WALK THEN ...

 

It's another early start today.

I'm meeting up with Lacy for a mall walk.

Once that is done, I am going to Mitre 10 to get some gib stop stuff, to get the bathroom walls sorted out.  

I might wait and leave it up to Steve to actually put it on, he knows what he's doing. 

I am trying not to rush this job, as I really want it done nicely.  And it's not like I want to take a HOT bath yet eh?  

I'm more likely to be having a cool shower if anything.

Yesterday afternoon I did a little painting in the family room.  I just did the end panel of the kitchen bench, and the end wall of the full height cabinet.

ABOVE:  I didn't expect Stew to even notice the change.  And I was right. 😂😅😊

I'm trying to decide if I want to paint all the kitchen cupboards white.  Still undecided.  It would be a rather big job.

For now though, it can wait.  I'll be painting the bathroom soon enough.

My plans for the rest of today involve getting that runner bag made.  I didn't do it yesterday as I got carried away with other jobs.

BACK LATER...

ABOVE:  Another nice walk this morning with Lacy.  We did 5 loops around the mall.  The sun came out towards the end of our walk and it got hot.

ABOVE: Because we didn't go inside the mall, our distance and duration are correct today.

After the walk, I went to Mitre 10 for gib stop stuff, and then came home.

Now... I'm going to do bugger all for a little while.

I'm not going to overdo it like I did yesterday.

12.48 pm:  And I have done nothing.  Just tired today.  I don't feel like doing a thing either.

The runner bag can wait.

Lacy called in for leftovers.  She owed me $10. I refused to take it back.

So the bitch has hidden it somewhere here.

And I've spent an hour looking for it.

Now I've given up.

Sun... Swimming... Sun. That has been my afternoon.

Done nothing else, it's been just the most lazy day, and I've loved it.

Steve and the boys are coming over later on for a swim, and Steve will do the first coat of gib stopping.  All going well the room might be ready for paint by the weekend.

And I take it everyone is super busy?  Helloooooo... am I talking to myself?  Maybe I am 😂😊.  Nevermind, the blog is for our memories at the end of the day.  History in blog form eh?  I love it, and I hope my future generations get a laugh out of it one day.

Well I've really enjoyed my utterly lazy day!  We ended up at Steve 'n' Bexs for dinner, and a cuddle with Lily.  Of course!

Home now, and looking forward to a quiet evening before...

MORE BATHROOM WORK

 

Sometime today the plumber is coming back to fit the mixer and spout now that Steve's put the jib board up.

There are definite steps involved in this sort of job.  Things have to happen in the correct sequence or it doesn't work out.

ABOVE:  That's the wall/pipes/plumbing covered up.    Next step is getting the drainpipe cut to size and a gully trap installed, whatever that is!

Still lots to do.... bath in, walls prepped for paint/panelling etc etc.

It's not a two hour job, that's for sure.

Once all that is done I get to tittivate.  Shelves and so on.  That's going to be fun.

ABOVE:  Our darling Lily last night.

Things are going really, really well with her (and Bex).  Baby is feeding well, sleeping well overnight, and has her 'fussy' time during the day.  Which is way better than in the middle of the night!

ABOVE:  I saw this on Facebook yesterday and was like... SPOT ON!

Though I don't have too much to do to get me life 'together'... age sorts out so much. 

CATCH YA LATER...

8.26 am.  And I have been dicking around with paint again this morning.

Stew looked at the two samples on the wall last night.  I thought the original colour was too bright, so toned it down with some black, and quite liked it.

Stew didn't.  He liked the original colour.

So I've just doctored it again, and it's more like the original colour now.

I'm sticking with that.  

And I'm not showing you until it's all done and painted in the bathroom! 

My next job was to hang out washing.  And I did put it outside, cos while we have had some rain overnight, I don't believe we will get any more.

Then I decided to get on with making another runner bag for markets, to lessen the confusion of what goes where.  It's a thing.

So I go into the sewing room and immediately am like, well bugger!

ABOVE:  I really thought I'd already done a big tidy up in here.  😖  Obviously not.  So that's me next job, before I make the runner bag.

SO TYPICAL.  IT'S NOW RAINING.

Dogstars:  I sweep all the bits into a pile and pick it up by hand before I vacuum.  And today Lacy is doing the vacuuming for me... thank goodness, cos my back is not happy.

I have been having a ball pottering around in the house today.  I've got quite a few jobs done.

There is something I have to go out to buy, but damned if I can remember what it is!  Grrrr.  It will come back to me at some point... WAITNG for the lightbulb moment.

ABOVE:  I can always rely on Lacy to give me a hand.  Thanks Lacy, I really appreciate all you do for me.

