The last three weeks have disappeared into thin air. The temperature has dropped and winter has set in. It is still raining frequently. My gas heater works a treat in my tiny little house. I feel cosy. Even with a very tiresome schedule of work on my part, I have managed to make progress with the house (I couldn’t have done it all without the help of mum and dad – thank you). Keeping my blog updated has been a challenge. I haven’t posted for a few weeks so this will be a big one!

My handyman has turned out to be quite the master. I have decided to refer to him as my HSH. (Highly Skilled Handyman). The more I work with him the more I am convinced of his ability and dedication. We make quite the team (or at least I think so!). He tolerates me because he says I am a clone of his sister – which he went on to say is both a good and bad thing!!! He calls himself a craftsman – I call him an artist. I have now worked with him for 4 days on the front façade.

It has taken longer than initially expected due to some unexpected discoveries. These challenges required jacking up the house in order to fix, adding some real fun and games to the project. At times I just had to hold my breath and hope for the best. It is very disconcerting when you hear major cracking noises and bangs coming from your house. My poor little house didn’t enjoy the adjustments we were making, and it creaked and groaned in protest. It will thank me in the end.

Already it seems to be smiling brighter than ever before! Just wait until it is given a lick of paint. It will beam with happiness!

It is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind…..

We replaced the window on the front of the house and it looked fine, however whilst my handyman disappeared to Bali for three weeks and left me with an unfinished front section of the house, I had time to ponder my choices. I couldn’t let go of how wonderful the front room felt when we removed the window. Being open to the outside it looked and felt great. The sun poured in, the breeze gently circulated and the room was very light and bright. The front room is what I now call the winter room. It is currently the main bedroom but it doesn’t have to be. I could use it as the lounge. It is drenched with sun all day. It will be hot in summer however it is the perfect room to sit in the winter. I kept imagining French doors leading out onto the deck. Without another thought I started searching the internet for second hand French doors. I told myself I could use the window – (that I put so much energy into getting), out the back somewhere – which is true (easily justified). With a bit of encouragement from my sister in-law my decision was made. I ended up going for a drive to Shearo and Billso’s – a local recycled building material place at Wyong. They had the perfect doors. Sold. I tied them to the roof and brought them back to introduce them to their new home. I was told they came out of a lovely old house in Roseville, Sydney. That to me was kind of significant because that is where my daughter is now living. It was meant to be (more justification on my part!).

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Yesterday I worked with my builder from 7am to 6pm. He had already spent a day on the house without me so the walls were prepared for the cladding. We both worked tirelessly (well…that’s not true – I was tired!). The cladding is not quite finished. We had a last minute frenzy of hammering to try to complete it before nightfall but just fell short. (I felt like a contestant on one of the home shows!) The French doors are hung and securely locked with new keys made by Denis the menace – the local locksmith (that’s what he calls himself). I think my little house is starting to take shape. My neighbor from across the road came over to offer help and said the house looks great! I can’t wait to finish the front now but I must be patient, there is still so much to finish elsewhere.

The agg drain may seem to be a much more boring project but one which has proven successful so far. The fact that so much effort and time has gone into something you can’t even see doesn’t mean this job came with no reward. Shoveling tonnes of blue metal, clearing out sludge on my hands and knees in the rain, digging and re-digging the drain, has all been worth it. The rainwater is no longer flooding underneath the house! Yay! Success! My dad and I worked so hard to build this drain. I have the memory of doing this with him now. My neighbour told me to throw away my camera because obviously plumbing was my expertise and true passion! Not so. But I must say that getting completely covered from head to toe in mud does have an appeal. Am I strange? Maybe! I enjoyed it. I just need to finish the path along the side of the house with a layer of road base and pebbles. Here are some pictures from this project.

I have had several visits from my daughter who seems to be slowly accepting our little house as ‘home’. I have been neglecting to visit my jetty and the coffee shops so having Sophie visit is a reminder to take time out to enjoy where I am.

She is here with me now. It is my brother’s, my dad’s, my niece and nephews birthdays this weekend. We are having a bbq here this afternoon and everyone is coming. How lovely!

My hands and arms are aching. Hammering nails into cladding and hardwood is not so easy but I’m happy to say that I am now very competent with the hammer, and I’m not too bad with a drop saw either!

Renovating is so much fun…