The walls speak

Sorry, this is not a paranormal post about Zoila - just a progress report about our lounge room.

There is a short bit of skirting board which is different to the rest of the boards in the lounge room. We didn't pick up on it straight away. It is very similar to what is already there, so you don't instantly notice it.

The odd one out

What the profile should be

After we became aware, it taunted us defiantly, "Look at me! Nah, nah, ne-nah-nah." The insolence!

This morning it was payback time. Jason ripped it off the wall and discarded it on the pile of building detritus he is accumulating.

Jason pulling off the offending board

I always get a bit excited when things get taken down or ripped off walls. I always imagine what we might find, like gold dubloons or gemstones hidden under the boards. Stupidly hopeful, eh?

Well, there were three reasonable sized holes on the VJ walls (it looks like borers had had a feast at one stage?) hiding behind the skirting board. Perhaps the skirting board had been replaced with the incorrect profile. It would be easy enough to make that mistake and easy enough just to nail it on anyway. Who would care? (but OCD us)

From the holes in the VJs, all this dust and other rubbish spilt out onto the floor; disgusting but interesting.

When Jason swept it up, I saw there were scraps of torn newspaper in the dust pan. I fossicked like I was on an archaeological dig, carefully unfolding the bits and pieces I retrieved.

Scrapping through the rubbish

It appears the newspaper is the now-defunct Brisbane daily The Telegraph. Unfortunately, the paper is just torn yellowed scraps but it did give me one piece of important information from the classified ads: 1935 Oldsmobile, newly ducoed (?).

I know I am clutching at straws, but it gives me an approximate year of when that particular board was replaced and clearer information about when the Sow's Ear was built. When the walls speak, I listen.

The final walls being prepped for painting

I'm keeping the scraps of newspaper to put it in the house dossier. Also, I'm holding off on the house research at the library until the bigger boys are back at school.

Three kids and archival research don't mix.