From time to time I receive unsolicited emails from a Chinese furniture company called Great Progress and they come with vast files of their catalogue that can take hours to download.

Unsolicited mail is normally met, by me, by the instant application of the delete button.

But there is something about the name Great Progress that appeals to me: maybe because it sounds more like an injunction from the Chairman, decades ago, than the name of a company in the new, bold, bright capitalist China that is in today's making.

But, right now, it invokes a further response as I have, at last, made, if not 'great' 'some' progress with my own work on hand - our kitchen.

And, because of the current economic strictures, I set out to do all of the work myself, whether it be of the trades with which I am familiar and reasonably competent or those that, previously, I would have entrusted to specialists in the particular operation.
But I discovered that I could not magic-up stainless steel splash-backs or stone counters and I met a problem with the electrics that I figured I should not strive to solve myself.

So this had me re-engaging with people that I used to have dealings with constantly.
And I discovered that they too were rowing boats similar to my own with a mere trickle of work and the assistance I was seeking from them, which would have been no more than an annoyance in the past, was today a welcome addition to their 'trickle'.
And I also sensed that they were just as pleased by the renewed contact as I was.

I see that way back in March that I heralded that this task was underway and I commented:

'I hope you will see steady progress here and, if you don't, you can rest assured that this will not be a happy home!'

Well I can hardly say that the progress has been steady, let alone 'great', it having been interrupted by injuries, weddings and various jobs but 'enough progress' has now been made for it to be shown here........

The next stage was to move the old blue cupboards into the centre of the room - so that we could still cook while the new kitchen was being installed.

This move nearly threw us into serious disarray because, one evening, we declared to one another that we both really liked using the temporary, 'island' kitchen.

We toyed, briefly, with the proposition of starting again but, though unspoken, we both probably realised that such a decision could well have set the project back by another twenty seven years.

We decided to proceed with plan A.

The new cabinets being fitted.

(This reminds me of a curious interchange with a customer many years ago.
I used to refer, quite correctly, to kitchen cabinets, at this stage of their construction, as carcases.
I told this customer that I would be installing the carcase of her kitchen in the coming days.
This caused her great consternation as she associated the word carcase only with cadavers!
Since then I have referred to them as units or cabinets!)

And as they are today, painted and in use.

The oak wall cupboard, that used to be over the blue cupboards to the right of the hob, has found a new home with the very important new tea station to its right.

We bought these ceramic knobs in Lucca with the new kitchen in mind.
That was over four years ago when we were there to celebrate Hannah's 30'th!!

And for those who know our home, we have dispensed with the inner, double doors to the kitchen and introduced an oak lining instead.

If slowly, it's coming on and we are well pleased with what we have done so far..............