HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANTE, AND GARDEN PROGRESS

ABOVE:  Happy Birthday to our grandson Dante... we hope you have an awesome day.  And CONGRATULATIONS on being awarded 'Student Of The Week' on Friday!  Well deserved.

GARDEN PROGRESS from yesterday:

 ABOVE:  This section of the garden is mostly our stuff and two new plants I bought the other day.  It's looking lovely.

 ABOVE:  I love how this is such a pretty front door/entrance feature.  It's going to look even better once we get a new fence there.  We are going to make a screen type thing to hide the air conditioning unit too.

 ABOVE: Stew did so well clearing everything off the BBQ Table.  Most of it has gone around the back for now, to be positioned around the property at a later date.

ABOVE:  He pulled out three roses and two shrubs from this garden.  I will be getting new plants for this garden, and adding some that I bought with us from our Cambridge garden.

For the rest of this week I am going to concentrate on Christmas Preparation.  I've done NO gift shopping... and I would like to get the tree and decorations up too.
So... I might be going shopping today.

ONWARD...

2.42 pm:  And I've just returned home from shopping.  It was EXHAUSTING!
I went to the Base, then into the city centre too.

I think I have 90% of the Christmas presents, so I did well.

ABOVE:  Molly, (the ex-cleaning trolley), is super handy for transporting shopping from the car to the house I must say.  *smiles*

Now 'all' I have to do is wrap and label it all, put up the friggin Christmas tree and decorations, and I'll be ready for Christmas.

I might just wait till Steve and Bex get here... and let them do the tree and deco's.  I'm just too bloody tired to contemplate it right now.

GARDEN STUFF

Today Stew and I are going to try and concentrate on getting this lot sorted out:

ABOVE:  Because the gardens here are so much smaller... it's going to be difficult to find places to put this lot.

But... we will get it sorted I'm sure.

 ABOVE:  I have started putting out some Christmas decorations!

ABOVE:  Needs different lights to be more effective I think. Or I could just wind the lights around the bottle?  Yeah, that might look better.
And double sided tape would have looked better to hold them on there, but well... that's in a box SOMEWHERE in the garage!  So Blu Tack it is.


ABOVE:  yep... much better. *smiles*

Right... I better get up and start the day.  

ONWARD...


ABOVE:  He's started on the gardens.  
And I've been hanging pictures since 7 am, and I've still not finished.

OMG KELLY... you say you offered to help us with our move?  Like HELL you did.  NOT ONCE did you offer, you only made EXCUSES why you couldn't.  I really don't understand people who believe their own bullshit.  

Rant over.... AND I'm fuming.

As THE OLD MOO pointed out to me just before, Amanda and Russell have been just as conspicuous in their 'absence'.  I had not planned on saying anything on my blog about it, but I'm just so DISAPPOINTED in the three kids who live here in Hamilton.  How hard would it have been to enquire if we needed a hand?  Offered even? 

 ABOVE:  Unexpected, but very welcome visitors this afternoon, Martyn, Jacqui and their two kids, and Harry the dog.

 ABOVE:  Sofia and Harry got to stay while their Mum and Dad and brother went to the mall.
Harry sat on top of the couch watching out for them... he was rather cute.

ABOVE:  Keera came over for the afternoon as well... she is having a lovely visit with her Mum and us.

Stew has gone out to a Memorial Service for a long time friend of his.  I opted to stay home with the girls.  I'm not up to going out, hell, I've not even done my hair today!

Once everyone had left, I got a text from Stew.  Saying how about we go out for dinner? 
So we did.
We went to Portofino, an Italian Restaurant in town.  It was a very nice place and the food was wonderful.

Such a nice way to end such a busy weekend.

Now.  Off to bed early as we are both knackered.

HUGE PROGRESS

Last night I got into the Studio and finished getting everything out, except the shelving units, tables etc.

And then I got it set up ... ready to move all the 'stuff' back in!

ABOVE:  Looking pretty empty right now.  But wait ... it won't be long before I have it all set up and ready to go.

 ABOVE:  Stew wrote himself a list of things to do this weekend.  Cardboard to refuse station.  Scoop dog poop. Fix dog's gate (it's a bit too hard to open and close). Put up our letterbox number. Sort out the roof box (find somewhere to store it).  And lastly, the bit I like the most... Do ... 'As ordered by the wife'!!!

*** He's a sensible man. ***

ABOVE:  Our fish and pond are looking so much better now.  I read that 'town water' is toxic to goldfish, but after refilling their pond with town water, they seem to be just fine.
And of course, the water is much clearer now.

I hope when I go outside later they are not all floating!  lol

ONWARD...

