Back from Never Never Land.

Before I begin the update on the house I want to tell you about the lovely day I have had.
As you could tell from the last post I was feeling a little blue this morning, but things have decidedly improved. Max and I went walking this morning. It was another perfect spring day with clear blue skies, a gentle breeze and many of the tourists staying home to watch Bathurst. So off we went.
Our first point of call was of course Pet Panache. Geoff and Ziggy were on duty. Ziggy as always kept a very close eye on Max while Geoff filled him up with treats. We bought our usual dog food, some carob drops (to help him take his anti-biotics of course) and a fold-away water bowl for when we are walking. Geoff was quite insistent that I go find Sue. So I did. I found her chatting to another shop owner around the corner. We had a lovely wander around the candle shop and enjoyed standing in the sun outside on the decking. Ah sometimes I love living up here. Sue and Geoff are the nicest people we have met. We walked back up to PP with Sue then continued on our way..up past the primary school, around to the mini footy oval, down the stairs across the little patch of forest opposite the Rhody gardens. In the car park a lovely lady stopped us. She had pulled up in her car to see Max, she is a Beagle person and always has to say hello to Beagles (Sarah and I did the same thing the other night to a Beagle outside the pools now that I think of it). Her Beagle is very sad at the moment as she has lost her best friend, a male Boxer (love Boxers too!!!!) who suddenly passed away. Max of course lapped up the attention. We continued on our way, up past the church and back to our road. The single yappy dog on the corner has now been joined by some yappy, chubby Jack Russels, Max was not impressed, I'm sure I saw him laugh!So then we went home and I worked very hard in the garden, until it got too windy and it seemed pointless to continue. There is, as always, a lot to be done as the garden has become a jungle already!

Aaron rang and was disappointed I hadn't been to the house. I felt a bit guilty as he is at work today and I'm home but had chosen not to go because what's the point when nothing is happening??????

Anyway Max and I hopped in the car and drove down. Along the way I had a bit of a "moment" not exactly an epiphany but it was just a light feeling. The sun-light was coming in on an angle as it was getting late in the day. I couldn't help but be amazed at the beauty of the gums along the highway. As the light hit them, all the colours in the bark came out and the green leaves looked stunning against the clear blue sky. Beautiful!!! This moment continued later when I was walking around the estate and then driving home aswell. After looking at the house Max and I went for a walk around the estate. We haven't done it for ages and it is nice to walk past all the new homes and gardens. Well the light was fading even more and we had a stunning sunset. The habitat tree near the park was beautifully silhouetted against the evening sky and there was a real stillness in the air. After going around the houses we walked to a newer part of the development. The space felt so open and calm. As we got back to the car I caught my first glimpse of the moon. Oh it was magnificent. It was still very low in the sky, a full moon, almost perfectly round and shining a rich, orange glow. As I drove home I had a real sense of the vastness of the sky above me and kept catching glimpses of the moon through trees and over hills as we travelled. It was an absolutely stunning end to a beautiful day.
(I didn't take this picture as Ididn't have a tripod in the car but this shot is similar.)

So what about the house??? All is not lost and I'm feeling a tad silly after this morning's hissy fit. When I got to the house I found that the cabinets have indeed been delivered. After all this time it was so exciting to finally see the colours and finishes we picked in the flesh rather than on tiny swatches. I'm so thrilled with how they look as matching colours is certainly not my area of expertise. The doors are all there too waiting to be hung as is the architrave. We have it all, including the kitchen sink. Now I feel much better and I feel like our house will soon be our home.

Here's some pix, sorry if they don't quite capture the excitement of it all...




Bath room and ensuite sinks and cabinets


















Kitchen bench and all important wine rack






Again, from a different angle, also note the drawers












Kitchen again














Max checks out the merchandise














Even the laundry trough (its in my bedroom!)















Architrave and skirting boards











Max gives the house "Two Paws Up".

Thanks to everyone who has donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk for A Cure. I'm still looking for on-line sponsors so please click on the link in the side panel. One week to go!!!!

