Long Overdue!

I just realised how long it has been since I last posted. 18months! So I thought for those of you still out there in blog land I should update with a few recent photos. We've done a lot! Or should I say, Bikeman has done a LOT. He has done an amazing job and I'm so proud of our beautiful house. He's had great vision and has done that hard yakka to pull it all off.

We've done a heap inside, too. Painting all done (except garage) and some of those things that needed to be touched up... well that hasn't happened. But no-one notices, not even us anymore! Still to do are the walk in robe fitouts, have kitted out one with an ikea box setup which looks great (not finished putting stuff away yet!) and have bought the stuff for the others, just need to put it all together.

So .... now all we need is some warm weather. Can anyone tell me when winter finishes? We have our lovely solar heating for the pool now, all we need is a couple of 35degree days to test it out!

House is lovely. We are very happy here. We love Romsey and the people we have met. Takes a little bit longer to get anywhere but we just have to factor that in when we go somewhere. Thanks to all who have helped us during our mammoth effort. We love you all and are so lucky to have such wonderful, special family and friends. xxx

Some photos...

The 'pool slide' !!!

Boxes to hold all the pool toys etc.... doubling as handy seats as well!

Beautiful sunset tonight ... no photoshopping here, this was the real deal!

New washing line (yes string needs to be tightened a little!)

More progress - mirrors, moving, showers, skirts, and a washing line!

We're still moving on.. although a LOT slower than we have been moving the last 12 months! Too much swimming in the pool, hehe. And the kids started back at school which meant for me finishing the rest of packing while the kiddies aren't around to say 'but mum that's my favourite toy ever!'. Nearly done, bringing boxes back as I go so it's not so daunting all at once! Our mirrors were installed a couple of weeks ago, which is really exciting. Sorry I haven't had a moment to take photos, but will put them up when I get a chance. Mirrors in ensuite, bathroom and WC and it makes such a difference to those rooms. Bikeman and Rizzo had a crack at putting up one of the shower screens - took a long time and a lot of frustration when it became apparent (after the first screen was up) that it was smaller than noted on the box ... put all the measurements out... eep! So a bit of ingenious fixing by Bikeman and we have half a shower screen - better than the scraps of plastic underlay I had taped to the sides of the shower to stop the walls getting wet! What else.... ooooh I have a washing line, which is pretty exciting. It's very high up at the moment as we're going to have the concrete paths done soon - lucky I'm tall! Laundry is working brilliantly, is it incredibly dorky to say that I really like my Laundry and all its storage? It is?? OK. I won't say it then. :) Our new couches arrived, they are really comfy and suit the house beautifully. If only now we had time to go looking for a new table, the old green plastic table is starting to look a bit out of place now! We have one in mind, just have to find it. Skirting boards are pretty much all on, apart from one area that is going to be a built in cupboard eventually, so not sure how skirts will affect the cupboard - in place just not painted or nailed on. The rest of the house are nailed on, and have at least the first coat on (80% of the house). I'm seeing the end of painting ... I can see the horizon!!! Oh and then I remembered the doors. Doors need painting, whoops! It's amazing the things you 'don't' see after you move in. Like the blue painting tape around the windows for instance. Some of the windows have been finished already but still the blue tape remains. Almost like part of the window now! Best get cracking and remove it actually, as the window furnishings have been ordered and should be turning up in the next week or so. Will be glad to have my quilt covers back and off the kids windows!! Thanks to all the lovely visitors we have had and the kind comments. We've had a blast, really, during this whole process. There have been a few ups and downs but for the most part it has been great. And we are soooooo lucky to have so many great family members and friends who put in time to help us - thanks to you all. We love you heaps and couldn't have done it without the help from you guys. x That's it for now... photos to come soon.

Cats and Couches are in .... we are officially living at 'The Block'!

