet connection so I haven't been out of touch, although I think our friends who're with us think Mr fb and I are a bit bonkers, spending time glued to our lap tops in the evening. If only they knew what I've spent my time eading (and writing) they'd think I was even weirder!!!  But I did manage to convert them to Numb3rs, so when it comes to Don's jeans, I have definitely had a Partner in Lust, also demanding an episode a night!

Well, I've also spent the fortnight frantically working on the Devil's Crowll as well (in between drooling over Munchkin's glorious Ryan picspams and having random porn!related conversations with large proportions of my f-list). I can now state pretty conclusively that it will run to 10 parts, which I suppose has a sort of scary symmetry (spelling??). I'd vowed a few days ago not to post another installment until it was all finished, but I now feel that with another revision or so, Part 8 is probably ready to roll. With the rest to follow within the coming week, I hope.  Although I do intend to allow myself a quick distraction with the latest Primeval_100 Challenge, with is smply "Ryan".  And I sooooooo hope that the rest of the Ryan fans will participate too!  Come on, guys, its only 100 words, you can manage that!!) I'm now sure, at least, that nothing I'm about to do in parts 9 and 10 will impact backwards on the timeline in 8, which had been my biggest worry in the closing stages.

So, do you want Part 8 now (by which I probably mean tonight), with the rest to follow in a few days?  I kinda think there should be a few days between each post anyway, because this one has always bee pretty episodic, although I'm stunned to see that it has been 3 weeks since I posted Part 7.  God, this series has eaten my brain .................

Comments

[munchkinofdoom.livejournal.com]

Do we want part 8, she asks! Silly question! And just in case the fumes from staining have gone to your brain, yes please!!!!! *g*

Am looking forward to more pics from your holiday, both the caving, and how the house is coming along!

ps: just did today's picspam... *veg*

pps: how's the finger?

[fredbassett]

Finger nearly back to normal, I'm pleased to report.

OK will do my best to post later, but I'm off for a drool right now in my hard-earned lunch-break .........

[entangled-now.livejournal.com]

Yes! I want part 8 now please! Because I'm sure I will shrivel a little inside if you don't post it *checks for imminent shrivel-age*

Yes, I noticed the challenge this week was 'Ryan' I'm going to have to write something for that no question!

I Feel for your door staining...I usually end up doing the hutches and fences every damn summer (good for five years my arse!)

[fredbassett]

Oh noes, not shrivelege, that must be avoided at all costs ........

I've just done my Ryan entry. Will try and post that now, and then will ready Part 8 for consumption as a shrivelege preventative measure. And you totally must write for this drabble challenge!

Yes, the exterior stuff we have says guaranteed for 8 years. 8 minutes is probably more likely. I feel a lieftime of staining coming on, and my character is stained enough, I feel :)

[entangled-now.livejournal.com]

I saw you had posted! I shall read your Ryan entry in a sec. Nothing has struck me yet, hopeful I'll have some sort of thrilling Ryan-esque strike of inspiration later this evening!

Yes, they lie, I swear the keep their test wood in a weatherproof shed in the desert because most of it's useless...

[deinonychus-1.livejournal.com]

Cool. I'm about to go read your Ryan drabble right now. I've been thinking of one all morning at work, so may have to try and get it scribbled in my lunchbreak, just as soon as I;'ve read yours, and looked at the latest picspam, and caught up with everything else that's been posted since yesterday. Bugger. So much online randomness, so little lunchbreak.

Glad your holiday is still fun. Your level of renovations and decorating puts my little but of painting to shame.

*wanders off feeling inadequate in the decorating department*

[fredbassett]

As I've said before, decorating sucks, plus I'm crap at it!

We're meeting the builder at 5pm for some discussions, then it's back here to try and post DC8. I think I'm happy with this bit now, and it does seem such a long time since the last part went up that I really ought to get it done *shame-faced grin*.

Best of luck with the scribbling!

[deinonychus-1.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you're having a very productive holiday - all that decorating and re-designing, and writing as well. Go you.

I did manage to write two Ryan drabbles, although one is currently not quite a drabble yet - the first darft was 150 words, and a good half hour of editing has still only got it down to 125, and I'm not sure what else I can cut. I'll come back to it tomorrow and see if a fresh look suddenly gives me an idea how to edit further. But the second came in at 103 words first draft, so I was happy about that one.

I thought I'd finished my painting tonight. I had acheived everything I wanted to for this week, and was going to take a break for a week before getting into starting to paint the kitchen. Then my mum phones and says how about she drops by on Saturday to help with more decorating, and she couldn't be dissuaded, despite my pointing out I had made other plans for Saturday already. Bugger. Nice that she wants to help, but still... I wanted a break at the weekend.

[fredbassett]

It's been good. We had a brilliant meeting with the builder, and he didn't freak about anything we wanted, which is always a bonus.

Oh bugger for helpful family members, especially when all you really wanted was some peace and quiet!

Well, I didn't get DC8 posted tohight, but hopefully tomorrow...

And yeah for TWO Ryan drabbles :) Munchkin's picspams have been soooo inspirational!!

[telperion-15.livejournal.com]

You've probably made the decision regarding the posting of DC8 by now, but seriously - have you ever heard the phrase 'rhetorical question'? As in one that doesn't require an answer because the answer is so bloody obvious that it would be a waste of breath saying it out loud? *grins*

Glad to hear you had a good holiday, with lots of caving. Saw the piccies you posted the other day, and the caves look very beautiful, although the the last one (you face down in the dirt) made me go *meep*.

*pets re. the staining* Never done it myself, but have watched my parents doing it (they still haven't finished all the doors in their house, and it's only been a year since they started it!).

And yay! Another Numb3rs convert! Although does this mean that we're going to have share Don and his very tight jeans amongst more people?

*wanders off to consider the Ryan drabble challenge* Really must write something for this...

[fredbassett]

Well, I've got it ready, but excess of house stuff and meeting with builder has, so far, got in the way of posting, but will do tomorrow if not tonight.

And we did get all the extreior landscaping decisions made, and agreed, which was a bonus, and he didn't freak about the dog-kennel enclosure we wanted, or my grandiose plan of using some of the massive rocks that have been dug out to form a bllody great big flight of steps. It's landscaping by JCB. Quite cool, really!! Blimey, I suck at design, but hey, who cares :)

[telperion-15.livejournal.com]

Landscaping by JCB is the best kind! Except when it ruins your lawn...oh well *g* You should see the rocks my Dad had brought in to create a rockery. Well, he said it was a rockery - looks more like a bloody quarry to me ;-) Anyhoo, all your landscaping sounds really cool to me.

Although...remaining calm about the lack of fic is taking some effort. You can tell I'm calm because I'm not typing in CAPITAL LETTERS (oops, bit of a slip there). But cos it's you, I'm willing to wait a bit longer. They say anticipation is half the fun (and actually, I am a bit of an anticipation masochist).

Although I would like to know who 'they' are exactly, so I can go and put them right about a few things...

[spacemonkey-27.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes....post it....post it!!!!

I need to read some hot smex! Would it help if I told you it would make the pain in my jaw go away? :P

[fredbassett]

Oh bugger, the next couple of bits are mostly plot, but as soon as DC is finished I can devote my entire attention to hot smex!!

[spacemonkey-27.livejournal.com]

That's okay. I enjoy your plottiness as much as your smex. :D

[fredbassett]

OK, now posted! Hope you like it :)