Out with the paint pot.... Remember to shop local..

There is a saying "it is who you know not what you know" and how true. It has been a very busy summer and the paintwork is now in need of more than one lick of paint. I know it is supposed to be spring clean but when spring comes there are also lots of other jobs that need to be done. Thanks to Eddie Bramley who runs JEB Taxis, which our guests use when staying here, he is a mine of information. He has put me on to his painter and decorator, Joe who came last Saturday morning. Not only is Joe is a dab hand with a paint brush, he makes everything sound so easy. He had a quick look round at what needed to be done, giving me a price and told me how much paint etc I needed to get.Even better he will be here in October. How much easier is it than that.Didnt fill my head with silly colours and really knows his stuff. I had one man who thought the dining room was "crying out"to be library green and his wife chirped in with,"or bold red". Have you seen the size of my dining room -if you have you would know that was a silly statement. I always try to get my paint from the Home Decorating Centre in Kirkbymoorside.The lady there is very friendly and again she is a mine of information. So by 3pm I was home armed with all that was on my list and some discount without even asking. So I reckon as well as being proud to support the local shop ,it worked out cheaper than the larger shops nor had I had the stress of running round the shop floor looking for an assistant who would then declared " I only started yesterday -so I will have to ask". Remember if we dont use our local shops we will lose them as well as characters who run them.