Never Never Land

I know last weekend I promised you more on the "house" but, well, there isn't much to tell. I haven't been down since early in the week and I no longer feel excited visiting all the time.
It really is a case of living in Never Never Land because I feel like it's never ever going to be finished. We certainly won't be in before Christmas so it was pointless changing jobs mid year!
Apparently there is a hold up with plumbing supplies which means the plasterers can't completely finish their work. For some reason this means cabinets can't be delivered. Why there is a hold up I don't know, we picked everything in December last year so they should have some sort of standby ordering system, and why they can't start putting in kitchen cabinets or rendering the portico or something that shows progress is beyond me. Maybe I'll visit mum tomorrow and stick my head in, but I think I'm more likely to just drive past.
I no longer even refer to it as a house but a construction site.

Thinking of building???? DON'T DO IT!!!!

Bye for now

Wendy

PS: Only one week to go for the Walk for a Cure. I have a few donations but no on-line sponsors so PLEASE visit my sponsorship page (in the links on side panel) and donate to this fabulous cause.

Walk For A Cure

Guess what I forgot to mention earlier???
I am going to be participating in the Walk to Cure Diabetes in about two weeks' time. What I desperately need is sponsorship $$$.

If you are interested in sponsoring me or finding out more about this great cause please visit the link below.
JDRF Wendy's Sponsorship Page

Welcome to October

It is a lovely Sunday morning here in Melbourne. We're heading for a top of 26 degrees, the sun is shining, there is a gentle breeze and the spring flowers and shrubs are in bloom. Lovely!
So what has been going on this week you may ask?
Being the second week of the school hols Sarah was back home so we have done lots of kid friendly activities.
On Tuesday we went to Gumbuya Park, I haven't been there since I was in year 9, lots of lame rides and animals in very small enclosures. However, there were also kangaroos roaming free and a nice picnic area.

Sarah Makes a friend

Does this helmet make my head look fat?

Vrrrrroooooommmmmm






On the way home we stopped at the house of course. The plasterers have put a wire mesh over corners and had finished covering the joins.
There is also a big trench around the house where storm water pipes are being laid.

On Wednesday we went bowling at Knox, I won both games which was nice after losing at mini-golf the day before! Afterwards we walked around Banksia nursery. This spring weather is making me think about the garden in the new place and I can't wait to get started. I am definately going for a native theme with no turf out the front, it makes sense in this age of water shortage and habitat loss for native fauna. Sarah is also picking plants for her fairy garden which she will no doubt tell you about in her blog.
In the afternoon we walked Max up to Pet Panache where he bought an extension for his lead, a new collar and tried on Doggles. He is now featured in the Pet Panache website. We stayed for such a long time and Sue and Geoff invited us over for drinks later. Their home is fabulous on a great site. We enjoyed a lovely bottle of red.
On Thursday it was off to the city to see Fairies the stage show. There were so many little girls dressed up as fairies, very cute. We walked down to Treats From Home where we bought Jaffa Cakes and Bullseyes (for mum). There are so many great things in there and I will head back before Christmas.

We had lunch at the Elephant (of course) and I enjoyed my first fish and chips at a restaurant, I am actually feeling better these last two weeks but I'm not sure if it's because I'm eating fish three times a week or because it's the school holidays. We will just have to wait and see.
When we got home we discovered Aaron's new glasses were ready so we headed back down the hill for the obligatory Thursday night at Knox. We didn't eat dinner as we were still full from lunch but enjoyed a Boost Juice instead. We visited Alicia at the Geographic shop as she no longer works at Gen Trader and Sarah had fun chatting to her. We finished off the evening with a Star Bucks Chai Latte. As we walked outside Peter pointed out that there was a "Wendy Moon". Apparently when I was in the States and Aaron and Peter went to Adelaide for Christmas (before we were going out) they had a few drinks at the Slug and Lettuce and saw a crescent moon with a little star beside it. In his "relaxed" state Aaron had called it a Wendy Moon and tried to take a photo to send me. How sweet is that?

OK Friday, I got a call from Deanne and had to pick her up from Maroondah Hospital as she had been in a car accident. She is ok but I'm not. I can't believe she got in a car with someone who had been drinking. In September alone 42 people have died on Victorian Roads. After dropping her at my Mum's I went to work to do some photocopying but the folder was missing. Grrr.
I had no choice but to visit the house, where I discovered the plastering is complete, including cornices and the trenches around the outside have been filled in on one side of the house.

On Friday night Aaron took Sarah to her mum's as she needed to make up for last weekend (when her mum went away so Sarah had come home early). Aaron was working night shift so off he went. I went to Knox to get Gold Class tickets for the Devil Wears Prada but they had sold out, so I booked them for Saturday instead. I went to visit Mark and Amanda and we played poker which was lots of fun.

