This and that!
Everyone I talk to is tired of the heat and lack of rain here in Australia and when leaving Sydney on Friday, I was struck by a feeling of anticipation. The sky was dark, people were looking up at the sky and there was hope in the air! The weather world-wide is extraordinary at the moment. People in the UK must be desperate to see the end of the rain and those in most parts of the US must be desperate to get rid of the snow!
The car was loaded with bolts of fabric and light-fittings as we drove off to another site meeting in Bowral after which we would head on down to the South Coast for a weekend at the beach.
The site meeting saw us tramping through painters drop-sheets, avoiding wet paint, stepping gingerly over just-laid tiles and making yet more decisions and yes - a couple of last minute changes. We decided NOT to wallpaper the ceiling in Bedroom 4 and decided TO wallpaper Bedroom 3. Light fittings were laid out in each room and a new list was drawn up of those we still need. We watched the joinery for the living room fireplace being installed and stood outside waving our arms around deciding where the garden beds in the front garden should be.
Our friends left this morning and I have pottered around doing washing, 'house-stuff' and gathering everything together for an early start tomorrow. It will be our last site-meeting tomorrow as we (the whole family - including the little girls) are going on a holiday - skiing, Cape Town and Singita (safari). This holiday (to celebrate Mr R-I's 70th birthday) was planned a year ago when we all thought the house would be finished. Obviously it is not ideal now but I put my trust in the power of emails/photos as the final finishing happens while we are away. Sadly, I won't be here as the kitchen goes in!! The builder has promised that we will be able to move in after we arrive home... on 17 March. Hopefully, the garden hard-landscaping will be done and all that will remain will be the planting.
Everyone I talk to is tired of the heat and lack of rain here in Australia and when leaving Sydney on Friday, I was struck by a feeling of anticipation. The sky was dark, people were looking up at the sky and there was hope in the air! The weather world-wide is extraordinary at the moment. People in the UK must be desperate to see the end of the rain and those in most parts of the US must be desperate to get rid of the snow!
The car was loaded with bolts of fabric and light-fittings as we drove off to another site meeting in Bowral after which we would head on down to the South Coast for a weekend at the beach.
The site meeting saw us tramping through painters drop-sheets, avoiding wet paint, stepping gingerly over just-laid tiles and making yet more decisions and yes - a couple of last minute changes. We decided NOT to wallpaper the ceiling in Bedroom 4 and decided TO wallpaper Bedroom 3. Light fittings were laid out in each room and a new list was drawn up of those we still need. We watched the joinery for the living room fireplace being installed and stood outside waving our arms around deciding where the garden beds in the front garden should be.
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| Mud room |
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| The study - joinery gets installed late this week |
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| The potting shed |
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| This is a picture of the potting bench I would love next to the potting shed. |
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| Entry hall |
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| Courtyard off the veranda - that's a huge Ginko Biloba in the background |
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| Looking through to Bed 2 from Bedroom 1 |
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| The front door |
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| Corbett Gardens - Bowral |
After lunch in Bowral, we drove down to Mollymook for the weekend. Friends were joining us on Saturday and I was looking forward to some down-time. It was a relief arriving at the beach and the garden was looking great despite the lack of rain..
It did start raining the next morning though...bliss!
The weekend was restful and I enjoyed cooking some lovely meals. The Salmon Kedgeree (Nigella's recipe) was absolutely delicious and is definitely going to become a family favourite. We had roast lamb for dinner on Saturday night, roast organic chickens for Sunday lunch and toasted chicken sandwiches for supper!
Our friends left this morning and I have pottered around doing washing, 'house-stuff' and gathering everything together for an early start tomorrow. It will be our last site-meeting tomorrow as we (the whole family - including the little girls) are going on a holiday - skiing, Cape Town and Singita (safari). This holiday (to celebrate Mr R-I's 70th birthday) was planned a year ago when we all thought the house would be finished. Obviously it is not ideal now but I put my trust in the power of emails/photos as the final finishing happens while we are away. Sadly, I won't be here as the kitchen goes in!! The builder has promised that we will be able to move in after we arrive home... on 17 March. Hopefully, the garden hard-landscaping will be done and all that will remain will be the planting.
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| The study light fitting still wearing it's 'shower cap'! |
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| Penny gets so bored at these meetings |
