arh never thought of photobucket. I'll redo that when I am at a pc again. and they are on window cill in Sun all day. room temps are between 12C and 25C (sometimes hotter for my coconut palm) I do have a grow light (125W blue spectrum 6400k) that is on 10-14hours a day. but that is being used for my other tropical plants. (coconut ,sago, papaya pomegranate, guavas and more) I normally forget to water my other cacti but they are never allowed to shrivel (then I risk over watering) the soil is 3part John innes #2 2parts sand (can only get hold of fish tank silica sand (500-800microns) (.5-.8mm) 1part perlite they was watered with room temp rainwater (spray bottle 6squirts each) (they have just been potted from 2" pots to 4" as started to over grow they was planted in just JI#2 then. what soil would you recommend? (I ha e a vert small garden centre that I have to order things normally)

It's a very nice jar but it really disappears in that location - the color value is so similar to that of the cabinetry, and the intricate details get lost in the elaborate cabinetry/mouldings. I'd move it somewhere else where it is more visible and put something simple and light-colored there, like a narrow oval (echoing the upper curve of the niche) white platter placed horizontally on a stand. For example, from the Arte Italica catalog Teacats posted above, I'd look at something like the Pompeii Oval platter:

Didn't you say he has a shop and a room of his own? Now your kitchen is shrinking and your desk disappeared? Are you duplicating living space at the expense of the kitchen/eating area? Your eating area is much less nice this way, with views, mostly of the kitchen cabinets. Your table area is pretty tight, especially since there should be a walkway there somewhere. I hate to have you put your baking counter in the spot you decided last thread was not that good. I'd really like to move the peninsula down a foot so you can get the dishwasher next to the sink, but that will only make the table area smaller. Where are your dishes going in this plan? If it's in the 24" drawers near the dw, you will have competition with the dw and the drawers trying to be open at once for putting things away. If the grid squares are accurate, you now have only 36" between the fridge and peninsula and between the oven and the other cabinets. I'm not sure that's enough. You thought maybe it was tight in front of the fridge last time, and you had 4 ft. I'm not on the computer with the drafting software, so I can't do a 3d of this now. If, by the time I get a chance tomorrow, you still want a 3D of this plan, I'll try it. Sorry to be Negative Nelly, but this seems pretty cramped. I'm afraid you won't be happy in this as your long-term kitchen for your well-earned retirement years.

yep mom2... the bathroom is on the other side of the wall where I showed the dining table. Great idea about a door in the living room that would go into the music room! That never even entered my mind. There is an outside door in the music room since it used to be a garage and also the door in the old laundry room that led to it. I figured I'd give this layout a try since it rained all weekend and I was down at the house with nothing to do. When I have time I'd do a 3D with the whole house layout. It really helps me feel how it would be to move through the space. Whatever I come up with; I'm going to have to concede the table placement ultimately. That's one point he's pretty focused on; especially since he's been down there so much and spending alot of time hanging in there. Of course.... there's no furniture anywhere else and we have lawn furniture in there but it is what it is. If necessary; I'll just switch the table out; especially if we end up with a layout I love. It'll come down to price somewhat. He's under the WRONG impression that to remove 4' of wall and move the plumbing will cost over 10K. I have no clue where he's getting his numbers from (maybe pulling it out of .... I'll stop there) Anyway... thanks so much for your input. I think the family is planning on moving in in about a month or so. That'll put everything on the back burner for awhile. and... Happy New Year to those who observe!