On Saturday I just did boring house work and did a big clean up and burn off in the garden. Max and I went for a walk in the afternoon and then when Aaron woke up we went to Mark and Amanda's for dinner. Amanda and I then headed to Knox and enjoyed the luxury of Gold Class, I could really get used to that standard! The movie was very funny and much cleverer than I expected. I enjoyed a nice Pinot Noir followed by a latte, better than your standard popcorn and coke eh? Another night home alone due to Aaron's night shift and it was a cold one.

Today I am going to tackle my giant pile of marking that I've had two weeks to do!!!!! Later Max and I will go walking. I want him fit and healthy for his op on Tuesday.

Standby for more house pix later in the week.

Ciao

More on the plastering and news on Max the Beagle

We popped down on the weekend only to find the house had been broken into and the door swung open when Aaron checked the handle. As far as we could tell nothing has been taken unless there were some tools on site. Anyway it gave us a chance to take photos of the inside with more of the plastering done, no cornices yet but the joins have been covered over as you can see. It was very exciting to see how much the plasterers were able to achieve in such a short amount of time. Are we on track for a Christmas in the new house? Only time will tell.
Not sure if we'll have a peak tomorrow to see what has been accomplished. We are off to Gumbuya Park so may sneak over on the way home.

In other news:

Went for a lovely drive today through Monbulk, Emerald, Cockatoo and Gembrook across to Launching Place and finally a late lunch in Warbuton.
Took Max to the vet this evening. The lump on his ear and the other on his eye is of some concern, there is also a smaller lump on his other eye which is probably scratching his cornea and causing some discomfort. It turns out there are many other lumps over his body. Peter (the vet) thinks they are probably just wart type lumps from over active glands but when he removes them from the eyes and ear he will send them off to pathology. Poor Max, I love him to pieces.
The receptionist at the vet is Mel who I went to high school with, it was interesting to chat to her after all this time. Always nice to catch up. Makes me think I should ring a few old friends rather than letting myself lose touch. By the way, Max has an appointment for surgery next Tuesday. In the mean time there are ear drops and anti-biotics to take. Guess whose job it will be to play vet nurse!

See ya

Saturday Morning

It is an absolutely glorious spring morning. Sez is back early from her mum's, as she wanted to see her daddy after a whole week away.

So everyone is still in bed and I'm thinking I'll go for a walk, make a big breakfast for all then put my plan to visit the house into action.

What else to do with the day? Well there's always plenty of domestic engineering and I wouldn't mind dinner at my fav restaurant, The Elephant and Wheelbarrow. I love it cos its a great English style pub that serves pretty decent pub grub. Of course it is Saturday so it will be extra busy and we may be going later in the week when we take Sarah to the theatre.

So my main focus for today will probably be, as usual, the house.

I really am getting excited now as it looks like it is moving ahead. Of course I shouldn't jinx myself but who knows we could be in sooner rather than later.

Best be off and take the lovely Max for a walk.

MWAH

Should I or Shouldn't I?

It's a blustery old day up here in the hills. Max and I just got back from a walk and a visit to Max's favourite place in the universe, Pet Panache in Olinda to buy dog food and of course Sue and I got chatting about the house.

Here is my problem, I wasn't going to go to the house today, I was going to be strong and wait for the weekend and go with Aaron, but now I'm thinking about it and want to see if any progress has been made. It is POETS day so probably very little but I'm still curious!!!! What should I do???

Plastering has begun

Hello,

I just got back from the house! We were last there on Tuesday night, Aaron and Peter were doing some last minute wiring in the garage. Inside there was a hugh pile of plaster and some cornice material. Two days later all that plaster is up on the walls and on the ceiling. I am very impressed as I thought it would take a lot longer. I realise of course that they still have to smooth over the joins and apply the cornices etc but I was so excited to see the incredible progress.

Bruce, our wonderful supervisor from Metricon, seems to be getting things moving. We should have cabinets delivered next week and if the weather stays fine he says the rendering will start soon.

Our completion date is the end of January...but dare I hope that we might be in by Christmas? I can't think about that it's toooooo exciting.

Anyway enjoy the pics...

Brick stage and lock up

Can I just say we had the best brickies ever!!!!

