I have so much to write about its hard to know where to begin. I can’t think of a title for this post. Maybe by the time I’m finished it will become obvious.

My HSH has been in Sydney doing a renovation over the last 3 weeks so I have been here on my own doing what I can to keep moving forward. My home looks like a rubbish tip. I don’t mind living in a mess. I guess if I did I wouldn’t be able to stay focused and positive. Even so, I can only stand so much. The piles of rubbish out the front have to go. So I ordered a skip bin. I also crawled under the house, in a space of only about 500mm high and dragged out most of the rubbish. There is still a bit to go but it is so much cleaner. The bin arrived while I was at work and when I returned I realised I had underestimated the size I needed.

I started with the bricks and concrete. You would think that when they delivered the skip they could have placed it beside the pile of rubbish rather than on the other side of the front lawn! This meant I would have to fill the wheelbarrow with the bricks and concrete and wheel it over to the skip. Double handling. Oh well…the positive spin on this is that it is great exercise! I had the bin almost full in no time…what a work out. I picked up and dumped 3 cubic meters of bricks and concrete! For the couple of bits I didn’t have the strength to lift I asked my nephew to help me – thanks Benno! The massive pile of timber still remained and my brother suggested I burn it in a bonfire. What a great idea. Soph came up for the weekend and I asked Ben and his mate over for a bbq bonfire. The backyard was perfect for it. It was a cold night but the heat from the fire was divine. We sat around the fire until all the wood was burnt and all that remained were a few nails and metal bits. I still have some mess out the front but will sort that out later.

In the meantime there were a few more things I wanted to do before the HSH returns. The interior walls around the newly installed french doors need fixing with gyprock. I had already purchased all the necessary bits and pieces on my last shopping spree at Bunnings so I was ready to start plastering. (Oh and btw, I bought myself a new tool. I’m so excited about it. It’s a sliding compound saw!! – more about this another time) I cut the gyprock to size, nailed it in and applied the first layer of plaster to fill the gaps. I then used the plaster tape on the joints and applied another coat of plaster. What a difference fixing the gaping holes makes to the look of the doors, not to mention the chilly draft that has been blasting through the gaps for the last three weeks! A good sand, followed by another coat of plaster and I’m done. Ready for the architraves around the doors.

We are planning on building the deck once the remainder of the cladding is finished and all the trims are fixed around the window and door frames. The HSH is arriving at 8am tomorrow morning. I worked all day today on the house on my own in order to be ready. I have undercoated the eaves, and applied two coats of paint to the gutter and fascia. I have chosen a Dulux colour called Domino. It is charcoal and looks very smart. Covering the rust red has made such a difference to the appearance of the house. I need to complete the eaves before we build the roofing over the deck otherwise they won’t be accessible.

I also applied my chosen house colour in patches on the front of the house. The colour is called Solid Stone. I must say it doesn’t look how I imagined it. It looks completely different to the test I did on the garage, where it looks a neutral, sort of military grey colour but on the front it has a warmer appearance. However, I will persevere with it and do one coat over the entire front façade before I make any decisions to change it. It was late in the afternoon when I applied it. The sun was going down over the lake at the end of my street to my right and on my left was an amazing rainbow. Out of nowhere it had started to rain! Again!! (surprise surprise). I am after a neutral grey/stone. I need to see the colour in different light throughout the day. Sophie has been with me all day…in bed asleep most of the day, watching movies and reading her book. A teenager on Uni holidays! She dragged herself out of bed to take this photo!

I am on a mission to get at least one room completely finished and the front of the house looking great. Everything is in my head, My plans and ideas. Rather than try to describe what I want to the HSH I started to doodle and came up with this sketch – my vision.

Stage one is slowly taking shape…take a breath…be patient

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…

Finally, a day of rest, It’s 8am Sunday morning and I’m having a coffee at The Glass Onion. I awoke at 5.30am. From my backyard I watched the sun rising through a partly cloudy sky. The liquid amber next door has gone through it’s colour change and is rapidly losing the last of the deep red leaves. Take a deep breath of fresh air….

My days have been very busy over the last 2 weeks with my job, photography work and the commencement of stage 1 of the renovation! It rained again last night, however I’m pleased to say that we have had at least a week of dry weather so the ground has had a chance to dry. I have dug a trench ready for to make an ag pipe drain. It’s not finished yet but it’s well on the way. After getting a quote from a drainage plumber I had no choice but to do it myself. I cannot justify spending an exorbitant amount of money on something you can’t even see!!!! This is just one of the many “things in progress”. I have also been getting quotes from builders for the front facade work. I spoke to a retired builder, now working as a handyman. His rates were reasonable and he sounded like he knew what he was talking about so I decided to give him a go.

