TearsIt was Saturday. After writing a brief note in my notebook on the progress of the barn, as seen from my car window, I spent the morning creating a spreadsheet. I devised budgets for fixtures and fittings, the kitchen and bathroom suites, and furniture. Immersed in numbers and itemising each aspect of the interior gave me a sense of control and put me at ease after the turbulence of the day before. I needed to restore a sense of normalcy and crunching numbers was the best way I could think of to do it.
During my online travels to various homewares and hardware stores, I had downloaded brochures and price lists and taken screenshots of others to give me an idea. My Essex roots cautioned me against cost blowouts. I would adopt a style that allowed for the occasional piece of stunning fu
