Living in a Box

A scene from this afternoon’s rehearsal. We are just at the most dramatic point of “Cinderella” where the Ugly Sisters are trying on the glass slipper, whilst keeping poor old Cinders firmly locked up in a box. Will it end happily? Will Cinderella escape, try on the slipper and marry the Prince? Of course she will - this is pantomime and a happy ending is guaranteed!
I’m only on at the end of this scene, but that is not a problem as I’m enjoying the rest. Three consecutive days doing a workout in the gym, followed by a 5K run and a PT session yesterday, mean I’m rather tired and aching today! Not that I can really relax as there is a lot of work to do this week in anticipation of the new carpets going down on Friday. The old carpets, underlay and gripper rods need to be taken up and put to one side for disposal. Any loose floorboards - and I think there are several - need firmly fastening down.
But the biggest task is trying to make the airing cupboard look presentable. I don’t think it’s been painted for a considerable number of years. We’ve never painted it in the twenty odd years we’ve lived here, and I’m fairly certain it was looking a bit tired when we moved in! I’ve started by filling the bigger holes today, and I’ll try and get some fresh white paint on the walls tomorrow. It shouldn’t be too difficult to knock up a couple of new slatted racks and then it’s just a case of taking the hot water cylinder out temporarily to allow the new carpet to go all the way into the cupboard. I’m not sure how it will all look in the end, but we used to have an expression in the automotive refinishing trade - “you can’t polish a tu*d, but you can cover it in sparkles and roll it in glitter” - which may prove apt under the circumstances.
It may seem odd spending so much time and effort on an area that is hardly seen, but it would always be a source of irritation if, after all the redecoration and new carpets, we had this small area that was still scruffy, full of holes and with a mismatched, stained bit of carpet! Or, to coin another phrase - “don’t spoil the ship for a ha’porth of tar”!