It is that time of year again. The mornings are really cold but no matter how cold it gets here, I’m not allowed to complain while ever Sophie is living in Canberra!

The renovation has slowed, giving me time to enjoy ‘other’ areas of my life, but unfortunately, or fortunately depending on which way you look at it, my work in Sydney has become incredibly busy – so much so that it is getting in the way of my life! I no longer have free days to work on the house, or do my boot camp class. (I might be taking advantage of the work excuse…..just a little)

The plans for the granny flat and the extension to the house are finally complete and have been submitted to council. This has been an exciting (and expensive) exercise, however I am really happy with the final design. I did the design myself with the help of a draftsman to draw up the plans. I am currently getting quotes from builders….or trying to. Builders play by their own rules. I’ve been waiting for weeks for the quotes.

This is my rendition of the granny flat I hope to build in the backyard. A two bedroom house above a double garage with an internal staircase. I guess it’s not really a granny flat. More of a small two storey house. I designed this with the deliberate intention of subdividing in the future. Always a good idea to keep the options open. The trees are so important to me so I have designed the structure with the trees in mind. They will need to be trimmed, but as little as possible if I can help it!

Meanwhile, my neighbours have made significant changes to their properties over the last few months. Jacko (to my left) is a builder and is well underway with his major extension, making a huge difference to his property. It is going to look fabulous. The neighbours on the other side of me are a different story. They are supposed to be renovating the property and moved out to do so months ago. Most of the house has been demolished and they have left a mess everywhere. The lawns (weeds) are a few feet high and Muffin, my cat, is in cat heaven catching mice and playing with all the creatures that now reside in the long grass and shell of house next door. There seems to be some delay in their plans. I hope everything is ok with them. I haven’t seen them for ages.

My garden exploded at an outrageous rate over the summer months. The beautiful red fountain grass grew from 8 inches high to just about 2 metres high. I could almost see it growing! Time to trim everything back. Nice and neat and organised and ready for spring when it arrives.

One thing I have learnt in my life is that nothing ever stays the same. My life has changed so much. An unexpected surprise, and a refreshing change from being alone. A welcome distraction for me. Staying on track and focused is important. It is so easy to become lost in someone else and get a little off track with your own personal journey. Remaining authentic and true to yourself and at the same time enjoying the company of a ‘partner’ is not beyond the realms of possibility, however seems to be somewhat challenging for me. An interesting work in progress for me!

I have learnt to expect the unexpected. Dreams evolve and the future will always be an exciting ‘unknown’. What will be will be. The beautiful Long Jetty is still showing me it’s never ending beauty to me!