10.24 am:  And we've just been down to Mitre 10 for a few bits 'n' bobs.  We had to buy a new Insinkerator, the one in the house ain't going.  This afternoon we will be getting a new kitchen tap too... then getting a plumber in to install both of them.

Oh we also got a new outside clothes line, one that fits on the fence and can flip down when not in use.

So many things to get!  But once we are finished, this home is going to be awesome.  Perfect for us.

We are expecting visitors for lunch.  So we stopped at the Flagstaff Bakehouse... it's got a very good selection of food.  

Now... what can I get up to next? *smiles*

11.00 am:  I asked Lacy to come around... to eat the left overs... and I also had an ulterior motive.

When we were out this morning I spotted a beautiful hydrangea on a bank beside a super busy intersection.  And I thought ...   hmmmm, I'm sure Lacy can climb up there and get me a cutting.

So ... once Lacy had eaten some left overs, I took her for a drive. 


ABOVE:  And there she is,  getting me a cutting!  And trust her, she did a 'HOLLYWOOD' at the end. Thanks Lacy, you rock.

ABOVE:  Our number is up.  And it looks awesome.  I just love the old railway sleeper we mounted it on too.

ABOVE:  Stew has now taken off that little, huckery number 5, to the right of our lovely BIG number 5.  lol

ABOVE:  Some lovely little visitors today.  We have not seen these two since February, so it was extra special to see them. Thanks Andrew.

After our visitors left we went to Mitre 10, Bunnings and Placemakers to look for a new kitchen tap.

We ended up back at Mitre 10 pondering over 2.
In the end we actually bought the same one we got in Cambridge.  It's going to be higher than the top of the servery bench in front of the sink, but never mind.  It's the one I like.

It is STINKING HOT today! OMG it's going to be a long, hot summer.   I hope we get our pool up and running asap.  Though, we do have to clear the land and actually have the pool here first eh?  lol

For dinner tonight I cooked two Chicken and Bacon pastry roll ups.

ABOVE:  One had Basil Pesto and the other had Caramelised Onion Relish, both had Mozzarella Cheese too.  We had a lettuce salad on the side.
It was DELICIOUS.  One of my favourite dishes now days.

Stew and I won't be late out of bed tonight, we are both trying not to fall asleep right now, and it's only just after 8 pm.

IT STILL WORKS

ABOVE: I've managed to put the sewing desk in it's place (for now, cos I might still move it ... ya know!).  And then I put the sewing machine on it and plugged it in.   AND IT GOES!  What a relief.   I left the sewing machine up to the moving company to transport here... that might have been a bit risky.  But all good. 

ABOVE:  I had no idea where I was going to put the tea wagon!  Then ... thought of this space.  The previous owners of this home had a huge 'Glory Box' here.  I think the tea wagon looks way better suited here.
I'm not sure what I'll put on it yet, not too much or it will look cluttered.

So, today I'm concentrating on the Studio again.  There is still lots to do in there.  I haven't even started unpacking actual 'sewing stuff' yet!  I've just  been working on getting things out of there that don't belong, and arranging shelves etc.

It all takes time right?

WEIGH IN LAST NIGHT:  I lost 2.3 kgs.  I'm sure that's quite a bit of fluid loss, as I've been sweating heaps!  Let's see what happens over the next week.

ONWARD...

8 am:  And I'm outside filling up the fish pond.  I forgot to turn the pump off overnight and it lost over half it's water!  I don't know where or how.  Something to look at at a later date.
But anyway, I'm out front and Delia from Number 19 walks by with another lady, so I call out 'Hi Delia' and they stop for a quick chat.  The other lady was Pauline from Number 20.  *smiles*  Getting to know the neighbours, it's neat.

I'm going out this morning, I've a few jobs to do ... groceries, Heavy Duty picture hangers, maybe a tree?  lol

Well STEVE... I took the entire morning OFF and went shopping.  So stop stressing out about me over doing it would ya?  *smiles*

We got some plants for Wairere Nursery... just a Robinia Lace Lady tree and a Hydrangea.  Stew will get to plant them tomorrow.

We let our fingers do the walking and found some water lily's just up the road...

 ABOVE:  Palmers at Rototuna is a really awesome shop!  Plants, gifts, outdoor furniture and BBQ's etc... love it.
And they had 17 lily's, so I got two.

ABOVE:  Don't they look wonderful!  The one on the right is going to be blue-ish/purple.

Then we went into town on a wasted trip to find a Christmas Wreath holder for the front door... so I've ordered one, and after THAT... we grabbed some groceries and came home.

And now I'm actually taking another 'break', cos shopping in this heat is tiring.

