I’d intended to have some time off when I’d moved in to my new abode, but the weather’s been very cold for the last week and the heating in the apartment is frankly pathetic, it’s only achieved 17°C on a couple of occasions so far, mostly staying around 15 or 16. That’s fine while I’m busy, but not ideal for sitting around.

Gemma sent me a lovely warm dressing gown, which I put on over my many layers in the evenings, along with extra socks, while I wrap my feet in an old quilt.

So the cold is one reason for keeping busy; the other being the horrible, old lady style, salmon pink, vinyl wallpaper that adorned the walls of my workshop. I want to be able to fill my workshop with my textiles stuff, which is currently filling the spare room. So the paper just had to go!

I stripped the top layer, hoping I could just paint the backing paper, but it was too much of a mess. I found lining paper and paste in one of the many DIY shops (oh, the luxury of having a choice of shops!) and reclaimed my pasting brushes from Kieran, but wasn’t sure what to use as a pasting table as the paper is a metre wide – wider than a standard pasting table. All became clear when I read the instructions on the paste packet; you paste the wall! That was a first for me, as was the screaming pink colour of the paste – it dries clear.

I’ve papered the first wall today and it looks ok. Another couple of days will see the papering finished, then I’ll paint and will be able to start filling shelves and cupboards. Once that’s done I can have some time off, as the weather should be warming up a bit soon.