Except that now calling it home feels a little odd. The kids still refer to it as the block even though we don't have much stuff at the old house (although admittedly a lot of their toys are still at the old house - need to have a massive 'cull' before packing them into boxes!). And we had our first official visitors since moving in - the Rizzos. Plus the smaller two from the Sandhurst Clan came to stay a couple of nights, so we really have had a full house! Has been lovely though to put all those rooms to good use. So now we have couches to sit on and all of our clothes... yippeeee! And the washing machine, although that only lasted one wash before a leak in the waste pipe put a stop to all that. Bikeman has to get a plumbing part to fix it and then it will be up and running again. And the cats are here - Tiger is now roaming the house quite comfortably (and would like to go outside, thankyou very much) but Purple rarely leaves the safety of the laundry. Every now and then she sticks her head out, may even venture to the room across the hall, hears any little noise and runs back into the laundry behind the dryer. She's not quite ready for the big outside world yet! So we're here - and now have a bit of a role reversal with the houses - now at the old house we don't have a fridge, and had to take the 'building' kettle back there - but have had to stock up on UHT milk so we can have a coffee when we go there! And the cleaning has begun .... oh my god 11 years worth of dust behind things is not a pretty sight. Especially after being in such a sparkling clean new home. Time to roll up those sleeves and get it on the market....

The pool is open for business!

After many hours spent by the Sandhurst Crew and Stevie B, we had a beautiful setting for our very first swim in our fantastic new pool. Hard to believe that only a week earlier it was so murky and green... amazing what some great advice from Ze Pool Man can do (oh and a lot of chemicals and some elbow grease from Bikeman!). We swam and it was GREAT! It was a little chilly to begin with but Pink was in there, straight out no hesitation. It could have had ice floating in it and she would have been in there regardless. Blue had a wonderful time, he has been waiting sooooo long for this pool to be up and ready. And just in time, with a few 35+ days in a row it was the perfect antidote to a hot day (or days)! In the days following we have had lots of visitors which we are really pleased about - why have a pool if you can't share it with friends? Not enough words to describe how much fun it has been. Amazing. Cooling. Delightful. Friends. Perfect.

I think we may have moved in...

I said to Bikeman the other night: "Do you know what? I think we may have moved in without realising". He laughed at me and agreed that perhaps we have. It started with sleeping over a few nights. Bikeman has been here for weeks now, keeping an eye on things and making sure stuff didn't get nicked (as is apparently common at this stage of building). The kids and I stayed every now and then, until the start of last week. We intended to stay for 2 nights, then the kids friends were going to have a sleepover (which didn't eventuate) so that meant another night, then my family came over for dinner the next night (we're up to 4 nights now) and then we stayed Friday night (just because it was Friday). Then it made sense to stay the weekend and now we're at Wednesday and haven't been 'home' yet. Of course we have been 'home', to feed the cats and do washing, but we haven't stayed there. And I'm not sure that we will again. So.... officially moving day is looking like Sunday, possibly... Doo Bah is going to return a favour (or 3) and help move some big furniture into the house. We're nearly ready - only a few arcs and skirts to finish off and we can get that done around the furniture. Enough already! We need to be in, and now. I've had enough of waiting!

What's been happening at 'The Block'