I've just been out again and paid for our new pool!
It should arrive in a week or so.... which means once we clear the area where it's going it can be installed... it's 'just' an above ground, Para Pool ... a slightly better version of the one we had in Cambridge.
With a gorgeous liner:

ABOVE:  isn't it just lovely?  So much nicer than the standard dark or light blue.

So... we decided to prank Steve, and sent him this photo of me about to chop down a tree:

ABOVE: He fell for it and rang me immediately! lol ... as IF I'd chop down trees.
Actually, hold on... YES I WOULD.

But... I will be sensible and leave that up to the men.

Well... after doing bugger all today, I did do a little bit of sorting in the Studio tonight.
And now... it's time to do nothing again.  *smiles*

SUN ROOM SORTED

We had a rug under the dining table in Cambridge.  Stew measured up the Sun Room, then took the rug down to Frankton to be cut and edged for the Sun Room.

It only took a day to be done.  It's been made slightly too long, so we have to cut it at the far end, grrrrr.

Last night Stew put it in place:

ABOVE:  Before.

ABOVE:  During.

ABOVE:  After.

Apart from it being a bit long, it's great there.

It's like a third living space.  I envision the grandkids playing, and us enjoying the cooler evenings over summer in here.

Where the toy basket is right now is where the Christmas tree will be going.

Once I get the rest of the house sorted out. 

Another thing Stew got done last night:

ABOVE:  The new key holder is up by the front door.  I will probably find a really nice container to put the fish food in, up there on the shelf.

ABOVE: The front door foyer... it just needs the mirror put above the credenza, and it will be done too.

Believe it or not, I am starting on the Studio today.  In fact, I already did a few things in there yesterday... but not much.

ONWARD... 

 ABOVE:  Lacy arrived bright and early, and promptly got a job.

ABOVE: Just a bit of titivating before we tackle the HUGE job in the Studio.

ABOVE: Tonight's dinner will be Beef Schnitzel.
In case you's were wondering.  ha ha ha!

LYNDA:  You are correct.  I have taken it down.  It will go in the family room hallway.

Lacy and I have been working for three hours, now taking a break.

 ABOVE:  We have stacked up all the boxes and smaller things in the garage, so we can move shelving, desks etc in the Studio.

ABOVE: There is still quite a bit to sort out, but it's getting there!

OK... I'm off to WW soon.  I expect a loss of more than .100 grams today.  But.. you won't know how much till tomorrow, cos you all been slack arses and not commenting today!  You all busy then?
I've been busy, but still done heaps of blog updates!  Just sayin'.  Over 600 blog views so far today and just 3 of you bothered to say 'Hi'.  Pfffft.  

Ha ha!  Thanks for the lovely comments, feel better now.

As for my weigh in... I must have sweated A LOT!  Results.... TOMORROW.  So there.

I'm now cooking dinner, then I'm going to do NOTHING.  Then go to bed.
Catch ya tomorrow.

REALLY TAKING IT EASY TODAY

I've decided to have a day 'off' from the unpacking today.

Everything aches, and I'm getting really horrendous cramps in weird places.
Sweating too much and not drinking enough obviously.

Last night I drank a glass of salty water to try and head off the night cramps I've been having.

I got home from Cards last night, stepped out of the car and got a really bad cramp in the back of my left thigh... it was excruciating.  AND I also got one in my left forearm of all places, it made my hand all twisted.  

If these cramps keep happening I might go to the doctor to see if there's anything I can take to stop them.

They are horrible.

Talking of Doctors, we will have to find a new one.  There's a couple of choices over here... Either Flagstaff, a 10 minute walk up the road), or at the Rototuna Shops.  I like the look of both of them.
I might ask on Facebook which one people recommend.

ABOVE:  The OLD MOO sent me this photo last night (text'd so shit quality)... showing me their face masks.  All set for smokey air... the fires in Australia make masks kinda necessary I'd say.
I think the nearest fires to them are out now, but I'm not sure.?  They are all still on HIGH ALERT though.

At Card Night last night, we all took along a Christmas Gift, and we played 'pass the parcel'.  I ended up with something PERFECT for me!  It's a hand stamped necklace:

ABOVE:  I like to think I'm a 'Wise Woman' ... ha ha ha!
One of our Card Night ladies has a home based business selling Hand Stamped Jewelry, this is one of her Creations.  

And now ... I'm going to roll over and try to grab a few more Zzzzzz's.  Catch ya later.

ONWARD...

9.40 am:  And I've been outta bed for about 30 minutes!  Done nothing yet but feed the fish.
While out there feeding said fish, a lady walked by and she stopped to say 'Hello'.
She's at Number 19... so a few houses down from us.

She runs the street's Neighbourhood Watch... which is a community 'watch' group, where neighbour's keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour, break ins and so on.

