It's a good thing Mick and I work so well together when planning renovations to a house. The vendor of our soon to be new home offered us the opportunity to spend some time up there last weekend and have a good look around again. We systematically worked our way around the property deciding what needed doing and where. We've got floorplans drawn up and and a full page list of things to be done, plus a list of costs.
We have at least two months, or longer if it takes some time to sell our house, to have the new place ready to move in. We're lucky that we won't have to live among the renovations.
We've decided to take down the two old chimneys (left from the original 1850's miners cottage that burnt down 30 years ago), insulate the entire house (goodness knows how the old lady who lived there managed in the middle of Summer or Winter), remove the wall between living room and kitchen area, replaster the kitchen walls (currently painted a deep green gloss over wallpaper!), partition the single bedroom into two smaller ones, carpet the loungeroom and bedrooms, move the stove in the kitchen, install evaporative cooling and a new wood heater, put in a sink and window in the walk in pantry, cut down the tree blocking one of the loungeroom windows, replace the shower screen, cut out a large clump of blackberry (a noxious weed in Australia) and where to fence for the chickens and Coco.
I have a list of shopping to be done : carpet, paint, smoke detectors, exhaust fan, rangehood, shower screen, wood heater, lighting....
We took the key back to the vendor for them to remove the last few belongings and this evening she brought it back to us to keep. With settlement not until Thursday it shows the trusting country spirit.
We are two Australians who lived the dream and spent 20 months as liveaboards on narrowboat Parisien Star. Life before.... during.... and after.
2 comments:
Dear Elly & Mick,
I am delighted you enjoy the English canals to the extent that you do. I've been fishing for carp on them for about 13 years now on and off. Alot more on than off in the last few years. If you're interested I do have some good locations in Cheshire (North West England) you may want to visit.
It's a delight to see somneone with such a nice attitude. It's also nice to see someone with so much enthusiasm.
I'd be failing in my duties as a responsible human being though if I did not warn you about some aspects of England that are a little undesirable. I've often seen and heard of Aussies whom perhaps have a slightly over-romantiscised view of this nation. At the moment there are alot of rather serious civil and social problems gripping the nation and this has produced some very ugly attituded people indeed, and in very significant quantities.
I am more than a little shocked at how xenophobic some of my compatriots are and how morally absent they are. Please do continue to thoroughly enjoy what you are doing and know that a significant number of us delight in Australians enthusiasm for the Mother nation and entirely encourage it.
Do be aware though you may well meet some people here who are not particularly pleasant to put it mildly. If you should ever encounter a negative experience in England please try and understand that England is a strange place and there is good reason why it is respected so much historically around the world, and it isn't all for just the nice stuff.
In short if you ever have a bad experience here don't ever let it put you off or feel that what you are doing is mis-guided. It isn't. Just be aware. Fore-warned is fore-armed.
I look forward to reading through your entire blog and possibly helping you find some very nice attractions if you would like the information.
Great website, a joy to behold!
Long may it last :o)
Thanks very much for your comment and we're glad you enjoy reading the blog.
Thank you also for your advice, it is much appreciated. We are aware (although it's always good to be reminded) that things will be different in another country, including peoples' attitudes to "foreigners". You have reminded me of a situation on my visit to Finland. I'll post a blog entry about it!
Cheers,
Elly
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