Firstly Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Hope that 201o finds you healthy and happy. A lot has happened at 'The Block' over the last few weeks. Firstly I have reverted to calling it 'The Block'. Firstly it is helping me mentally get back into work mode and secondly it requires further explanation when I say 'home' so that way it is clear! Anyway, we and a variety of our wonderful friends and family have been very busy. Carpets went in thanks to Steve J (they look great) and the pool has the filter and pump attached so would be swimmable if it wasn't so murky. Nothing that a bit of attention from the pool vaccuum and some big time chemicals won't fix! Big thanks to the Sandhurst Crew for fronting up New Years Day after a big night the night before to work their butts off all day to get the fancy plumbing work done. Then came the storm, just minutes after the Sandhurst Crew had downed tools for the day (at 7.20pm I might add) and we were able to watch the most spectacular lightning show that I have seen in some time. Fantastic! Stevie B and his myriad of beasts (machinery, not children!) arrived a couple of days later after the soil had dried out to move around a whole heap of crushed rock. The result: around the pool is now flat and even, able to be walked on without the fear of being held hostage by mud as you walk around. The outside is pretty much now ready for paving/concrete and around the pool is nearly ready for the concrete beam required. Looks FANTASTIC! And not to mention that the Sparkies were back in on Christmas Eve to add in another light at the front (drilling through the wall at 7.30am - not good while suffering from a hangover from the street Xmas Party from the night before!) and powerpoint to the front and the back area (for the pool). And the roofers were back in to finish the downpipes. I've had a heap of 'spakfilla' helpers - Nana P and Jordan B, thanks to you both for your sanding/spakfilla efforts. And unmentioned previously was Orange (cousin of Pink and Blue) who helped me paint the front entrance way and did a GREAT job! Oh and in between all that I finally painted my last wall - our bedroom. Hurrah! Not content with all that walls had to offer, I have moved on to skirting boards and architraves and eventually will finish the doors as well. I must say the rooms look much more finished now with the skirts/arcs painted. All the carpeted areas are now done, apart from doors, so as a result we moved our bed and Blue's bed in over the weekend. And a heap of toys, to keep the billy lids happy while we frantically try and finish it all. Oh ...... and last but definitely not least : we have CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY!!! Meaning that officially we can move in - which we had planned to do before now but we're just not quite ready. So hopefully now we will be in over the next 2 weeks - probably gradually, each time we go up we'll take another load. And in between all that we had Xmas in the Mount and New Years at home. Is it any wonder we're looking a bit weary? Looking forward to being able to lay my hat at the new house and call it 'home'. Fancy Plumbing by the Sandhurst Crew, designed by Mrs B Skirting, Architraves, Carpet and a bed! Starting to look like a real room - Blue's Room. Even sheets as curtains!

Our bedroom - pink post it hearts courtesy of Pink. 'Up high so the babies can't get them' - not sure what babies but a cute thought. Very nice to have carpet underfoot and a real bed to sleep on!

Stevie B in the midst of moving around crushed rock. By the end of the day was all level around the pool.

Thanks to all our helpers we are soooooo lucky to have such wonderful people around to help us. Happy New Year to you all and my New Years Resolution for this year: To spend more time with my family and friends. And not so much on the bloomin' house!

Current pics

Excavation around the pool and rock placement View from the back (the new 'hill' - the water tank!)

Driveway ... love the shape!

Bikeman and the kids getting their feet wet. Looks so much better down that side with the excess dirt removed, a much more usable area.

So close but yet so far.....

Everything seems to have ground to a halt. Mentally that is. It all started when we had a sleepover (which was great fun, I might add!) but ever since that day I no longer see this place as a construction site that has work to be done but instead I see it as a home. And I want to clean it and live in it! 'Who cares if we don't have skirting boards anyway' I find myself thinking. I see now why everyone says 'finish it before you move in or you never will' - it's that mental step that you take from giving you the drive to finish and just wanting it all to be over. Although the interior has stalled a little (yes I'm STILL painting... egads!) the exterior is looking absolutely brilliant! Dean the Digger has been here many days now shaping the driveway and the back yard around the pool with some granite rocks sourced from another building site and they look fantastic! How that man can make that huge machine carry and place those massive boulders like they are light as a feather I will never know. He is brilliant at his job (and a great guy to boot)! Photos to follow soon - to top it all off both my computer and Bikemans computers died within a week of each other so I'm using a borrowed laptop and I'm missing my Photoshop for minimising those photos! Oh the timber floor is finished and it looks fabulous. Not too red at all, it's just perfect. And the timber floor layer was excellent, a 'devilishly handsome irishman' (self proclaimed) who was quite cute, I might add, although I could only understand about half of what he said his accent was so thick. Gorgeous, but who knows what I could have agreed to??? We all stayed over again at the 'block' tonight as Blue has his new school orientation tomorrow morning, and Pink has her last day of kinder (and I've volunteered for Kinder Duty - she's been bugging me all term to do it!). So as we were here for basketball tonight anyway thought it was just as easy to stay. This really is a lovely house and I'm so looking forward to moving in here. At night in particular it is just so lovely to sit and look at the view, the lighting inside is just perfect and it feels like HOME. Mind you a real bed and some more furniture would just be the icing on the cake! So when are we moving in .... well moving date has been pushed out a little to be the week between Christmas and New Year due to a few 'hiccups' and also that we are having the carpet laid on the 23rd Dec. Nothing like leaving it til the last minute! And we need time to get motivated again.

