Well, Spring is finally here, so we are back into the home renovations. We spent the first day of our holidays playing at a wedding which was a good gig as it turned out - another guest asked if we could play for her wedding too! Perhaps people like cello & piano a lot! At least, we hope that is the case as we head to Canberra. We plan to have a small business playing gigs and conferences, restaurants etc.
Sunday we headed to Albury to shop for a lounge suite and dining suite. For too long, Pip & I have complained about pain in our backs & we have traced it to our hand-me-down lounges which were a nice gesture at the time, but need to go!
It was a long day spent comparing styles & prices, but in the end we were pretty happy with the final choices. They are set to be delivered mid-October, so I will post some pictures of them then.
Monday saw Pip up early getting ready to paint the rendered exterior of the house. We have chosen a colour called "Woodland Grey" which is a colourbond colour, so goes well with the fence. The painting only lasted the end wall of the house before the rain started. I had been inside preparing a job application, and was soon joined by Pip & Bernard, who is bored on holidays already! As soon as we realised that the rain wasn't going away, we headed back out into it to do some gardening. We had picked up some mondo grass, Gazaneas & Oleander when in Albury, so thought the spring rain was an ideal planting condition!
The Pond garden had a weed & overhaul, with the pond cleaned out, mondo grass planted around the edges, some plants transplanted from a less suitable spot, and a thorough mulching. It looks much nicer, and once things start to flower, should be a very pretty part of the garden.
Today we started early and finished painting the back of the house. It looks so much better than the plain render - It really is amazing what a coat of paint can do! The two of us worked hard with the help of two very happy puppies who spent the day in the sunshine, happy to have us at home all day!
The photos are of the back painted and our little helpers.
Tomorrow we will either do the 2nd coat, or move to the front of the house - haven't decided yet. Then it's the front garden (gazaneas & Oleander) before we tackle the fence. We have decided to use natureed for the bottom of the fence - it will be much easier to do than the wooden panelling we had first planned. Also, we should be able to build out hot water service and gas bottle covers out of the same reeds giving a more cohesive overall look.
Then it's back inside to finish the cornice in the dining room & the ceiling & cornice in the lounge room. This will depend on when Roger is free, so can't really plan until we know. We are getting there slowly!
Just the bathroom to fit in next term.......
I will post the pictures as we finish things.
So that's us these holidays, We will be very busy, but the results make it all worthwhile.
Hope you find it interesting - I am never sure what to write!