Lovely lady named Delia.  She told me we have moved into a really lovely area, and as there's 5 police officers living in the street or just one 'over'... we should feel pretty safe!

That was a lovely way to start the day I must say.
Now... I'm going to think about what to do... something easy.

FELICITY:  Babe, you know me too darn well!  Of course I will end up doing something. lol

Right.  Does anyone know anything about Goldfish?

Cos we have a few, and some look a bit weird.

ABOVE:  See this one?  It's got weird blobs all over it's body.  And then there's one with a HUGE belly... is it having babies, or is it going to EXPLODE??? 

I have no idea.

Can I just say I want to *squeal* with how GORGEOUS my kitchen is looking?   I've got my blue glass up above the cabinets and a few other things dotted around... it's starting to look and feel like HOME.

Photos once it's 'done'.



ABOVE: Fluffing around.  It's fun.

ABOVE: Today's mission, return 90% of Allied Pickford's boxes.  So glad they are out of my lounge.

Lacy and I also got some stuff for the pond to help stop any more goldfish catching the virus a couple already have.

We then went down to a little lake off Forest Lake road to try and get a couple of water lily plants, but Lacy couldn't reach down far enough to get the roots.  So we came home with a couple of ... LEAVES.  *shaking my head*
That will have to do for now.

After that we did a quick visit to the supermarket for Magnesium and essentials.  

Now home, had lunch and... I'm gunna have a nap!

Well... it's 5.25 pm.  And the nap didn't happen.  I lay down in the lounge and tried to sleep.  But phone calls, and other stuff kept interrupting me, so yeah.   No nap.  But I did just lie there and relax for quite a while, so a rest is as good as a nap I'm sure.

Today has flown by!  I need to start making dinner, tonight we are having Spaghetti Bolognese.  

OH I forgot to say, Lacy and I also dropped a really big bunch of woolen blankets and a duvet off to the Salvation Army Op Shop this morning too.  So much less clutter in the linen cupboards now, I've only kept what I feel we need for our own use, and visitors.

9.10 pm:  And another day done and dusted.  Dinner was lovely.
Stew got home and had to do a couple of jobs... poor man.

Time to end the day and relax till bedtime.

MORE BOXES ... WHAT ELSE?

Today I will be attacking the boxes in the garage, that way I might actually get my car back in there by the end of the day.


ABOVE:  A peek at what's waiting to be done.
At least in the Studio there are not so many BOXES!  Just stuff to find homes for.

Lacy is coming over again to help today. So there will be three of us working on those boxes.

I plan on going to the mall at some point today,  as I need to do some gift shopping... and get one posted off in time for a birthday.
I also need to buy some ceramic stove top cleaner.  There's bound to be something else I need... but my mind is literally mush right now... still pretty tired.

The dogs had a grooming appointment back in Cambridge for early January, but it's so hot right now,  I wanted them groomed earlier.  So luckily I managed to get them both appointments (different days) just before and after Christmas at Animates just 5 minutes from here.

I think I will stick with Animates now, I don't see the point in driving the dogs back to Cambridge and having to wait hours for them to be groomed.  

Embracing Hamilton life right?  *smiles*

ONWARD...

" Grab the step stool please, I want to look up above the kitchen cupboards to see what it's like ".... 

ABOVE:  Dammit.... need larger ladder.  I'm too damn short.

10.49 am:  Unpacked half of the boxes in the garage.  There's a good few (9-ish) that are fabric and sewing room stuff, and that can wait till I can actually work on the sewing room.

Got most of the towels, table cloths and runners put away.  Now for the rest of the linen:

ABOVE:   I'm not even talking to myself now.
Just overwhelmed with how much bloody linen we have.
I'm putting some aside for Brylee (when she leaves home), keeping some and taking the rest to the Hospice Shop.

Who the hell needs that many blankets/duvets and pillows???   Bloody hell.

 ABOVE: Both linen cupboards are done!  There might be more linen in the Studio... but for now... it's done.
All the 'spare' pillows are under Brylee's 'Storage Bed'.

ABOVE: Bedroom 2 is done too.  Not sure if that Zebra painting will go on that wall yet... but for now it's just sitting there minding it's own business... and staying out of the way.  *smiles*

10.55 pm:  So.  I went over to Cambridge tonight to Card Night.  Stew got home from Rotorua and then had to take Brylee to her work Christmas Function.  Then he came home and had to cook his dinner:  Sausages, Potatoes, Red Onion, Capsicum and herbs 'n' spices.
I had chocolate, chips, dips, Christmas Fruit Tarts and so on.  Not exactly healthy!

Now home and about to head off to bed. BONE TIRED.