It is finished ...

On Friday July 23rd, the Bungalow was finished. Johnno and Tom put the shelves in the cupboards and the walk-in-robe. I was so happy when I got home from work and saw them installed. I rang Peter to thank him and the guys for all of their hard work. The quality of the work is of a very high standard, and I can recommend Peter and his team.

The Building Inspector had come around to check the finished product. Johnno and Tom removed the poles of the old trellis as the Inspector said it looked untidy. They even brought the garbage bin in. They are very considerate and obliging young men, and it has been a pleasure to have them here.

I had washed my new sheets and quilt cover, and was able to put them into the linen press. 

I spent the past week moving some of my craft books, magazines, yarn and fibre from the lounge into the cupboards. I still have a bookcase in the lounge room with my knitting reference books, stitch dictionaries, fibre, yarn and a few drop spindles on it. I am keeping my Majacraft Little Gem spinning wheel inside as well.



The security alarm was fitted on Wednesday. Mum says it works very well... 


Today, my bedroom suite was delivered. It didn't look this big in the store. 

Michael and Will very kindly put the bed together and moved the other furniture in.

I bought a computer workstation last night and Will and Michael set it up for me, as well as bringing in my kitchen dresser, another cabinet and the sewing machine cabinet from the garage. I really appreciate everything they have done for me today. I have a great family...


God is so very good to me, and I am so blessed to have my Bungalow. I prayed that it wouldn't rain, and I have been thanking Jesus all day to have had such a perfect day to move the furniture in.

I have a print of John William Waterhouse's "Lady of Shallot". I love the rhythm of Tennyson's poems. Julie read poetry to Annemarie and I when we were young. This has always been a favourite.

The picture has been in the lounge for a number of years, and I thought it would break up the white wall opposite the bed nicely.

My friend, Michelle and I went to The Wintergarden many years ago, and I bought a lamp with a woman reading a book. It has also been in the lounge, but now is suitably placed as my reading lamp.

I bought the rug in Turkey in 2008. It is natural-coloured wool. 


Mum bought the fabric, and Sherree sewed the cushion-cover for my birthday a number of years ago. It has a mediaeval feel like the painting.

 

I am looking forward to sleeping in my new bed tonight!

 

Bungalow - Update

It has been a few weeks since I have updated the blog. This is mainly because, although the progress has been exciting for me to see, I didn't think everyone wanted to look at plaster in various stages.

A few Mondays ago, we had a huge machine in the backyard while the man dug the trench to connect the sewerage. 

 
Johnno has been here busily painting. Tom tiled the shower and the bathroom floor. 

 
Mum thinks that Peter should regard me as a dream client, as I haven't really cared about the "accessories". He asked me what sort of tiles I wanted in the bathroom, and I said "Plain white ones". He suggested dark grey tiles for the floor as it would look too cold otherwise. I said OK. When he wanted to know what I wanted for the cupboards / pocket doors, I told him just basic, plain ones. He suggested satin chrome, and I agreed that would be fine.

The plumbers came last week to connect the toilet, shower, water, etc. Another man came to fit the shower-screen.

T

This is my cool vanity and tap. I won't have any trouble filling the kettle here.

The electricians have been here over the past few days fitting my lights and fans. Yesterday they connected the power to the shed underground. Will will be able to take down the trellis frames.

Today they put a dual switch in the loungeroom, so I can turn the outside light on when I go to bed, and I can turn it off once I am inside the bungalow. That was the mater's clever idea. She has had quite a few...

They also installed a smoke alarm, for which I am thankful. I wouldn't have thought of that. 


On Tuesday, Johnno painted the back door and fitted a hand-rail for Mum to go down the steps at the end of the deck.

The floors will be sanded and polished next Monday and Tuesday. Then the shelves will be installed in the cupboards and the finishing touches done. I will have a separate security system installed. It is easier to do that than to connect it to the existing one in the house.

I am really looking forward to moving in and sorting out my bits and pieces. I start work tomorrow at The Gordon for five weeks, so it will take me a few weeks to get everything in there. Will and Adam will very kindly put the big things in, and then I can potter around with my fibre and yarn and books and clothes and shoes ...

Bungalow - Week 5

There are some words that evoke the most incredible feelings of warmth. One of those words is

I N S U L A T I O N ... 

You can't believe how happy I was on Thursday morning when I saw Johnno and Tom carrying in lots of lovely bags of insulation...

The electrician put the wiring where I want it to go, and Johnno and Tom installed the cavities for the pocket doors ...

 

  

 

Will came around to do some gardening for Mum, and he very kindly picked up the outdoor setting for us.

On Friday, Johnno and Tom connected the storm water drains in case it rained over the weekend.

Today, Johnno and Tom painted the first coat on the bungalow. I chose Dulux Celery, and it is a lovely, soft green. It is hard to see the actual colour here.