I employed him for a day to replace the front fascia and eaves, and remove the awning over the front steps. Apart from the fact that he answered every single mobile call, chatted far too much on the phone and to me, swore like there was no tomorrow, and handled his tools like they were play toys……he was good. With nail gun in hand he was like a kamikaze madman – I quickly figured out it was best to keep right out of his way (in fear of my life)! At one point I watched him stretch across one extended ladder to another, angle grinder in hand! He actually lost his balance and fell off the ladder…or should I say jumped. Thankfully he landed on two feet (obviously quite the athlete!)

With all that said, I had a great day. We worked together from 7am until 5pm non stop. I learnt how to replace a fascia and install eaves and guttering. I was the apprentice and enjoyed every minute of it (when I wasn’t ducking for cover that is). The next step is to remove the fibro and replace with weatherboard cladding. I am hoping to do this this week depending on delivery of materials etc. We also discovered that the main front window of the house is crooked and needs to be reinstalled because once the boards go on the level will be really noticeable. The window is aluminium and doesn’t match the other front window which is white. It also has cracked glass. Dilemma. I decided to see if I could replace it. I knew it would take up to two weeks to have one made, and I didn’t want to pay for a new one so I thought I’d see if I could get one second hand to the exact size. I jumped on ebay and found one…only one problem. It was pick up only and located in Ingleburn. I needed to get it before we start the cladding or else the whole project would be delayed.

Seriously though, Saturday was my only option to get this window. I had photography work from 10am to 3pm in Sydney. The place I bought it from agreed to meet me there at 8am. So off I went to Ingleburn from Long Jetty at 6am Saturday morning. How the little lady and I lifted a 1795 x 1200 window onto the roof of my car I don’t know – actually I do know – muscle and determination. I even made little foot stools fro us to stand on because we were both too short to lift it! I tied it on with rope and a thousand knots, jumped in the car and drove off praying. I made it back for work and ended the afternoon with a tough game of netball, followed by the drive back up the freeway, dinner with my parents, home, shower and bed. Phew.

When you decide to do something. Just do it. Before you know it – it’s done. Here are some pics from this week.

More next time…from the Jetty x

I mentioned in an earlier post about the swimming pool under the house. My brother and I did a great job that day fixing the downpipes and drains on one side of the house however, the problem continued. I must look up rainfall statistics in Long Jetty as it seems I am more likely living in Tasmania!! Even last night, after a sunny day, it poured and yet I awoke to a surprisingly sunny day.

Mothers Day.

I spent the best part of my mothers day in the mud with a spade digging trenches while my gorgeous girl caught up on some much needed sleep in the cosy lounge room. Although the source of the problem has not yet been resolved, I did manage to drain the water from under the house, at least temporarily. I will solve this…….I will

Here are some glamorous pics.

Mother’s Day was not all hard work. We had a lovely breakfast cooked by my dad and my Sophie in the morning and later in the afternoon we grabbed a bite to eat at The Entrance. Beautiful! Sophie even stayed over for two nights in a row. Yippee for me x I am happy.

I must admit I wasn’t keen on The Entrance when I first arrived. Not so nice things were being said about it as a suburb and I have always found touristy destinations such as this pretty unappealing. To me it is a bit like a mini Gold Coast. Steer clear. I am changing my mind somewhat though. When it is not holiday season it is a lovely place to be. The Entrance has hidden treasures, loads of photographic opportunities and lots of things to do like grab a bite to eat by the sea, hire a boat, go fishing……under the bridge, off the bridge, beside the bridge, on the beach….where ever you throw your line basically. There is a lot to be discovered in this little pocket of the Central Coast.

My ideas for the renovation are becoming more solid now that I have been here a few more weeks.

(OMG! It’s raining again!)

I have chosen the interior wall colour and am very happy with the results after painting the first room. I wanted a neutral grey/stone for the walls, with natural white on the timber. Normally Dulux Grand Piano works perfectly but for some reason it was just a little too much on the warm side of neutral. Neither warm nor cold. It had to be perfectly balanced. The colour I have chosen is called Rumour. I think it is a generic (wattle) colour.

It is fabulous.

