Look at where we have found ourselves on the morning of Day 3, Dixies walls were gleaming brightly. With rain forecasted for most of the day and grey clouds hanging over Dublin we had limited time to finish the painting and air the place out well before it got dark. Luckily both colours dried well overnight and only required a few top up licks in places. Some touch ups near the moulding will have to happen in the future but we’re really happy with everything so far 😊
Now, remember, Dixie in her former days once carried two large steel bunk beds, similar to our couch/beds, which hung from the walls when not in use and from huge hooks on the roof when needed. (Take a look at this old post to catch a glimpse of the bunks behind us, and me on the comically big bed https://wp.me/p8WlP3-2F ) These massive, heavy gates were taken down during our first week living here and the brackets were eventually removed (thanks to my father) over Christmas week. Working with an angle grinder in such a small space is not easy and he did a great job but the fixtures left behind these irregular rectangular indentations…
And needless to say, the same holes exist on the other wall:
We sleep width-ways in the van rather than lengthways (yes, even himself who measures a lofty 6ft 1″ to my 5ft 4″) so the rectangular dents are basically at our heads and feet. What better way to cover the unsightly craters in the walls than some kind of headboards? Not wanting to create work or expense for ourselves the solution will have to be cheap, easy and cheerful and we already have a plan A 😉
There was plenty of time today to discuss colour schemes and browse the samples catalogues whilst we sat literally watching paint dry. We love the blue, yellow and cream combination inspired by my favourite scarf, a gift from my dear friend Julia, and we think a bright splash of sunshine yellow would really stand out on the kitchen wall behind the stove under the TV box. Back to the hardware shop tomorrow!
The rain held off for most of the day and allowed us put the last coat of cream on the back door panels. Maybe that splash of sunshine would suit the back doors too?
The last photo of Day 3 shows the roof again darker than in reality. We have lots of small jobs to complete tomorrow and we must again go shopping for supplies, very mindful of our budget. The more we improve inside Dixie, the more places we find that need cosmetic work and we want to complete the upgrade to the best of our ability, this could easily run into Days 6 and 7… But doesn’t Dixie look great so far?! Roll on Day 4 😉
the backwards van 