Ups and downs

Today has been a day of Ups and Downs.

For the first time in 44 years of marriage we have bought a new settee; but not just one, but two new settees. We have always had either hand-me-downs (my mother could never quite find the perfect suite, so there was a steadyish stream) or bargains from the Auction or Miscellaneous Sales in The Gazette. But we took the plunge and ordered two beautiful pieces of furniture that should last for ever. A definite UP.

We managed to find homes for the existing settee and chairs (see my advert a few posts back), and cleared a space ready for the delivery this morning. After a few problems lowering the ramp on the delivery van the first settee was carried through the front door into the hall. And that's when the problems started. The door into the sitting room is maybe not the widest in the world (but we had managed to get the old stuff out, so I wasn't worried), but it's also set into a very deep panelled doorway. Despite my pleas to try just one more time, another way round, there was no way either of the settees would go through. If we had bought a big squashy sofa it might have worked. But the solid ash frame was going nowhere. Even ringing Henry to come down from The Lots didn't help.

We decided we may have to take a window out, and stacked the new and old furniture in the hall, signed the delivery note and said goodbye to the delivery men. A definite DOWN.

But while back tidying up new drains, Henry had an idea. And it must have been a good one as James had the same idea. We would get the builder to replace the back window with a door onto the Patio. It would then be a simple straight lift through the new doorway. Henry has always wanted a door on that side of the house, so this was a definite UP.

Our builder has been and there's been talk of different levels, drains and types of door. But it's going ahead. There will be dust and mess for a while, but the result should be worth it. Another UP.

But - we'll lose some wall space and the window sill. Where will I put the HiFi speakers (only recently reconnected after 2 years adrift). And more importantly, where will I display the overflow collection of blue glass? Maybe a DOWN.

P.S - what is the difference between a settee and a sofa?