Let there be light :)

It finally happened ... we have electricity. No more plugging in 3 extension cords and having to turn off the floodlights when we want a coffee. No more having to go home when it is dark. No more going to the toilet with a torch. Let there be light!! And yes that shadowy figure is me, working working working .... sweeping at 9pm ready for the flooring to be laid the next day. Rumpus room looking back toward the front entry way - can just see the bottom of the beautiful chandelier KQ suggested ... love it! Don't have a very good picture of it yet, bit hard to photograph with a camera phone. Best to come visit and see it in all its glory!

I LOVE the way the house looks from the front. The front lights that Bikeman suggested look just perfect with the front of the house. And with the chandelier on it lights up the little triangular window above the door. Fantastic!!

When are we moving in again? Seems like a real house now.... click! Lights off, goodnight...

Flooring, Tank and Verandah

Well we have flooring! Delivered on one of the wettest days I've seen in a long time. The poor delivery guys, it poured for 5 mins before they arrived then the whole way through the delivery, and then promptly stopped about 5 mins after they finished. I helped them to avoid too much mud being transferred into the house and got saturated in the process. They attempted a few runs with their normal shoes - anyone who has been the Block on a rainy day will know that is not a good idea - and finally accepted my offer of gumboots. All good fun! Our lovely tank... just waiting to be hooked up and filled with water!

The roof is now on the verandah, and it really finishes the house off nicely. Gives a lovely bit of shade to the front area of the house, I can just imagine sitting on the deck sipping a nice cuppa and looking at the beautiful view.

Splashback!

It's in! After much deliberating and thinking about it, it was installed today. I can't say it's instant love but I'm sure it will grow on me... It is supposed to be 'superclear' glass (without the green tinge) but it does appear to have a bit of a green tinge ... but anyway, the glass provides a beautiful reflection of the external area and you can see the pool reflected in it. So I do like it! Really, I do :)

Tropical Cyclone Romsey

Ok well it wasn't quite a cyclone. But there was one helluva lot of water!! And unfortunately our downpipes aren't quite connected yet so the water coming off the roof near the pool was spewing straight into the pool hole, and thus the pool. And although Blue exclaimed 'Oh there's water in the pool we should have bought our bathers' it wasn't really swimming weather or clear water for swimming! The first photo was taken when we first arrived at the house this morning, after heavy downfall of rain most of the night: And then approx 4 hours later, the water was continuing to rise. I thought Bikeman might actually have a conniption.

Thankfully our new friends the 5D's down the road had a pump that they very kindly offered for us to use. So off Bikeman went to collect....

...and as we had to get it into the deep part into the water he went. And it was c-c-c-cold! First swim in the pool, not quite as he expected. I had the camera trained on him in the hope he would go a-over-t and I would get some great 'falling in the water' shots. But alas, not this time.

This was taken right when it was absolutely pouring down. Everything was absolutely saturated and there was a river flowing outside in the street. You can see the water pouring into the pool hole on the LHS of the photo.