The first pic shows Grand Piano, with Rumour as a tester next to the Natural White. The second pic shows the room finished with Rumour.

I told Muffin (our cat) that Sophie was coming for the weekend…and so she waited patiently by the window for her arrival!

The other job I have managed to achieve is the window furnishings. After much deliberation over the expense of shutters I decided my money would be better spent elsewhere. So i opted for the less expensive shutter look blinds. Timber look 63mm slat venetians in white ordered online and installed by me. Saved a fortune and they look great!

My reno has been divided into 3 stages. The first stage will be the front exterior of the house. More about this next week.

See you next time…..from the Jetty x

P.S. It’s the little things that count!

When you’re on the wrong side of 45 and rapidly approaching the big five 0 it’s nice to know you’re not alone…..even when you are.

I don’t know why I’m writing this blog. Is it my diary, a way of keeping track of myself as my memory starts to fail me? Is it a creative outlet? Is it because it’s a trendy thing to do or am I trying to prove something? Maybe it’s to give myself a purpose, or to have a routine and to teach myself to be disciplined (both of which seem to have evaded me all of my life!) Or is it just for fun? I don’t know. I do know that I enjoy writing and love taking photos so why not? Comments like “you can’t even keep your blog updated”, and text messages saying “your blog needs an update” are not conducive to what I want this blog to mean to me. I am enjoying making my weekly post, however the last thing I want is to feel guilty, pressured or judged by those who read it.

I heard a great line in a TV interview today. The person, who was the operator of an antique street organ in a country town fair said ” I am on the cutting edge of obsolescence”. How funny is that? Maybe that is why I am writing a blog. Because I feel in some way I might be becoming obsolete! You see, we need to continue to reinvent ourselves, try something new, keep learning, accept the challenge of change, because if we don’t we will probably become obsolete. If you don’t upgrade, update, up-everything, you fall behind in the game of life. So please be patient with me. I am still finding my feet.

To balance working part-time in Sydney, working in my business, the house project, parenting from afar (particularly difficult), finances, living alone, familiarising oneself with a new environment, worrying about a cat that disappears for hours on end at regular intervals, entertaining curious visitors, missing my daughter and my friends, and a weekly blog is not so easy. This week has been particularly challenging.

After the most balmy April imaginable the weather turned bitterly cold yesterday into freezing, windy conditions. It just so happened that I was doing photographs, all day, outdoors. Charming. It even hailed at one point! Thankfully, the photos do not reflect the actual pain that was felt by the children being photographed. (Not to mention the photographer and her assistant!). Even so I was glad to be doing the work.

Now back to the house project…

I still have an ongoing issue with the swimming pool under the house. The rain has been relentless. It seems the new pipes my brother and I put in have not fully solved the problem. I needed to investigate the downpipes on the other side of the house where the gutters were overflowing. If I solve one problem at a time then surely I will eventually fix the problem. I borrowed a bigger ladder from my brother in law to take a look in the gutters.

Oh Dear! SEVERE BLOCKAGE!

Not just the side where the Silky Oak hangs, but the entire rim of the house. Cleaning the gutters was my next challenge. My dad came to help but couldn’t because when the new roof was installed, they left only a one inch gap from the edge of the roof to the gutters. My dads hand was too big to fit between the gap. I had to do the lot. We invented a tool which did the trick. We made an L shape metal scraper that I could fit into the gutter to lift the silt, leaves and muddy build up away from the surface so I could remove it with two fingers. Hmmmm. This took an entire day. I also found an endless amount of screws and bolts left lying in the gutters after the removal of the old roof and installation of the new. How can trades people be so irresponsible? Anyway, dad was happy because he collected all the lead washers out of the gunk and said they would make good sinkers!!!

Once the gutters were cleaned out we hosed them and tested the water flow into the downpipes. Thank God. They worked! Now we have to wait until the next downpour….

The little things count.

My friend Lisa from netball  (I play netball in Sydney on a Saturday afternoon – another commitment to add to the list), was asking me how everything was going. She told me about her friend who is living alone, renting in Sydney, and wanting to own her own place. Something she can work on herself to make her own. She couldn’t afford to buy in the North West suburbs of Sydney where she currently lives and works, and was not keen on moving to the more affordable Western suburbs but had mentioned the Central Coast as a possible option. She had the usual concerns and reservations about commuting and moving away from Sydney etc etc. I told Lisa about my blog and she passed it on to her friend.

Yesterday Lisa told me that her friend was now really inspired.

