How does my house work?

I've had this conversation with many people lately, largely as I get stuck in one train of thought and keep coming back to it, so somehow make them ask me...hopefully my answer is not not as boring as the time someone made the mistake of asking me at a party what exactly is was I did at work (as a NHS commissioning manager) and I told them. Was told in no uncertain terms to never repeat that story to anyone as would lose all friends by boring them to sleep. Have to admit story sort of went, go in to office, check e-mail, reply to services, check budget, check activity against budget, blah, blah blah.

Anyway, my house is from 1901, a Victorian family semi detached. I guess it was for quite well to do families, but probably did not include room for servants, unless they lived out? It was owned by a lovely family before us, for over 18 years, who liked music and art. Sadly they were not so hot on cleaning, or upkeep of the house. I have to say the roof is in a marvellous condition though, but there are several places where we have damp. We have decided to try and tackle the front of the house damp ourselves, by sealing the windows (seriously think/hope its that simple).

Downstairs we have two reception rooms; the living room room looks on to the street, is painted white and has a lovely lovely woodburner. We've improvised flooring solution, by ripping up old carpet when we moved in, then painting floor boards white. Kind of lovely, in a designed way, but not very practical for spills! It looks better now its more lived in though. Next we have the dining room, which we've painted white, with the fireplace highlighted in a deep charcoal blue. It has breezy curtains over French doors in to the garden. When we moved in this was the playroom, but felt too cramped, sort of like overtaken by toys and children. So now this is a spare room, and currently has the two older students in...

Then we've got a big kitchen, with a lovely lovely wooden table, from lovely husband's childhood, which seats about eight people. Off the kitchen is a door to the garden, and a weird shower room which houses the washing machine. Needs to be turned in to part of the kitchen, and have sofa's and view of garden..

Upstairs we've got a spare bedroom, again housing students, bathroom with fittings from 1901, lovely but bit old! Then children's room, then what is my making room and children's playroom. A really big bright room at the front of the house with sea views. Love this room. And up again from this room is the master bedroom. So we're a three bed roomed house, but sort of a four/five bedroom house...Lots to do to it, but helps that we also love it in its current state. Well apart from slugs that is. Did go a bit slug killing crazy last week, and pop pellets between floor boards, seems to have worked but seems that was very Wrong thing to do.

Least we don't have any of those Ghost slugs, with razor sharp teeth. Definitely scared of those ones.