This shows how much water there was on the other side of the house - out the laundry door. Drainage not in properly yet, but even so I didn't see it get that high even during winter. Why did we spend all that money on a swimming pool when we could have just used this side of the house???

Wet old Romsey. Rain is good but not in such titanic proportions and not when we're waiting to finish our pool! Oh and having our tanks in would have been great .... never mind... at least our tank at home is full now.

Another busy week on the cards - electrical, more plumbing (outdoors) and flooring towards end of week. It's actually starting to look like a real house!

We have a real, working toilet!!!

Ok, so perhaps toilets aren't all that exciting for everyone else. But if you'd been using a portable toilet for the last 6 months you'd be excited too! The plumber was in last week, doing all the internal fitoff. We now have: working toilets, showers, basins, sinks! Very exciting to have running water and not have to leave the house to take the kids to the loo. Showers are in but were still waiting on showerheads (have since arrived). Shower screens not up yet. Basin in our ensuite

Toilet

I also finished painting the main living area. Love love love the colour. Not too much longer now.... hopefully....

And while the plumber (Jnr) was busy doing his thing, Dean the Digger made an encore appearance on a hot 36 degree day and set to work flattening the big pile of soil up the back of the house, and moving the soil from the pool dig to the driveway. So we now have (kindof) a driveway - bit more soil needs to go in to make it a bit wider, then concrete, then we'll have a real working driveway. Didn't stop bikeman from driving his car up into the garage the other night though!!!

On the neighbours block looking back towards the back of our block...

The back where the pile of dirt used to reside ... now nice and flat ready for our big 22500 lt tank to be delivered sometime this week.

Pink was creating her very own 'Where's Wally' - every photo I took this little blonde head popped up in and more often than not struck a pose. You can just imagine how dirty her legs were from all the dust at the end of the day!!!

The pool is a-happening!

In the stinking heat of last week we had two very important visitors to our little patch of dirt - Dean the digger and Ze Pool Man (aka Mr Baird from the Sandhurst Crew). Dean worked like a navvy, removing a whole heap of dirt from the hole and creating just the perfect size to fit the pool. There were a few rocks along the way, but nothing that needed the rock breaker, but enough that he sheared through two of the bolts holding on the arm at the end of the loader - not good! So he was hampered a little while waiting for replacement bolts. Meanwhile our good friend Ze Pool Man was busy plumbing the in-floor cleaning system ready for it to be dropped in the ground. I, having suffered my little fall just a few short days before, wagged painting and just ran to hardware store as required, made some followup phone calls and made sure the boys were fed and watered.

So, in the end ... the pool was placed in the ground the next day with a minimum of fuss (well apart from the big tipper truck nearly ending up in the hole - but that's another story)... ready for some more plumbing this week and then some water! Woo hoo!! Photos to come soon....

Chocolate, anyone? Mmmmm I just want to EAT it!

Well last week I finished the feature walls in both the theatre room and the rumpus room and I LOVE the colour! It looked just like chocolate in the can, and although I admit when I first rolled it on the wall I had an 'eeeek what have I done moment' .... the finished product I just adore. Both walls need a second coat, but don't look too bad to start with.

And of course our Laundry was installed last week, which looks fantastic. Really happy with the look and the massive number of cupboards - now for the fun part, filling them!

Decking: check! Stairs: check!

Bikeman has been working hard this weekend gone, while the kids and I travelled interstate for our gorgeous nieces' dancing concert. He was able to finish the decking ... nearly... just two pieces short! Never mind, we had to get more anyway to do the edges and down the front. It's enough to be usable and to get us C of O! And he finished the small stairs, from the dining to the rumpus room (near the sliding door)

... and the big stairs, in the entrance way. All ready for timber flooring at the end of the month!

Another big C of O tick! He also did the stairs in the garage but I forgot to take a photo of them. So he worked very hard, and I'm very proud of him. Back to the real world today - subcontractors to harass and painting awaits!