How did it start?
I don't remember...
But I think I noted a faint rusty spot on the grill gate of my apartment...
Being a DIY freak...I thought I shall paint it myself ....
and my whole family vetoed it!
"Ma...it's not as simple as doing one of your Tanjore painting...you have to sandpaper the grill...climb up a ladder to reach the top portion and that paint smell is awful! You will get an allergy!" said sonny
Sweet thought...I agreed...
Next ...Hunt for a painter...
Hubby immediately got 2 guys from some contractor who works for his office...
"Just black paint "...I told them...and finish the job soon...and neat ...spread papers on the floor etc.etc...
Half a day and half of the gate was almost over...
On that fateful moment ,something dawned on me...
I went supervising ...Opened the paint tin and saw he had enough paint to paint 10 grill gates!!!!!!
"Who asked you to buy so much?" I fumed...Called huby who was in the middle of a meeting (or chatting?)
"Do something,Ma...ask them to paint something else!" Call cut abruptly...
Now ,I asked them to paint all the window and balcony grills...
Their face lit up...(more wages)
work dragged on...guarding the things at home from these guys...running up and down with no one else at home to help ...nasuating paint smell....
By the end of 3 days the grills were done ...and now I found the kitchen needed some makeover!
So ,more painting materials came home ...dust and dirt flew all over ...
By the time the kitchen got a coat of paint ,Hubby suggested the hall needed one too...
"What sins did the bedrooms commit that they are left out?"asked Amma...
"Why not the whole house ?"asked the contracter...
"No..I" said..."This itself has left me half dead..."
But eventually it was decided-Whole House...
More guys came ...
Then ,the drama started...
Furniture was moved roughly..paint spills staining the floor...My new bedsheets used to wipe hands...
the guys disappearing from the work spot and hiding in my terrace -taking 2 hour lunch break and 3-4 tea breaks ans shopping trips...
I was on my toes running behind them...
Kitchen was closed (total mess...couldnt even find a tiny place to keep things in the kitchen platform!) Dont know in which bow the Arisi and paruppu are....food was outsourced...Poor Amma had to live on Curd rice and pickles...Me almost at wits ends...
My poor old Mother was instructed to stay inside a closed room with A/c on so that she can stay away from dust and noise...
Everyday the guys promised the job will be over in 2 more days...
after 2 weeks ,they left the house ,all painted and new...me looking tired and mad...
Then it happened...
I fell sick followed by Amma in suit...
all because of paint smell allergy ...
"They've done a good job!" commented Hubby and Sonny...
"And I have extracted the work out of them well too" I quipped in...
"So you have a job in hand...You can become a good painting contractor" laughed hubby
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...." thats me!!!!!
"Had I painted the gate myself..."i thought..."I could have finished it leisurely in a day or two...need not have strained so much"
At times ,when I was hysterically screaming at those slipshod painters,I was reminded of that comedy sequence in some movie where Vijay,Surya and the gang are painters and Vadivelu -the contractor-always hysterical that something will break ...and Radha ravi the Boss-snapping at Vadivelu and his guys...
Here Only I was doing the double role of tensed and nervously screaming Vadivelu and that ordering about Radharavi...
One way to cool myself during those maddening days was -"IL ing "now and then...with all the hullabaloo going on around me...
Thats Multitasking...eh!!!!!!
I don't remember...
But I think I noted a faint rusty spot on the grill gate of my apartment...
Being a DIY freak...I thought I shall paint it myself ....
and my whole family vetoed it!
"Ma...it's not as simple as doing one of your Tanjore painting...you have to sandpaper the grill...climb up a ladder to reach the top portion and that paint smell is awful! You will get an allergy!" said sonny
Sweet thought...I agreed...
Next ...Hunt for a painter...
Hubby immediately got 2 guys from some contractor who works for his office...
"Just black paint "...I told them...and finish the job soon...and neat ...spread papers on the floor etc.etc...
Half a day and half of the gate was almost over...
On that fateful moment ,something dawned on me...
I went supervising ...Opened the paint tin and saw he had enough paint to paint 10 grill gates!!!!!!
"Who asked you to buy so much?" I fumed...Called huby who was in the middle of a meeting (or chatting?)
"Do something,Ma...ask them to paint something else!" Call cut abruptly...
Now ,I asked them to paint all the window and balcony grills...
Their face lit up...(more wages)
work dragged on...guarding the things at home from these guys...running up and down with no one else at home to help ...nasuating paint smell....
By the end of 3 days the grills were done ...and now I found the kitchen needed some makeover!
So ,more painting materials came home ...dust and dirt flew all over ...
By the time the kitchen got a coat of paint ,Hubby suggested the hall needed one too...
"What sins did the bedrooms commit that they are left out?"asked Amma...
"Why not the whole house ?"asked the contracter...
"No..I" said..."This itself has left me half dead..."
But eventually it was decided-Whole House...
More guys came ...
Then ,the drama started...
Furniture was moved roughly..paint spills staining the floor...My new bedsheets used to wipe hands...
the guys disappearing from the work spot and hiding in my terrace -taking 2 hour lunch break and 3-4 tea breaks ans shopping trips...
I was on my toes running behind them...
Kitchen was closed (total mess...couldnt even find a tiny place to keep things in the kitchen platform!) Dont know in which bow the Arisi and paruppu are....food was outsourced...Poor Amma had to live on Curd rice and pickles...Me almost at wits ends...
My poor old Mother was instructed to stay inside a closed room with A/c on so that she can stay away from dust and noise...
Everyday the guys promised the job will be over in 2 more days...
after 2 weeks ,they left the house ,all painted and new...me looking tired and mad...
Then it happened...
I fell sick followed by Amma in suit...
all because of paint smell allergy ...
"They've done a good job!" commented Hubby and Sonny...
"And I have extracted the work out of them well too" I quipped in...
"So you have a job in hand...You can become a good painting contractor" laughed hubby
"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...." thats me!!!!!
"Had I painted the gate myself..."i thought..."I could have finished it leisurely in a day or two...need not have strained so much"
At times ,when I was hysterically screaming at those slipshod painters,I was reminded of that comedy sequence in some movie where Vijay,Surya and the gang are painters and Vadivelu -the contractor-always hysterical that something will break ...and Radha ravi the Boss-snapping at Vadivelu and his guys...
Here Only I was doing the double role of tensed and nervously screaming Vadivelu and that ordering about Radharavi...
One way to cool myself during those maddening days was -"IL ing "now and then...with all the hullabaloo going on around me...
Thats Multitasking...eh!!!!!!
Nice read this - remembered the philosophy - for want of horse shoe nail the kingdom was lost. Started with the gate and ended painting the entire house. Great show of courage to bear the smell of paint and cleaning all the floors. Great job done.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, you need need courage and very good health too-to put up with the awful smell and flying fine dust.
ReplyDeleteI was sick and suffered allergy attacks -thanx to Painting house!