Despite not having a fitted sink in the island unit, we have decided to move into the new kitchen and wow! What a feeling. The whole family, spent all of yesterday, moving furniture and ornaments and setting up the telephone wire and satellite so that we have all the facilities in the new room. It is strange how 70 square metres shrinks when you add two sofas and an armchair as well as my desk, the dining room table

Having recently having my Ford Control Technique'd I was looking forward to two years of trouble free motoring. Alas, things don't happen so simply, no matter what you wish for.

Last week the clutch failed and left me without transport which was bloomin irritating.

I have now completed the island unit and I must say, out of all of the things we have created here at Jean Blanc, it is one of the major achievements.

When I say that it is complete, I am not quite correct because I have to put a softwood trim around the top and make a modification for a Belfast sink and electrical sockets.

Not everyone would want these mods if they had the same unit in their kitchen.

I underestimated my family somewhat!

Having said yesterday that I needed the help of three burly helpers, my family proved me wrong by manhandling our new kitchen island unit into place yesterday afternoon.

I had spent a leisurely Saturday morning painting the unit and Sunday morning rubbing it back to try and achieve an antique type look.

Apart from a final sanding, putting on the cupboard door knobs and catches, the kitchen unit is now complete (Oh and not to mention the surface which I cannot fix and cut to size until we have moved the carcass).

There is no way that we would shift the unit with the solid oak surface on it but I would love to get this installed this weekend so I can start the painting - although, I may give it a coat of undercoat using the spray attachment to the compressor when it is in the open of the yard.

I know, from the private emails, that a few of you are wondering how I am getting on with the kitchen island unit. Well, I am getting on rather well as the pictures hopefully demonstrate.

I have taken the next few days off of work to concentrate on getting it finished and hopefully, with the wind blowing the right way, I will have it installed in the kitchen by the weekend.

Mind you, we still do not have the sink; Donna went to Agen yesterday and found one in Castorama but it will take two weeks to arrive which is frustrating. How hard is it to get hold of a Belfast sink?