Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Whine and wine

I went to get the baby up this morning and she looked at me as if I was the best thing ever to have happened to her. I am not sure how it was for the baby, but for me, the day went downhill from then on.

I have given in on the pantry which I wanted built in to a corner in the new kitchen. I needed a pantry so that I could hide things; tins, saucepans, mess, children, myself occasionally. I really wanted a pantry. The architect really wanted me not to have a pantry. I held my ground right up to the point I caved. I decided at a site meeting at the house this afternoon that I simply did not care any more. I barely want a kitchen. Frankly, a wine cooler would do me. I have discovered that some people drink so much that they do not just have a bottle chilling in the fridge. They have a fridge just for bottles. Now a wine cooler. That is worth going to the wire for.

(Did I spell that right? Some people just read me for the spellings.)

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

How I long for that unconditional love from my children. I now only get that kind of look from my grocer. At 3, 6 and 7 all the children ever do is shout at me, and drink my wine, which is even more unbearable. Forget the fridge, what you need is a cellar, a great big one....
www.helenafrithpowell.com

Anonymous said...

Pantries are much overrated unless you have a Butler. I do of course, but I expect you do not. ;-))

Anonymous said...

Fear not, your spellings are not nearly as bad as the ones on the blog below - but the pictures are really amazing. This old girl is looking good considering she is over 80 !

But she needs a bit of work doing.

http://glassboatblog.blogspot.com/

And they'd better get their 'skates on mate' if she is going to be back in action for June.

Fingers crossed !!

Anonymous said...

If you need a refuge for yourself, a shed at the bottom of the garden is a good bet. Scream all you want and no one will hear you.

Anonymous said...

I am furious with your architect, whose kitchen is it anyway? Stand your ground and tell him you want a pantry with a huge built in wine cooler. If he argues give him a bloody big slap. Honestly. A pantry would be such bliss, in fact I want you to have one so I can have one vicariously.

Anonymous said...

When putting on a "great room" addition to the back of the house 35 years ago, I fought with the architect on two items: The bathroom, which was on the back of the house, had a window. He insisted the window be taken out. It got ugly. The window is still there and is wonderful!

Number two was the two walls of windows in the room. He was hell bent on having them begin 36" from the floor. I fought to have them 6" from the floor. They are 6" from the floor and the entire garden comes right into the room

Moral of story -- architects think they are God. They are not. They want money. We give them money. We get what we want!

Mutterings and Meanderings said...

I once had a news editor who had food fridge and an alcohol fridge (which was always very well stocked)

The Secretary said...

I would love a pantry too! I dream about a pantry.

I have a 16 year old son and a 12 year old son and nether are speaking to me - so get used to it. It gets less painful as they get older. I have told the lad's that there is not enough room in our house for my hormones and theirs!!!!

southern gal said...

oh thats too bad - i think you should fight for your pantry - what do MEN know anyway?

Anonymous said...

So tempting to trot out the old 'pant in the country' joke, but even at this late hour, I must desist...

Swearing Mother said...

I have a walk-in pantry in a Victorian house. It's like a tardis, contains shelves, freezer, vacuum cleaner, big hooks hanging from the ceiling for large pots and preserving pans etc. I even hide my naff hostess trolley in there and there's still room for a kitchen stool (for standing on to reach high shelves where I keep vases etc). Then there are my cookery books, barbecue equipment, first aid box, fire extinguisher, picnic stuff - and food, of course, but most importantly it's where we keep WINE.

Now I think about it, I don't know why I've been nagging for twenty years to knock it through into my dining room - I thought it would give us much more space, but where would I put all of the above mentioned clutter?

If you want a pantry, have one. I have often hidden in mine when the kids were driving me senseless or when playing hide and seek, but remember to leave a spare glass and a corkscrew in there for extended occupation.

Jane

Eats Wombats said...

Architects, schmarchictects... should do what they are told until they are rich enough and famous enough to have a queue at the gate like Rem Koolhaas.

Stamp your foot. OR... slap a cane in your hand with a glint in your eye

(just remembered I blogged about WIFE IN THE NORTH and the tendency of certain Englishmen to enjoy umm... discipline).

Anonymous said...

"They have a fridge just for bottles".

Doesn't everyone?

I suppose if you have a huge kitchen that can accomodate a vast American type fridge then a 'fridge just for bottles' wouldn't be necessary.

In the garage we have a small(ish) fridge that is just stacked with booze.

Bloody sensible.

Anna said...

A pantry sounds dreamy. A wine cooler seems quite chic. I'd settle for a vacuum that doesn't emit punky odors when I use it.

I Beatrice said...

Just like Jules, I want you to have a pantry too. I want it passionately. So passionately indeed that I'm almost prepared to email your architect and tell him to stop being so autocratic and jolly well let you have what you asked for in the first place!
He's only the hired help, after all.

A pantry is in my view the last word in luxury for a woman. My sister had a pantry in New Zealand and it fairly shrieked, of ample supplies and good housewifery.

