On a brighter note...

We are thoroughly enjoying our new home. It has taken us a little while to get it to where it feels like home, i.e. painting bedrooms and section clearing, but now it does. Apologies for the following pictures - I never think to style a room before I take photos, so what you see is how we live :-)  

Bear in mind that all the Before and After photos were taken at the same time of day - the darkness in the rooms in the Before shots is due to the overgrown foliage outside the windows blocking natural light, and with the room lights switched on. In the After photos, the room lights are not even switched on and the light in the rooms is purely due to sunlight.

My daughter's room Before:

and After:

The walls are actually white, but the sun has reflected the red duvet cover around the room

I covet the throw on her bed every time I go in there. And can't help stroking it because it's sooo so soft

My bedroom Before:

And After:

Spare room Before:

 and After:

The landlady says she will paint the window frames in summer

The landlady came round this morning - the first time since we moved in - and was delighted with how good it is looking. She even thought the yard looked great. I guess compared with how it was, it does. But to me it still looks pretty awful with a great deal to be done. More on that later.