 

The plasterers dropped off the plaster, and they will be back tomorrow  afternoon to start hanging it.

Bungalow - Week 4

Yesterday Johnno and Tom started on the floor, and an electrician put in some of the wiring...

Peter rang last night to ask me to write down where I want the lights and the power-points, so I had to decide how many power-points I need and where to put them.

Today, Johnno and Tom arrived early to finish the floor. I gave them my plan of the electrical fixtures. Johnno asked whether I want telephone wiring and a TV aerial. I said No to both. Our wireless broadband should be OK to use the Laptop out there, and I think three TVs for two people is a little excessive...

Peter rang me at work to discuss my bathroom tap. I had asked for a high tap so I can fill a kettle. He originally priced a standard tap, so wanted to see if I was willing to pay the extra. Yes, I drink a lot of tea, so I want to have the right tap. Apparently, you can pay up to $700 for a tap! Obviously, I won't be.

Peter mentioned that they had installed the new back door. We wanted one with glass as we were losing a window. He very kindly put a handle on it instead of a door-knob, which is easier for Mum to use. Neither of us thought to ask for that, so it was very considerate of him.

The plumber was back. I now have a shower base.

Mum took some photos of the floor and the door ... 

 

 

The door hit me in the eyes as soon as I walked into the lounge! It will be painted, but it made me question my choice of green for the Bungalow...

I took photos of my corner of the Lounge. It will be nice when I have somewhere to put most of this stuff. Of course, it is not all mine. Mum has worked out how she wants to rearrange the room once most of my craft supplies are in the Bungalow.

I Have a Roof!

On Friday, Johnno and Tom were only here for a short time, but they finished the step for the deck and put a privacy screen on top of the fence. Very cool ...

 

When I was checking out the deck, I noticed that I have a shower - well, almost. There is a floor in the bathroom and the pipes for the shower.

The cut-out in the bathroom floor, which will not be tiled, is my linen press. I was going to put a cupboard in the bathroom for my towels and sheets. When I asked Peter to arrange the layout so I could fit it in, he suggested a cupboard with the door in the bedroom. This is a much better idea.

 

Peter the Roofer, came yesterday to have a look at the type of roof, so he would know what he had to do when he came today. It is a four-hipped roof! Of course, this means nothing to me, other than the fact that I will be warm and dry inside ...

Virginia and Glenn picked me up this morning to go to Lifeway Christian Church in Lara, for the ministry and drama presentation from "Operation Ignite". They are a team from "Return Ministries" in Canada, who have a desire to assist Jewish people to return to the Land God gave to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants 4,000 years ago.  

The team consists of three Canadians, two Australian sisters and an Israeli girl, who are currently traveling around Australian churches. Their mission is to "Ignite a Passion for God's Heart for Israel". Their testimonies and the drama were very powerful. It was incredibly moving to see the love of God for both Jew and Gentile portrayed so clearly.

Miriam and her mother, Mrs Buck, were there as well. We caught up with Mark, whom we hadn't seen since our days as Life Centre Youth. He has a couple of lovely daughters, and the oldest is part of the Music Ministry at the Church. She has a great voice. It was so good to talk to him that we didn't leave until 1:00pm. 


When we got back to my house, Peter and his boys were just about to leave, having been there since just after 10:00am...

This shot is through the back window of the bedroom. It was hard to get a clear picture around the other side because of the reflection on the glass.

After lunch, I went to buy some new kitchen chairs. We saw them last Monday when we went shopping, and Mum had had time to consider buying them.

I saw an outdoor white wooden table with four chairs, and decided later in the afternoon to go back to buy it. I also purchased a three-seater bench in the same style. The bench will go at the end of the deck closest to the fence. It is long enough for me be able to read in a reclining position ...

It is coming along nicely ...

Yesterday, the plumbers arrived and installed a tap on the side wall of the bungalow, as well as the internal stuff. After the wall is painted, they will move the tap back.

While the plumbers were doing their thing, Johnno and Tom were finishing off most of the weather-boards and then they started on the deck.

When they left last night, this was the stage it was at...


This shot was taken through the Lounge Room window this morning, so it is not clear, but it shows the merbau wood deck being installed.

Mum and I are very happy with the size of the deck. I am glad we chose to have the extra length.

We plan to pave the ground between the deck and the fence, and put some plants in pots against the fence. With the height of the deck, I can see into the neighbour's yard, so having tall plants to block the view would be good. We will ask Will what he recommends.

The deck is big enough for a nice outdoor setting. Mum can sit outside on lovely winter days, like today, with the sun shining and no wind, and have a cup of coffee, and sew or read.

We had considered putting a sail-cloth overhead to give me some protection from the rain, but have decided not to. It will be nicer to have the sun and light.