The never ending story

We are still at it. The reno's seem to never end. The scaffolding has been up now for over 6 weeks and I am over it!!!! Thankfully - nice weather permitting, it will be down next week and we can start the cleanup. There has been a lot of work happening around our joint lately and it should all pay off - I hope.... I can hardly even remember what it was like before everything. I have tried to take photo's here and there to remind me, but it just seems like it never was sometimes. I am so happy that upstairs and downstairs is now connected and the house seems whole. That was a biggy for me and every time I go downstairs to do the laundry I think how grateful I am that I dont have to walk out the front of the house with my dirty laundry for everyone to see anymore!!! We are hoping that next week will be the end of contractors intruding in our space for a little bit. I just want a bit of privacy again. We are not finished however, and still have the balcony to add. It is going to take a bit of time though as we need to get an engineer to do up some thingy's for us and put back into council. I am hoping that it will all be finished though before summer, so that I can lay out there and enjoy all the hard work we have put in and finally de-stress!

Reno's, before rendering. Gorgeous new front door down stairs.

add a bit of render..... 

our beautiful blackbutt timber internal staircase.

A bit of the view from our living area.

The mess out back

scaffolding has trashed a lot of my poor garden

 This last week saw some pretty hectic weather come our way and much to my dismay my poor garden suffered. When the wind howls through from the south the garden she cops a bit of trouble. The north side of the garden has the best drainage and most things grow the best there, however when the southerly comes through it is the most unprotected part and a lot of the plants suffer. I'm not sure my broad beans will recover, only time will tell. Funnily enough thought the brassica's seem to have been unaffected at all and are continuing to thrive. Most of the garden has, as you know, received little attention whilst the reno's have been happening, but thankfully there is still plenty going on and its providing everyday. I had a friend off load some lovely garlic and tomatoes last week and thankfully they have braved the bad weather and are coming along just nicely. I do look forward to more days back in the garden, only soon I'll be able to turn around and see our lovely renovated (exterior) house as well!

Sugar snap peas and parsnip

garlic sprouting between the kholrabi and fennel

The fennel got a bit burnt after the heavy sea winds

basil burnt after the heavy sea winds

and the broad beans burnt from the heavy sea winds....

more branches down after the crazy weather

gifted garlic taking nicely in its new home

cabbage sprouting in all its glory

gooseberry delight

coriander, flat leaf parsley and dill growing amongst the self seeded mignonette lettuce

the bundled  pots not happy whilst reno's are on!

some chookie treats growing out back

That face!

Homemade ferments, Kombucha, apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut and milk kefir

my new toy for running

a piece hubby has been working on

Hubby had his check up with the neuro-surgeon last week and things are going along and healing marvellously for him! He has been back at work, although he cant drive just yet and is back into his usual hobby's. Just today he picked out some of his old paintings that he started some time ago and is, as we speak tinkering away at them again. I am so grateful everyday that he has pulled through this accident and things look positive for the future. Life it feels is getting back to us. Of course these blasted reno's are still interfering, but I am back to getting a couple of runs in - and now I have a new toy to use too, and things are feeling good! The kids are happy everyday - none of 'all this' seems to bother them at all! What more could one ask for. Anyway, talk again soon xx.