Anton and Brad were total perfectionists. We've seen houses go up around us at lightning speed and have whinged and complained that ours has had delays. However, when I see the dodgy brickwork, render and tiling on these rushed houses I am so happy we went with Metricon and not one of the "cheaper" gimmicky places that promise you a house in 16 weeks. Anton and Brad took their time, selected bricks very carefully and made sure all the lines and spaces were exact. They were also really friendly and always happy to say g'day. We baked them lots of cookies and they're coming back to do our letter box. The best in the business I would say.


16/08/06

I'll just add that Sarah and I have changed schools and we study and work much closer to the new home...this means the photos start coming thick and fast as we pop down most days.








17/08/06

























19/08/16
(Check out our sexy new car!)






















22/08/06










There's plenty going on inside as well. Our lock up carpenter was in straightening and reinforcing walls, the shower bases and bath tub arrived and even some FC sheeting turned up. (22/08/06)






23/08/06 told you we were visiting a lot.

















More inside activity...including the sound proofing of the theatre room..by us.
(24/08/06)















29/08/06 final details.Now you may be wondering why the doors are being featured again, but these aren't the same doors thanks to some enterprising thieves who helped themselves to the first lot. It's sad that people are constantly stooping so low but apparently it happens a lot. The house is close to lock up so let's hope these are safe.
(31/08/06)







2nd Sept the Air con is in.


Shots of the air con and heating ducts, Ross' wiring skills and Peter and Aaron get handy with the staple gun, reinforcing the internal insulation.

Frame Stage Begins

Now some might suggest we went too far here, but yes, we took photos of our frame when it was just piles of wood lying on the block. It's my first time building a house you know...can you tell?

(20/06/06)



and here it is...
well it's starting to become a frame.
At every stage so far I would say, "Wow I'm so excited this has happened, I can't wait for...." and of course when the next step would happen I would say exactly the same thing. But I really must say, as the frame went up I was ecstatic because I could see the house taking shape.
()









Look, our frame now has windows.
(22/06)





...and even doors.




Finally roof trusses arrived and went up. We were down there nearly everyday checking the progress.






And then we hit a brick wall...not the type we wanted either...




It all centred around the portico. There was some confusion because initially we wanted the "contemporary" facade. However, as there was a Broadview with the same facade across the road and two houses up we couldn't have the Contemporary. (Estate rules). So we managed to negotiate with the developers' architect and change our bedroom windows to the Traditional facade windows (two long windows instead of one giant one) and keep the heightened portico that comes with the Contemporary design. Well somewhere along the way things got messed up on the paper work and they built the standard portico. It wasn't until guttering went up that we really noticed which meant the guttering had to come off, the frame had to be rebuilt (the changed portico line affects about 1/3 of the roof) and the guttering had to go back on. Sadly, the guttering company was not very cooperative and delayed us for about two weeks. Now this was frustrating but it wasn't our site-supervisor's fault, although I felt like visiting the guttering people and giving them an earful.


However, finally the guttering was replaced, and roof tiles went on.

The construction phase begins

After all the excitement of the road being built we finally made it to settlement. What a day that was. Phone calls from the conveyancer, the bank, the mortgage broker, the land office.....on and on it went. But we made it!

So what next?

Well a couple of weeks had to go by as banks and builders and land owners' had their people talking to each other until the long awaited site scrape.




A bit of an anti-climax really.

But we were still over the moon as now something was happening on our land.



































One day, I didn't go to work as I had an interview. After the interview we went to the block (of course) and nothing had been delivered. We actually saw a delivery truck bringing a dunny as we were leaving so we did a u-turn and followed him and ended up really disappointed because it wasn't ours....but finally it arrive so we took another photo.





2/06/06 Early June and things are happening.

Slab Stage

One day it was just a scraped bit of dirt...the next, mysterious pieces of agi pipe were sticking out of the ground.

Ok so I was perhaps a little too excited when the polysterine arrived...but hey it's now June 10th and I'm keen to see something..anything..happening.



The next thing to happen was the boxing up, laying of poly blocks and rio.

Circa 11th June (weather has improved considerably)

















On the 13th June Aaron was lucky enough to be around when this big beast arrived to pour our kconcrete...impressive eh?


Our lovely concrete slab... we couldn't help but leave our mark, even though it will never be seen.