a little movement goes a long way

Because I have 6 children and they have partners and friends and I have friends ( and, yes, from time to time....a partner) mealtimes are always a little chaotic . I never know how many people will turn up for dinner. there is absolutely no point in screaming about bad manners etc. as they ignore me.So I have learnt to make food that can have bits added onto it, and as people arrive I add on.... makes for  fabulously interesting meals that can never be repeated even if I am begged for the recipe. I have also learnt not to say I don't know what I put together as people think I am lying..... so now I say my great grand mother swore us to secrecy and I am scared of her wrath from the hereafter should I tell.

The point of this story is, now that all but one child has left home I am living in an apartment with a reasonable sized kitchen but for sure not large enough to eat in with any degree of comfort.
So on Friday night I invited my friend Ellen for dinner, with the idea that we will work on the virtual video tour of a property she is selling ( she is an estate agent ) in Blouberg . I do virtual video tours for accommodation establishments in Cape Town and am now starting to do these for estate agents too....

A lot of blah blah to get to the point today......

Anyway , with 7 dinner guests squashed around the table in my what then felt like MINUTE kitchen the brain started working.

On Saturday I was walking on the promenade with my friend Charl who also has an apartment in the block and somehow the creative juices started flowing. He decided that he is moving his bedroom to the lounge area and i thought "yes!" i can EAT in my lounge ! I rushed back and moved things around in my kitchen, lounge and bedroom and ended up with an amazing living area in my lounge with a flow to the balcony where all the smokers can have a quick puff without having to be excluded totally.
And I still have space in my kitchen where 3 or 4 people can eat breakfast or sit and keep me company while I cook.

And it did not cost me A CENT ! A lot of begging of sons to move pieces of heavy furniture and a lot of sweat, but no money .
Just thinking outside the box a little .