This makes it all worthwhile. To have inspired another person makes me happy.

Thank you for reading…..

from the jetty

Not sure how to start this one…

My daughter Sophie, my only child, turned 18 on Friday. I have mixed feelings about this time in our lives. I am so excited and happy for her and so very, very proud. Although still young in my eyes, Sophie has grown into a lovely, sensible, self assured young adult, with dreams, desires and the world at her feet. The young generation are so lucky. Everything is available to them if they choose to accept. There will always be life’s challenges, but I believe there has never been a time where opportunity is simply so available.

Letting go is incredibly heartbreaking. She has no idea why I seem so inexplicably stressed out. I need to close my eyes and breathe. Simply take a deep breath, and trust. Trust that I have given her everything she needs in life to make the right decisions, to keep her safe, and to take on the world.

I love you Sophie x Happy 18th Birthday!

I am, and always will be right here whenever you need me. Try calling every now and then!!!

Preparations for the evening went like this:

A telephone call to nana and pop – I need your help…

A shopping list

Lots of food (including vegan food for the veggies)

Decorations

Fairylights

A gazebo

A firepit

A chalkboard

A cake

Music

and a big clean up before the night!

Can you believe that the weather turned ridiculously severe at 4am on Friday morning? Massive downpour, thunder and lightning. The swimming pool filled up again under the house and flooded the driveway. I had to cancel. There was no way everyone was going to fit inside my teeny tiny house. By midday I felt so stressed out about it all. No food prep was started, the backyard wasn’t prepared, I simply didn’t think it would happen. Thanks to my dear friend, who was positive the blue sky was on it’s way, I remained hopeful. Who would have thought…..the weather eventually cleared and turned into the most perfect evening. After an afternoon of last minute rushing around, it all worked out for the best.

The evening was perfect…and the following day the rain returned.

Here are some photos from the night of Sophie’s 18th Birthday family get together…

Thank you to all my family and friends who helped out.

See you next week…

M x

I can’t believe how my days seem to merge into oblivion. I am behind in my blog posts and feeling rather bad about it!

Just thought I’d add a pic here. Grapefruit picked from the tree next door. Good thing nobody lives there!

The Easter weekend at Long Jetty was stunning. Finally the rain stopped and the weather turned on it’s magnificence. Even the swimming pool under the house has evaporated! I have had a constant flow of visitors. I love the fact that people want to visit and I hope that it continues forever. Living in such a beautiful environment will always be a draw card. My friends pitched their tent in my backyard! How funny is that?

Easter consisted of sunny days, heavenly sunsets, and deliciously warm ocean temperatures, too much wine, and too much chocolate…just divine!

My nieces and nephew had their first sleepover on Friday night and Sophie also came to visit. We had so much fun!

The renovating has not progressed very quickly as there just simply has been no time. I have however chosen the interior house colours and started Sophie’s bedroom. I was hoping to have it finished before this Friday… her 18th birthday. Hmmm… not sure that is achievable. One coat might have to suffice for now. I have another visitor arriving tomorrow and am trying to get things organised for our special dinner on Friday night! I have also put some tester colours on the front of the garage and planted some gardenias in the front garden. What am I saying? There is no garden. I can’t believe there was not a single plant, apart from the two trees in my backyard, on this property. This must change….and soon because I can’t bare not having a garden…..

More from me after my baby’s special day…

Saturday morning was the grand opening of a new little shop in Long Jetty. The Green Tangerine.

Owned by a lovely young couple, it is a bakery, deli and healthy grocery shop. Just gorgeous – as are the owners. They told me they were opening at 7am so I turned up at 7am in order to be their first customer! (that and I had decided to drive to Sydney that day to go to a big greys online sale! Since I was the first customer ever, Kathy gave me my special treat for free!!!

Yummy Yummy Yummy – a Raspberry, Almond and Pistachio tart.

Saturday was eventful. After finding out that the Renovation Boys had gone into liquidation and Greys online were selling off all their stock at ridiculously cheap prices so woke up early and drove to Sydney to see the sale. -Thanks for the tip Cherie! (Renovation for Profit guru Cherie Barber) I came home with a bath, a toilet, a vanity mirror and a music player. Couldn’t believe it all fitted into my little old CRV (you’d be amazed what I have put in that car over the years!!!). Can you imagine? A bath? Anyway, I am now more than ever motivated to get the bathroom renovated!

