Yvie Burnett is on a mission with a house makeover

I’m going to be in big trouble. Gordon is in LA with work and meanwhile I’m on a mission, yet again, to make some major changes to the house while he is away.

I don’t make life easy for myself really because work wise I’ve been pretty busy but once I get that renovating bug I want it done now!

So I persuaded our builder to come over and panel the lounge because I love that look and then I persuaded Ollie to help me paint the walls.

It all looked so lovely but something just wasn’t right. The curtains had to go.

There are four sets of windows in that room and that meant getting rid of them all.

The room is now panelled and painted and looks great and I’ve booked a man from John Lewis to measure the windows later this week.

Gordon will of course be questioning the need for this but somehow once it’s a fait accompli and the job is underway, he ends up liking it. Well that’s my hope anyway.

I need a bit of advice though. Do I keep the curtains in case he vetoes my plan or do I take them down to the charity shop now so that they are well and truly gone before he can do anything about it?

Kasabian at the Royal Albert Hall

In amongst the DIY I’ve been doing my day job including a big gig at the Royal Albert Hall with the band Kasabian for the incredible charity The Teenage Cancer Trust which does such great work.

Up until then I had been lying low with my eye patches from last week’s surgery but there was no way I was missing a chance to work with Kasabian in such a fabulous venue.

What a brilliant night we all had and I hope lots of money was raised.

And tonight I’m packing my case as I’m about to go off on my travels again.

I should be a bit of an expert at packing by now and in fact I do think I’m pretty good at it. The main thing I’ve learned is to pack as lightly as possible.

I used to take everything I could possibly think of but now I take the bare minimum.

Pack your case then go through it and take out a few things. Then go back again and take something else out. You really won’t miss them.

It’s very rare that you say ‘I didn’t take enough’. Unless you are going to a remote island with no shops you can always buy any essentials.

Mind you, you won’t need much to wear on your remote island anyway.

Pro packing tips

The next thing I have learned is to use those packing bags with zips which stack side by side in your case.

It’s so much easier to take one of them out to find an item rather than rummaging through the whole case.

Of course this organisation has to happen because I’m travelling around so I can’t really unpack.

If I’m going to one hotel for a few days I totally unpack and almost pretend it’s my home. When everything has its place I feel calm.

Tomorrow I’m off to Nashville, the home of country music.

Of course Nashville has sadly been in the news for all the wrong reasons this week after the tragic school shooting which took place there.

Thank goodness we live in a country where when the Dunblane tragedy took place the words “This must never happen again” were promised and that promise was followed by action.

Hand guns were banned less than a year later in the United Kingdom and thank God that to this day we haven’t again seen an atrocity like this in a British school.

Why oh why won’t the US Government act?

Time after time these school shootings happen and families are torn apart with grief.

Nashville is just another of those American cities now which will be forever linked to a terrible tragedy.

Sadly Nashville is now linked to another shooting tragedy in the US.

Just as I’m writing this I’ve heard the news that beloved entertainer Paul O’Grady has passed away.

I’ve met Paul a few times because we have some mutual close friends. What a very special man he was on screen and off.

Ollie said to me: “I remember Nana always watched Paul O’Grady at 5pm before the Simpsons.”

Young and old we all knew him. His love of dogs was wonderful and he did so much for animal rescue although he was also a huge supporter of children’s charities.