Old and new

Fourteen years ago, we got new sofas and rug for the sitting room. The rug was from Ikea and was very cheap but we decided that it would do for the moment. But recently it was getting rather scruffy so we got a new one, which was delivered on Saturday. We chose it to tone in with the covers of the sofas, which are a navyish blue. The sitting room has French windows which face south and we were aware that the sofas had faded slightly - not really enough to warrant new furniture, and anyway, they have loose covers which could be replaced, if they were bad enough and if we could be bothered.

So we put the rug down and it was fine. It's blue, not lilac as it looks in the picture and it goes quite well with the sofa covers.

But then I decided that we should... Mr Life should... go into the attic and retrieve the very heavy cardboard box which has been there for fourteen years because it came free with the suite and contains a spare, cream, set of covers. For some years I've vaguely wondered what it would look like if we put them on instead.

They were very crumpled and not easy to iron, being somewhat unwieldy and not a regular shape, but I did my best. Mr L removed the navy covers (frankly, they were very overdue for a wash, though they looked ok because they were dark) and replaced them with the cream ones. This took him some considerable time and he's possibly not going to be very keen to do this again in the particularly near future.

It is, as my mother would have said, a wee change.

It's not at all practical as a colour, is it? I'm not sure that it's a permanent look, though we don't use this room all the time so it won't be sat on every day. It's where the grandchildren mainly play, however!

The new rug no longer matches it, of course, but the Ikea cushion goes rather well so that's all right... . I need to do some more ironing of the covers by lying on the floor and doing the best I can without taking them off.

I still haven't actually washed the navy covers, since I need a good drying day (and the biggest bits will have to go to the laundrette because they won't fit in the machine).

Talking of things that have been going a long time and which then change, I've realised that my blog has passed its ninth birthday (gosh, how did that happen and why have I not achieved much in the past nine years?). Since I no longer have students who might (though almost undoubtedly never did) stumble on it, I've decided that it's about time to stop being Isabelle (which is my middle name) and declare myself by my first name, which is Pam. I've never really liked the name Pamela but it was a very popular Fifties choice. Pam is marginally better but both are rather jolly-hockey-sticks. Anyway, there we are. Hello.

Now I must see if I can change the name on my profile.