Sunday Snippets

I don't know if it was the ginger and lemongrass tea or the Codral, but feeling so much better this week. Highlight of the week was afternoon tea with some old friends -  a howling success, with the guests and the drop-ins leaving around 8.30pm.

Thanks for hosting Tinnie Girl.

Vale Evie

This week my parents had to do what all pet lovers dread; make the decision to end the life of their beloved companion.  But in the end, it was a Clayton's decision as there was nothing else that could be done for her and she was clearly suffering.  Evie was a part of our family for nearly 13 years and we will miss her very much.

Day 272: The Final Countdown

 

Just because there haven't been any blog updates in the last week and a half does not mean that things have come to a standstill.  Oh, no.  Unfortunately STLT temporary HQ had to move to yet another temporary location pending moving home on 23/12.  One of the directors also took a short trip north, so between moving, travelling, general disruption and dodgy internet connections, there hasn't been much time to update the faithful.  There is actually a lot to report.

The condensed version of progress to date is:

- The kitchen is in and the benchtops have been put on;

- Painters are working furiously (and as we speak);

- The front fence is up, but unfortunately none of the gates;

- The plumbing side of things is finished and Pete the Plumber has taken off for a well deserved break;
- Electricals are partly done (more on that later);
- The kitchen/living area floor has been sanded and sealed.

The place has been a total hive of activity:  on Thursday, I went to pick up the decorative screen made for us by Ro Baby and dropped it of at the house.  There were 6 painters, Bob, Pete and Sparkie Dave present plus some bloke who had come in to have a look at the house, as he is currently deciding whether to rennovate or detonate.  Dave was very excited about the trapeze lights, pop-up powerpoints and the fancy lightswitch/powerpoint covers in the kitchen.  It's great that I'm not the only one who thinks they look fantastic - I don't expect this from tradies given that they see this all the time.  Dave was supposed to be finishing things off at the house yesterday but to Stos's surprise, none of the pendant lights had been hung and nothing else that we had expected to be done had been touched. Very strange as Dave is very reliable and meticulous.  But a phone call from Bob later in the day explained this - poor Dave was in hospital with some sort of infection.  It looks like he will be back at work on Monday but we will have to wait and see.  We wish him a speedy recovery.

Still quite a bit to do this week including showerscreens and various bits and pieces, however there is quite a long list of things that will not be done and have to be slated for after Christmas. At the moment, focus is on getting the things done for issue of the Certificate of Occupancy.  Other things listed for this week are showerscreens, floors at the front of the house to be sanded, carpet to be laid and now completion of electricals.  The brightest note of all is that we have our girls back.  They are dirty and unhappy about having to stay outside but it is wonderful to have them back after nine months.

Day 154: You're moving out today

Well, it wasn't a long time, but it was a good time.  Today we are leaving The Landlady's place to move in with Catwoman.  If you had told me a year ago that we would live with someone that we hardly knew for 6 months, I would have said you were mad.  When I told friends that a neighbour had invited us to move in with her, out of the blue, and that we were going to take up the offer, they thought we were mad.  But our view was that just because the arrangement sounded weird didn't mean we shouldn't try it  (sorry about the double negative!).  Having made the big decision to demolish and rebuild the house made us feel that all following decisions were relatively simple by comparision.  And as it has turned out, the last 6 months has been pleasant, comfortable, mutually beneficial to all parties and we feel that we have developed a friendship that will survive the parting of the ways.  It's just a shame for us that the arrangement couldn't last until our house was finished, however it is good for the Landlady that she has found a new house that she loves.  Now on to the next, and final phase in our career as professional house guests. 

There's a lot that I will miss about living here, but not the stairs.  Apart from having to scamper up and down for visits to the bathroom at night, moving stuff is just that much harder with stairs like these.  But the exercise has been good for leg condition, particularly when we moved in and over the last two days.. 

What we will really miss are these very cute residents.