House - painting

The house is progressing well and we're cautiously hopeful it might be finished by Easter. We'll see. I don't want Mick to feel any pressure to hurry. He's getting too old for working such long hours! For the first time ever we paid a painter to come and help him with his most hated job. Together they spent four days and pretty much got the job done. It's so much more effort to paint timber lining boards than smooth plaster. There's a little more to go but it's looking great.

Now it's all been cleaned out in preparation for the flooring to go down (piles of boxes in the middle of the room). There are a couple of things to be done before that - Mick won't have other tradesmen working over his new flooring. The split system heating/cooling unit has to go in, the kitchen benchtops installed and the electrician needs to come back and make some modifications to the wiring. We changed our mind about the lighting and have bought downlights for the open living/kitchen (although we assured the electrician at the beginning that we would never choose downlights!). 

This house is so very different to any of our previous homes. It's more modern and it's white! Some of the decision making has been a bit difficult. We're used to dealing with our previous historic home and choosing things for that house seemed so easy in comparison. We had traditional colours and they were quite strong colours. It's what we knew and what we were used to. Now we're trying to choose modern fittings that will fit in with what has become a bit of a Scandinavian look. It's only a little house and we love the fact it's so light and bright. Every evening we go across to the house and wander around. We can't wait to move in!

Happy New Year catchup

It's been a very busy few weeks since we got home from Tasmania.  We said farewell to Carol, got through the silly season with several visitors, and have been busy with the progress of the house. I'm way behind with my record keeping and am feeling the pressure to choose, buy or order the next items needed for the house.  Mick's been painting and now installing the kitchen. 

We had some very hot weather leading up to Christmas.  Lucky Carol left just in the nick of time with the week from then on being 35 degrees plus every single day. Thankfully it eased off for a few days from Boxing Day and now we even have a good few days ahead that will only reach high 20's.  That's a big relief for us.

There have been dreadful fires along the Great Ocean Road over the Christmas period and Christmas day 98 houses were lost in Wye River - 1/3 of the town!  The fire has been burning for a couple of weeks now and still isn't under control.  How frightening for the local residents, some of whom are only now being allowed back in to their homes.  The Great Ocean Road businesses will be suffering too with no tourists allowed in and locals having been evacuated.  Not a very merry Christmas.

Klara met Lochlin, my friend Vic's new guide dog puppy.  We thought she'd be gentle and motherly with such a tiny pup but she was so excited she just saw him as another playmate.  When Anthony and Leanne were here with Zac she had  a great time running through the doggy tunnel which I haven't brought out for a quite a while. 

I bought a couple of old quilts on Ebay and went to collect them.  The lady selling them had the most enormous collection of antique quilts I've ever seen.  It was lovely to see and also to meet someone as passionate about their antique quilts as I am.

Now it's time to go back to work.

Carol waiting for the airport bus

3 nieces

Klara's dog walking group

  

Lochlin, the guide dog puppy

Lochlin testing out Klara's bed

Non stop playing

Running with Zac

Klara & Zac

 

Klara

Klara loves the doggy tunnel

Chaos

Kitchen in progress

A big tidy up

   

Veggie garden shade

More antique quilts than I've ever seen in one place!