Spring has arrived in the valley and I have picked lots of bunches of roses and lilac from the house where we are renting. I have never grown lilacs and have got a cutting growing at the house.
We are totally over house painting, after painting all the outside, all but the roof, thank god for colorbond. We have been painting the inside for weeks, working around workmen, but we are so grateful that they have allowed us to do this. Project homes do not allow you in the house until it has been completed. We have enjoyed the process also, because we are retired, we are able to be at the house every day and watched different tradesmen doing their bit. Have a renewed respect for building contractors, they work so hard, no lunch breaks eat as they work. They have done a wonderful job and we are very lucky. We have 9 foot ceilings throughout and beautiful skirting boards in all rooms including the garage. Never had skirting boards in any of our other houses, always an extra cost.
Boards being painted in the garage.
John painting in the passage, he is so fussy, we are total opposites, we drive each other crazy, he wants a perfect job and I just want to get it done.
So over stepping over all this timber, but all part of the process, just got to work around it.
Kitchen cabinets going in, exciting things happening now most of the timber gone from the floor in this room.
And this is Kane who is responsible for getting rid of all that timber for door frames, shelving and skirting boards, only took him 3 days plus an hours drive each way each day, long days.
Kitchen cupboards waiting for dishwasher and stove. Tiling started should be finished end of next week. Have gone for a neutral palette, looks fresh and clean, just needs all my clutter to make it look like home. Poor John he would have it minimalist, just rolls his eyes. Havent got a photo of my studio, that is more creative in a butter colour.
My dream pantry almost Johns bedroom. Have got a trolley to bring stuff out as needed.
Bathroom with shower across the width of the room, no door just a screen. Dark stuff is scree, like a cement mix which is used on wooden floors.
Close up of the kitchen counters, I wanted something that looked like concrete and just fell in love with this one that looks like stone, always a bit nervous until you see it all come together, just going from little samples is a challenge but worked out beautiful and the kitchen cupboard doors have the effect of tounge and grove. Have black pendant lights over benches and will have black utensil racks to break up all that white. Also having some of my old stuff just to mess it up a bit and make it more interesting. John rolls eyes again!!!
This is the view from the back verandah now, the hills are getting brown. Can you see the black cows on the hill, love seeing the cattle. Just a countrygirl at heart. The road below is the South West highway and is entertaining watching all the traffic, from grey nomads in their caravans to logging trucks and everything in between passing through.
Heres whats happening in the orchard, seems like we have lemons all year round, I have to find something to do with them. Will look up the recipe for Limoncello when I unpack. We have two lemon trees and a lime.
Six different varieties of plums, just as well as we like plums, we have six apricots but the parrots got all ten apricots off one tree and only one other has fruit on it.
I planted two raspberry bushes and we have had some fruit off it, you have got to be quick as the birds like these too. have another berry a bit like a cross of blackberry and boysenberry, we have had a few off that too. Its so nice to have fruit out of your orchard.
The vege bins are doing well, I have tomatoes not far off ripe, but the white butterfly has anhilated the kale and broccolini. Will need to net them when I have time to keep the butterfly out. The pumpkins have come up from the vege scraps that I buried in them. Will let them go this year.
One only peach not sure what sort but for a small tree has plenty on. No nectarines, so will plant some white ones and white peaches.
This is fascinating to me, I have never grown pears before and this tree has a good crop, have six pear trees two of which are Nashi. Need to find out what and when to spray them for fruit fly as last year we couldnt eat them, full of fruit fly.
Not a great photo but had to share, this is my favourite plum tree, a prune plum and i got buckets of it last year and freezed heaps they where beautiful.
Down in the orchard this rose had gone wild, absolutely huge and it took John days to cut it back, and I gave it the word that it better be good or it will be getting the total chop, and now look at. Have to work out a way to build a structure for it to climb over as it is sending long runners across the ground.
I built this wig wam type structure next to the rose for the wisteria to grow up, has dried seed pods and leaves and long strings of silk torn ribbon to make it look pretty. Now it is almost covered with the wisteria twisted around all the poles. At one time the roses and wisteria formed an archway, would be nice to be able to form that again.
If you have read this far, thanks for sticking with me, such a journey and not long to go now. Two weeks until completion, electrician, plumber to finish off, garage door and septic tank to be installed. Son in law Anthony to do all the floor coverings, I know we will have the very best job from him, and then we should be able to move in, moving again is daunting but will be the last time as we have got a beautiful home and no mortgage this time, yeeha!!!! We have had help in the painting mostly Peter, Kirsty and Jack and we are grateful to be able to call in return favours.
Catch you later, hopefully not such a long break.
love
Jacky
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