Now everyone is happy!

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But I do seem to have given myself yet more jobs to do. We wanted to open the window in the attic at the top of the stairs in the hope that with that open as well as ground floor windows on the north side of the house, hot air would be drawn up through the house and out, bringing cooler air in from below (it seemed to work last time). But Paola insisted on keeping the windows closed because she was afraid a spider might come inside, especially in the night and crawl over her face; she wouldn’t be able to sleep for fear of what she thought might happen! My partner was getting extremely irritated by the whole situation, but of course he didn't want to confront them, and it was me he took it out on instead - and I'm the only one who's actually trying to do something about it!! So to overcome the spider issue I have made a screen to fit over the window. I used some of the insect-proof mesh I bought last year to use in the garden, and it’s held in place with Velcro®. Everyone was very happy with the result and Antonio (who is ridiculously protective of his wife) is now suggesting that perhaps we could make more and open another window or two. Meanwhile Little One, who has also developed a fear of creepy-crawlies, wants one for her bedroom window as well. So I’m pleased with the outcome and happy that it works so well but I do seem to have just added a couple more jobs to my already never-ending list! I did wonder if it was worth the effort and expense of making such a screen - the Velcro® alone was over £10 - and might be more cost-effective to buy, but when I looked online a screen of the same size (admittedly with a different fixing system) was £85 for a window that size! So back to the sewing machine it is. That machine certainly earns its keep. I’ll see if I can persuade Little One to do some of the sewing if I pay her pocket money for it All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2026.