Hi Carsonky,
Not much further ahead than this summer either sad to say! It did make a few improvements here and there just not as much as I wanted to. Unfortunately, the rule of physics that each action has an equal and opposite reaction is usually proven in my house. If I make an improvement in one place – ie. my office, another room takes a hit. In my case the dining room and kitchen table look like a bomb hit it but I can actually work at my desk 
Maybe I should just have dinner parties in my office
Tiddler,
Glad to hear at least one of us can let in the long lost relatives when they ring the bell! Maybe I’ll just send them to you when they show up here