They have more space for that kind of thing in New Zealand of course, with the sheep still out-numbering the people by about three to one...But just the same - if your architect won't let you have your pantry, you ought to fire him on the spot and get another one who will.

Perhaps if you called it a walk-in larder he might relent?

Mopsa said...

Perhaps you could call it the scullery and the architect would prefer it? Or how about stealing from the plethora of architectural jargon and calling the space something that conceals its true purpose?

Catherine said...

Do go for the larder. I think you will regret it if you don't. It's green too!

debio said...

I left my pantry and Aga behind when I moved to Dubai.

Now, there is no need for an Aga here, I'll concede. But, I miss a pantry - nowhere to conceal the GALLONS of soft drink required to stay alive. We have a huge American-style fridge for food and an equally huge fridge for drink, but they still don't replace the pantry.

What has your architect got against pantries?

Anonymous said...

We have a v small pantry of sorts, converted to a wine "cellar", I popped over to France in January, came back with the suspension groaning and admired my stock of rather nice Bordeaux, neatly put away in new 132 bottle wine rack(with the remaining two cases in boxes on the floor). It looked really superb, now it looks like a dartboard with lots of holes dotted about the place. France beckons for a refill.....

Whispering Walls said...

It's all in the negotiation: go for a dairy for your unpasteurised milk and then settle for a pantry instead.

Anonymous said...

You must have a pantry. I have been promised one for 2 years; following months of intense negotiation. It's currently number 3 on the list of projects my husband is going to take on; however project number 1 has made almost no progress in 6 months so I'm not hopeful. Meanwhile the intended contents of said pantry (all the things you list, and more) are hidden in places I can't remember around the house.

A huge American-style fridge doesn't help - all it does is provide more space for mystery leftovers and wilting lettuce to lurk. My fridge is big enough that you could put it in Calcutta and house a family of 6 in it. I still want my pantry and I'm still holding out for it!

Anonymous said...

jules - you make a fair point, but I guess that he or she is just trying to balance what wifey wants with the [rough] amount she wants to pay.

I would say that is a good thing, as many architects will try to deliver everything that is asked for, without challenging or questioning, and then be surprised why the customer goes ballistic when something is double or triple the cost originally budget.

Anonymous said...

a pantry has always denoted a certain class Mrs Wife. Was it Noel Coward or perhaps Ian Gillan who sang 'sweet lucy was so fancy, to get into her pantry we had to be the aristocacy'..

don't what ever you do get a larder, even the very sound of the word is common

Anonymous said...

I gave in to the builder on a disptuted part of our renovation plans, and have regrettedit for 14 years. Stick to your guns.

Chris at 'Chrissie's Kitchen' said...

I have a future pantry in the making. It's to be in the old pig sty, which is being joined onto a new porch from the kitchen.It's been in the making for two years so far. I didn't realise how patient I really am. But I shall be so, so lucky eventually. If I get to live that long.

Penny Pincher said...

Sorry WITN - spelling errors are one thing - they're often the result of incorrect strike on the keyboard and the fingers being unable to keep up to the speed of the brain [well the female brain that is]. What I do object to is sloppy English. I would much prefer that you had written "Did I spell that correctly?" Apologies - I don't mean to be pedantic.
Meanwhile, I am sorry re builders and your caving in over the pantry. I sympathise I've been there - a lot. Not in the pantry but caving in. I hate to tell you that this point is early days for you - eventually you lose the Will to Live and then you agree to ANYTHING as long as they finish, clear up and leave. Or it may be that it's worse down here in Devon where they work to 'Devon time'.

Penny Pincher said...

Anna said she would "settle for a vacuum that doesn't emit punky odors when I use it." I say get an upright basic Dyson - doesn't emit anything - but gobbles up all dust and hair - and the suction is unbelievable - best not vacuum while the kiddie is around or he could be sucked up too. the one I have tries to tear the carpet from the floorboards. But no alwful fumes. that's why recommended to asthmatics.

Anonymous said...

jane - this must win some form of 'post comment of the day' award ! especially as when I first read it I thought you said 'to hide my naff hostess in'.

Gosh, that would have been rather harsh, even with a bottle of wine..

Anonymous said...

do not, do not, do not let the architect have his way. The builder is watching. And the plumber is listening. And the electrician, and the carpenter, and the man who comes to clean their portaloo. They MUST know that you are the ultimate unmoveable power, the model on whom Maggie Thatcher moulded her whim of iron, or no pantry will be the very very least of your bitter regrets.

Girl on a Wire said...

Fight for your pantry, trust me. The pantry at my parents' house was fab - everything from a complete selection of indian spices to christmas cake decorations to wine (homemade and a little scary as well as really quite drinkable) and small hidden stashes of mini mars bars. Heaven on a stick. Oh and it was really good as a place to hide in a game of hide and seek too.

BigSis said...

Wifey, how many times will you see your architect once the project is complete?
You want a pantry.
You're paying for the pantry.
Enjoy your pantry.
No regrets.