Check this out…

It was my birthday yesterday. I won’t mention which one…just another one. Friends came to visit me over the weekend. They came to wish me a happy birthday, however mostly I think they came to check out the house and take a look at my ‘new’ life. It was lovely having the company, familiar faces, lots of laughs, and general catching up. We had lunch at the cafe, went for a walk to the jetty and later other friends arrived and stayed for a bbq outside on what turned out to be a beautiful evening. The next morning my friend Carol and I walked along the bike track to The Entrance, and had a lovely birthday breakfast! – Thank you, my dear friends.

By the way, what is with all the rain here? Is it normal to be raining every single day. One minute it’s sunny, the next pouring with rain. The locals are saying it is unusually wet. I hope so, because the swimming pool as not had a chance to dry up under the house!

More from me later…

Daylight Savings ended last night. I felt encouraged to wake up early and head down to the Jetty to see it in the early morning light.

As you can see…beautiful as ever.

My days have continued to be interesting as I learn more about the quirks of my little house and the new location. My cat, “Muffin”, has adjusted nicely. A little too nicely actually. I have only just started to let her wander outside alone, and last night she thought she’d be clever and race out the door before I could stop her! Thankfully, she came back.

It is an exciting place for her. She has never lived in a house that has an underneath section, not to mention an underneath with so much paraphernalia to investigate. Nobody lives in the old house next door. This makes for an even more exciting playground for her. On the second day of being let out, “Muffin” found a rat. Not a disgusting wild rat, but more a pet rat, white and cute, and to my surprise she wasn’t trying to kill it. I watched for a while at her fascination with this rat and it didn’t take me long to realise that the rat was either extremely friendly, or blind. I think they are friends?

I met the bird man this week. I forgot to mention the birds in my previous post. I love standing in my backyard, closing my eyes and just listening to the sounds of the birds. When I first arrived, I noticed what I thought was quite a strange phenomena. A flock of pigeons was circling my house overhead. They were extraordinary. I watched as they flew around and around in what seemed like some kind of pattern. Eventually, in complete unison, they stopped in mid air above the shed adjacent to my backyard, and fluttered their wings madly until they all finally landed on the roof. This is a daily occurrence. As you can imagine. I had grave concerns for their safety once I let “Muffin” on the loose. I had to meet the owner of the pigeons to find out a bit more about them and let the owners know I have a cat.

What kind of a person has pet pigeons? I have to admit I was a little apprehensive going and knocking on the door. My concern was more for “Muffin”. What if she kills one of the birds? They all land on the roof at the same time. It won’t take her long to figure out their routine and sneak up when they least expect it!! and with so many of them she has a good chance of getting one! What if this person is crazy and then gets a gun and shoots my cat??? Hmmmm. Time to meet the owner.

I knocked on the front door and nobody answered. There was a ute in the driveway so I suspected someone was at home. As I peered down the driveway to the back of the property and noticed someone sitting on a chair so I yelled out a friendly hello. Turns out the owner looks quite normal…phew. His name is Matt. We chatted for quite some time about the birds, the cat, the flood under my house, Long Jetty, renovating, his son (who apparently is the owner of the pigeons but I suspect it is dads passion that’s been passed on), and the budgies. I discovered he also has a huge cage of budgies. This is the beautiful noise I hear in my backyard. Matt said the cat didn’t worry him and won’t hurt the pigeons so my mind was put at ease. At least for now.

I haven’t done much about beginning the renovations. Lots of procrastinating as everywhere I look there is something that needs doing. One room at a time. That is the key. I will start with my bedroom.

Sophie is coming to visit today. She told me she has turned vegan. I will take her to the Glass Onion Cafe Society when she arrives as they have an amazing menu of vegan type food. Then I’ll cook a big steak on the bbq and eat it in front of her! (Jokes)

Yesterday afternoon….oh so beautiful!  More from me next week….

One last photo from today…

The first challenge was tackled today. My brother came over to put in a new telephone line and when he arrived I showed him the swimming pool underneath the house. He immediately started investigating and quickly discovered the problem. The downpipes on the side of the house were not going anywhere.

I was sent off to the plumbing supplies to buy some pvc piping and bits, then, no word of a lie, 3 hours later, my brother had dug a 30 meter trench, connected all the pipes, covered the trench back over and cleaned up. He is brilliant.

He is a home theatre installation specialist who can obviously do anything, including bake the best scones you have ever eaten! Thank you Thank you Thank you David! Click on the “house” page to view photos of our afternoon working on the house.