Finished painting mums chimney breast and moved onto glossing today. I say glossing, it's actually satinwood not gloss, my preferred option, but mum has always turned her nose up at it and I'd forgot that she'd agreed to try it when she bought it last year when we first talked about redecorating living room. Anyway when we went in shed to get it mum had forgot too and had no idea what it was but was fine to try it. She liked idea it didn't run much and you can wash brushes out rather than use turps.
Mum was feeling a bit sniffy this morning so at first we weren't going to paint at all but then she decided she'd like me to finish chimney breast wall which I did and then she said she'd like me to start on woodwork but she wasn't going to paint any today which I was fine with. I masked the carpet against skirting board on side I was going to start at and got my brushes etc ready with lots of Thats not enough tape, I use paper, Are you using that size brush, Why have you got a tray, Whats those wipes for, You won't fit in there, Why are you starting there? I answered as calm as possible, said I'd put another row of tape on, get some paper if she liked, explained reasons for brush etc but she just kept going round in circles. It was like she was really pushing for an argument, she gets like that when I'm doing something for her and she isn't doing anything so I asked if she wanted me to leave it for today and when she said no I asked What did she want me to do that I wasn't? she humphed and said no do what you want, so I just got on with it.
As I was starting down side of chimney breast behind tv that I'd pulled out earlier she couldn't see me at first and I gave it a few minutes for her to calm down a bit before making a bit of a jokey comment about needing to fold my legs in which replied to and then made a big show of waving and popping in and out from behind tv and saying hello in a silly voice which made her laugh and put her in a better mood.
After a while mum decided she was feeling better and wanted to do some painting and was going to paint door from hall into living room. She wanted to know if we had any more brushes, I told her exactly where were a few times before she found and selected one moaning it was a bit small, it was a 2 & 1/2 " brush. Then she wanted something to put her paint in, I suggested I put some in a small roller tray so she could hold it in her hand and told her exactly what it looked like and where it was in the shed and off she popped. It took her ten minutes to NOT find it and then I went and showed her where it was. She then started looking for brushes, I told her she'd picked one in kitchen, but she found a paste brush and wanted to use that
Thankfully I manged to dissuade her from that.
Then she went in bedroom to look for her painting clothes, I told her she used to keep them on the shelf in the top of wardrobe. She popped for a wee and then got steps to look in the boxes on top of her wardrobe. I went in to tell her not up there and had a right giggle as mum was up step ladder with her trousers slowly sliding down her legs as she'd not bothered fastening them after been loo as she thought would be getting changed
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Got her off step ladder and helped her find painting clothes in wardrobe and also discovered she'd half her ironing in there instead of usual airing cupboard and some bedding in there instead of tall boy. While she got changed I put things where should be while rambling on about how good it was we'd come across some more coat hangers so she didn't really notice what I was doing.
It took mum over an hour to paint the frame around glass panel on top half of the door and it looked terrible, all patchy and full of brush strokes. I told her before she started you don't need to work satinwood in as much as gloss, its much easier to paint with and when she started and did top piece of frame she did ok and said oh yes its much easier, but then she resorted to going over and over the same pieces. She was getting tired and her nose was running so I said Do you want to have a rest and blow your nose and I'll finish door mum? and she said yes.
Unfortunately she sat on sofa directly in view of door so when I started painting the bottom half she was asking why I was using a small brush? I said Its easier for the beading, then she asked Why wasn't I working it in? You don't need to work it in much mum, if you do it too much you can see the brush strokes. Then she told me she had been painting for years and knew what she was doing and how long had I been painting? I didn't snap or shout but I said 27 years and I used satinwood loads of times so I knew how to use it which she humphed at again.
I didn't mention how bad hers looked, just tried my best when I did the 2nd coat on whole door later to smooth over as much of her brush strokes as I could. It felt like I was painting sandpaper it was so rough and when I looked at door before I came home I could still see some of her rough patches on top half of door. It would drive me mad if it was my door but I don't know if she'll let me try another coat to disguise it a bit more. She didn't mask the glass or the door handle so both got quite a bit of paint on them which I tried to scrape off but can't get all of it off and she also got some on wall above door which had dried by time I saw it so it wouldn't wash off.
She'll probably say its my bad painting, or my dads, as all afternoon she was telling me how bad my dad was at painting (true) and how he'd made a mess of that door when he painted it (not true he's never even been in that house and she painted it before) and how our Andie doesn't like painting and she didn't know I decorated (despite fact I have helped her decorate loads of times and have done nearly all my own since I got married)
There's still quite a lot to do satinwood wise because with stopping to help mum find things and discussing how it should be done, we (mainly me) only managed to get skirting board on one wall, one door and one door frame done before dinner time today. I can't say I'm looking forward to doing the rest or watching mum do anymore bless her as she doesn't seem to have the knack now. Its been quite stressful at times and there have been a few arguments, though they were mostly one sided, on mums side, as I mainly managed to avoid being drawn too far in and kept mostly quite calm and I have also managed to make her laugh quite a bit today too which is good but it's been hard work.
She lost who I was quite a few times again this afternoon and was also mixed up about her going back to dad, if he'd lived there and her having other houses and again she rang twice after we got home tonight to ask if I had been today? was I one who had painted?, had I made dinner? and had hubby had some? She always apologises for not knowing me and says she's useless or mental and can't remember people now and I tell her its ok, she'd known me most of day, she's not mental or useless she just gets a bit mixed up when her brain gets tired, it doesn't matter. She tells me she loves me and she's glad its me that's been and thanks me and I tell her I love her and I'll see her tomorrow and not to worry about it. Then when we hang up and I hope I have calmed her down and reassured her enough.