Thank God for Brothers

When Mum and the Boys were here yesterday we conned Andrew into fitting the timber blind in the bathroom. It turns out that the window space is 89.5cm wide and the blind is 90cm. Bummer. He ended up screwing it to the top timber frame; it looks very nice and gives a warm, cosy feel to a room that is filled with all things white and glossy - good for those cold winter nights. I just need to get the towel hooks up now and find a long spout for the bathtub and the bathroom will be finished - except for painting the ceiling; I have to get around to that some time.

Andrew once had his own small business called Handy Andy's Handyman; he's very good with his hands.

Dear Husband and Children.....

Wish you were here to share in the unbelievable mess and dust created by pulling a few things out of a few cupboards (but I'm sure you're all quite happy where you are). Grandma and I are battling away, piece by piece. I think I've nearly worn her out; she is 75 after all, but she just keeps going and going. She has been a fantastic help and the sorting and packing up of the lounge room would have been a much more difficult job without her.

Here are some random pics, in no particular order, just so you know what you're missing out on.

The "new" floor.

I spent a quiet couple of hours on Sunday unpacking the linen/swags/camping gear/xmas decs and other random items. Due to lack of space I've had to utilise the high shelves in the kids built-ins. They both got a swag and sleeping bag each, plus their luggage. Meg got the xmas decs; Drew got the box of camping gear.

This was load 2 yesterday. Jude came to help; 3 trailer and car loads of furniture left.

Cleaning up my desk. Fabulous ponytail! I swung my head just as Grandma took the photo.

Books for Vinnies/Lifeline. That's the fireplace where the parrot was trapped).

Slowly getting there; the lounge suite, glass cabinet, table and old lamp have gone, the books are sorted, the cd player cupboard has gone, my table is nearly bare; dust coats everything. I really need to work on my dusting skills (or at least acquire some to start with).

I'm not taking the bookcase with us; there's a built-in one at the new house; plus, it won't really fit anywhere. The glass front cabinet is for other things. The books are sorted into categories (but you'll be glad to hear that they're not in alphabetical order.......yet).

So my husband and babies, you can see what Grandma and I have been doing these past two days - and what we'll be doing for the next 4. Feel free to drop in any time!

I go back to work on Monday so I want to try to have nearly everything shifted by then. Once the lounge room is finished it only leaves our bedroom and the kitchen/pantry. Our bedroom cupboards are moved, sans drawers. They're sitting on the floor in our bedroom. I guess we'll get there. I just don't know when.

The Sandman Came

Despite the very rainy weather the sandman came today. I wondered if he would.

Meeting G

Drew and I went to town to meet the Italian exchange student that I am local co-ordinator for. We had coffee and cake with him and his host family. They are lovely people; G has a very quiet nature. We brought him home and went through his arrival orientation then Gibbo and I took him for a drive to the feedlot to see the many cattle; we went via the dump paddock and found a kookaburra and 2 kangaroos with joey; he liked those. Then we took him to the farm to show him around then back to his host family.

Drew and Meg put another coat on the worst wall in Meg's room. That's it now; no more. It is finished. We pulled off the plastic coverings. I did two more levels of the pantry with top coat. Three more to go. Drew put the colour on his window trim and his door trim.

Joey has finished and gone (except for when he comes back to fit the glossy basin). He has been an absolute machine and has done an amazing job over the last two weekends. No other tradesmen came near the place; he did it all himself. We have ended up with a beautiful brand new bathroom and toilet for a fraction of the cost that would have been charged if we had to pay commercial rates. Thanks Joey; we appreciate you and the work you have done very much.

Now I'm sitting on the couch. The cricket is on TV and the boys are watching Survivor on Drew's laptop. Meg is back in Twba (at the movies). I have submitted my report from today's visit with student G; now I'm about to do my 365 which is a couple of days behind.

Trying to work full-time and work at the new house has thrown our daily routine into disarray. I don't like disarray. It upsets my keel. This week will be full on at work; Drew will pack up his room here and head back to College next weekend. Next time he comes home he won't come here - he'll be coming home to the farm! I hope to start packing up some gear this week, ready to start moving on the weekend of March 2/3 (as long as the sanding man doesn't postpone again).

True Story

You wouldn't believe it. I was painting in the pantry; Joey came to me and said he was out of tiles. He was one tile short. No way. Yes. I went and had a look. We weren't ONE tile short - we were HALF A TILE short. Absolute true story....and there were 4 broken tiles in the boxes I picked up on Thursday!! So we bought another box of 16 (in case we ever need to match them in the future). Half a tile.

The final piece.

Here's the almost finished bathroom. What's left to do? Install the wash basin (in Twba being glossed up for an exorbitant fee); paint the bath; attach the spout for the bath; sand and paint the ceiling; wash the walls.

Painting the pantry. I was only going to paint the bottom three shelf walls but once I started I couldn't stop so went all the way to the ceiling (which had never been painted anyway).

We decided to use up the last of the mosaic on a feature row in the separate toilet...then had to go and buy 2 more sheets of the stuff. The white tiles look different in this photo but they're not; bottom half grouted, top half not - makes quite a difference. I'm searching for a free standing toilet roll holder. If I can't find one, I'll make one. Somehow.

The kids put another layer on Meg's wall; one more coat might just hide the mess left behind by the wallpaper glue.

Man and dog.

This is what happens to you when you have a big night out after finishing work. It makes you thirsty.

Progress 3

Back into it this morning; Joey was up until 2.30am. The waterproofing man arrived and did his bit; he brought his dog, Ralph.

Dave arrived to spray Meg's room; the 3 Stooges or what?!

Would you let this man roll paint on your wall?

I left them to it while I scrubbed the pantry floor and walls. I want to freshen the walls a little before I pack them with food.

The bathroom is taking shape. The new toilet is blocked off now. Yesterday you could see right through to the end of the bathroom with the old toilet on the left and the hallway on the right.

Walk in shower at the end of the the bathroom.

This wall is at the opposite end to the photo above (lets call it the bath end). The new toilet is on the other side so we're looking back towards it here (I'm standing in the shower).

Here's some of the tiles that we DIDN'T break.

The bath end wall, fully tiled (toilet is on the other side of the wall, to the left). I'm standing in the middle lounge room taking this.

This is where the 2nd toilet and basin will go.

The strips of feature tiles and the ceramic soap/shampoo shelf and foot rest, fitted.

The feature strips inserted. They look a bit like a leopard skin - they look better close up. The shower glass in 1400mm long; we will walk into the shower from the left hand end.

The third feature strip runs at the head of the bath.

There's still a little way to go and Joey is staying tonight. He's done a phenomenal job in 3 days and saved us an enormous amount of money.

Every day we're one day closer.