Thank you for asking about the kitchen, I'll answer here rather than in the comments.
I have not heard from A as yet and I'm going to have to bother Magnet as he's employed through them. He won't get paid anything until they're happy, as well as me, with the standard of the job. This doesn't seem to bother him. This will include removing all the debris. I don't know that he's lazy so much as casual and inconsiderate. He got married over the summer apparently and I feel sorry for his wife.
I'm really thrilled with the tiles, they're lovely. I've kept the Aga and they're on the wall behind it, as well as on the windowsills each side. Photos will come, but not until everything is finished. The Corian worktop chap was excellent and all is well there. A slight misunderstanding about the sink (I can't remember if I'd mentioned this) - when the first Corian man came to do the template, he said that I was having a large and a small sink, which wasn't right, I'd chosen two the same size. He pointed out that the unit wasn't big enough. So I said, so it isn't and okay to the large and small. I checked later with Jonathan, who said that somehow they'd thought I'd wanted a very large sink and that was the reason there wasn't room for two, and that the order had been correct - but by this time, the large and small one were already in place. And this was fair enough, a minor mistake really as the big sink is useful. A whole Aga roasting tin fits in it easily. And I did mostly use one sink. It's easier to decide to like it than to mind about an error that, on balance, might turn out to be a good thing.
I'd been doubtful initially about having mostly drawers rather than cupboards, but it seems to be a good decision. Since they pull right out, nothing will get lost at the back. And I'm keeping half a drawer for the sort of stuff that I use frequently but which cause clutter, like seasonings, the butter dish and so on. I even tuck bread into a drawer, so I don't need a bread bin on the counter top. Since I have a lot of appliances, anything that reduces other clutter is a help.
The best decisions are not specifically about the new kitchen units. I love the doorway. I also am very pleased with having moved the contents of the broom cupboard to the old larder - which needs some sorting out already, as I've been dumping things there. The bins being in the old broom cupboard is another welcome declutter and there are some useful shelves in there, where I keep cat food, bin liners, a torch, spare light bulbs and that sort of thing. In addition, I cleared out cupboards in the cloakroom to make room for things out of the kitchen and I'm going to carry on using them for bigger dishes and saucepans that I don't use regularly. Usefully, as the doorway to the other room doesn't have an actual door, so one can see through to the part of the kitchen between the sink and the end of the room where the Aga is, I'll have to keep that area tidy. I do like to have things I use regularly to hand, however, so I'm going to have a shelf all along that area, for storage jars and so one. If they're there for a purpose and look attractive, I won't count them as clutter.
Mago, you're right about the pieces that didn't sell so well at the auction. It was noticeable that the most common patterns in the most common shapes (common is no sort of an insult, just as potatoes and onions being common vegetables just means the most usually popular ones) were fetching lower prices or not selling. No one wanted a nice tea bowl and saucer in the dollshouse pattern, for instance. It's just one of those things, I don't think there's any great significance. That rarer patterns and shapes went well is encouraging, everyone knows that there will always be a chance to buy a dollshouse piece but you can't always find a dromedary on a raft (this pattern is one of the quainter prints).
There are some shapes that are always liked, such as sparrow beak jugs. This are simply small, upright cream jugs with a sharply pointed pouring lip, like a sparrow's beak. They're pretty, easy to display on a shelf and come in lots of different patterns. The exact size and shape varies - some are more rounded, some slimmer, they may be a little smaller or larger than average, but they look good on a shelf in a cabinet. A few collectors like to build up a tea or coffee service in one pattern, but it's not the most usual way to build up a collection. I know one person who mostly buys saucers, from all the 18th century factories, mostly in blue and white. He's become a great expert on the subject and has written a very useful reference book, the second edition having come out this year.
