More Floors and Past Wall Colours

Dorothy and Julian have been around tonight to empty the cupboards so Bob can finish the bit where the floor meets the inside of the cupboards. A whole lot of stuff I had lost was discovered by Julian, fortunately, but my Algerian Kabyle coral and silver necklace is still missing. I think I have looked everywhere, but it will probably reappear in some totally bizarre place.

I have been instructed to ask Bob about whether the same wood could be used for the stairs and basement of the flat despite the fact that there is a damp problem. I am highly dubious about this as even Dorothy admits that oak is a difficult wood to use in these circumstances, being more sensitive to damp. I will ask anyway, but this is exactly why I put laminate down there. I have already researched this a bit and was thinking that engineered wood might work, but a building surveyor I know has told me that laminate is preferable.

In any event I could not face the disruption of all that for a year or two! I can just about think about having the hall painted. My room will have to wait as it is the least of my worries. Perhaps I shall paint it some dark, wonderful colour. A friend of mine painted a room in a gorgeous colour called Bilberry. I have not seen bilberries, but the colour was a kind of matt bluey purple which appeared to have a pale sheen in the light, rather like the skin of a blueberry, which is probably the same thing. This was in the sixties of course, when we all had dark rooms. I see this trend reappearing. Then, dark brown was the thing, or deep forest green. The green was quite good in the winter. Dorothy had a whole room, including the ceiling and furniture, painted bright red. There was one of those awful, loud abstract patterned carpets in red and yellow. He went off this colour quite quickly, thought we had a bright red hall for years. A dark colour is good in small halls, rather than light. It makes it look quite cosy.