The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Don’t fret or faint when it comes to DIY… just embrace it!
WORKING away busily around the house on Saturdays and Sundays mightn’t sound like the most joyful of pursuits. But some general DIY might just be the answer when it comes to creating a positive, self-satisfying atmosphere in your home. How? Well, remember the shelf you promised to put up? Or the spare room you said you’d paint? Odd as it sounds, this is the perfect time of year to submerge yourself and commit to the DIY/Home improvement tasks you so love to talk about!
Many people here the acronym ‘DIY’ and immediately start fretting, fainting and even venting, as the thoughts of it usually mean weekends sacrificed. But it’s your home and it is worth considering the benefits and ‘feel good’ factor it will add to your home, especially after the long, dark and sombre winter months. It will create the proverbial spring in everyone’s step after winter.
It really couldn’t be sim- pler to marry the logic of DIY with home clutter this time of year: too many coats thrown on the floor? Put up a coat hanger. Books strewn everywhere? Build a nice bookshelf. A mountain of children’s toys in every room? Buy some plastic containers and designate a corner of a room to stack them away neatly (a focal point for kids toys sure makes sense!).
Most DIY materials nowadays come in vast quantities of quirky, colourful sizes and specifications to suit adventurous DIY enthusiasts. So why not gather those lovely photos and pictures you’ve promised yourself to frame and hang them up? Once you discover the beauty one new picture frame brings to a home you won’t stop hanging them. And don’t forget the dog! Who I’m sure will very much appreciate a new lick of paint and some general repairs to the felt roof of its house.
Churlishness aside, DIY is a pleasurable pursuit. Note that a positive approach to DIY uses up the same amount of personal effort as a negative approach. Which route would you rather take? Ironic as it sounds, promising to make DIY treats to everyone in the home byway of a new shelf, fixing a creaky door, redecorating a child’s bedroom, or simply decluttering that press under the kitchen sink that sounds like a brass band each time you open it, all lead to some surprisingly peaceful outcomes in the home. Your living quarters is a space to be cherished and coveted. Plus, no one will ever show it as much tender loving care as you will. Don’t fret or faint when it comes to DIY…just embrace it.