My plumber is a no show... perhaps he will turn up after lunch?

I had hoped to visit Bex and the kids by now... 😒

1.43 pm:  And Steve rang the plumber and got an eta.... so he should be here soon.

ABOVE:  In the meantime, I went to Mitre 10 for some paint rollers... and then very quickly visited Bex and the kids.  I got a little hold of Lily before she got fretful and wanted to be fed again.  

Home now awaiting the plumber.  I've done a little paint prep work, just painted over the samples on the wall.   Pigmented sealer sure stinks!  

It has turned into another of those damn annoying days where ya run around opening, then closing all the windows!  We've had some more rain, quite heavy too.  Great for the gardens.  And I don't even care that the washing is getting a 2nd and 3rd rinse!  'Tis just linen, not something we will run out of any time soon.

2.09 pm:  And the plumber is back, and he's drilling into me bathroom flooring, which is solid concrete.  Noisy bugger.  I will be happy once this step is done.  

ABOVE:  Man am I happy I didn't actually start the painting properly.  The dust!  At least James thought to close the bathroom door, all the dust is staying in there.

He's such a lovely young man, very thoughtful.  AND YES, I told him to leave his work boots on.  Safety first.

ABOVE: And there we have the next step done.   Mixer, Spout and Gully Trap all ready to go.

James turned the water on, (into a bucket), and we both marvelled at how neat it looked flowing from the spout!

Steve can now put the bath in place, connect it to the gully trap and boom!  Bath is done.

Then I get to do my bit (with Steve's help) ... walls and shelves.

It makes me laugh when I think about how naive I was when I said 'Let's put a bath in there'.   I had no idea just how much was involved.

To some it may seem simple, but it's not!

So happy it is coming together.

It is now 4 pm and thank god, today has been slightly cooler than the past few days.  There's been rain, wind and cloud.

As long as it all passes by Monday, I'll be happy.

Got the Cambridge Church Annual Market on Monday.

Well.... I don't think much more will happen with the bath installation for the next couple of days.

Tomorrow I will do some wall prep work, in readiness for painting and so on.

For now though, it's time to sit and do nothing until it's ....

TWINS

 

YES.... here's more baby spam!

ABOVE:  SERIOUSLY!  The only thing they changed was the plumbing!!!

And I also see a lot of Archer in her as well.  She's adorable, full stop. End of Story.

We are all just in love with her.

Our little spitfire.

She has a very marked preference to which boob she wants to nurse off.

THE LEFT ONE THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

And when Bex offers her the right one, the little spitfire GROWLS at her!  Seriously, she growls.  Then complies, cos there ain't no choice really.

It's hysterical.

I think they are worried she's gunna be a handful, cos she already is.  😂😅😊

ABOVE: Bex bought Lily more onesies yesterday, size 0000.  Everything that they already had is still a bit big on her.

ABOVE: Just look at Marley!  She's so interested in the baby!

In fact, she is overly protective of her.

ABOVE: That is as close as Coco got all afternoon... Marley made sure she kept her distance.

ABOVE: Marley ended up there... keeping a close eye on happenings.

If ANYONE tried to touch HER baby, she licked their hands and tried to nudge them away... even Bex got nudged away from touching baby's legs/hands!

It was really cute, until Marley decided Coco needed to be reminded to not get near baby... she took to her AGAIN!

Lots of growling and snapping.  Poor Coco.

ABOVE:  SNIFF SNIFF.... Coco was too scared to go near Lily though.

Now... back to today, I'm off for a mall walk with Lacy this morning.

I would like to go around the outside perimeter again, at least if it's not too hot already.

We will see.

When I get home it will be time to do all the housework, washing etc.  Just the usual Monday routine really.

BACK LATER...

9.07 am:  Well so much for thunder and rain.  Pfffft.

It's stinking hot and sweaty.  It looks like there was some rain overnight, just enough to keep us living in a sauna.

Today's walk... well Lacy and I managed to do 4 external loops of the mall, and one inside. Inside the mall was utterly deserted!  Way to early for most people, even those who work there.  Perfect for fast walking, no having to dodge peeps.

ABOVE: The time is accurate, but the distance is not.  EDIT: Yes I can see the typo, and I can't be arsed fixing it.

It was bloody hot, and by the end of it I was dripping in sweat.

That didn't stop me from going straight from our walk to Mitre 10, where I bought some paint for the bathroom.

I've now put a little on the wall to see if it's the right shade.  I hope so, if not I shall 'tweak' it myself.

Next up, washing is on.  And I'm about to tidy up the kitchen and so on.  Usual shit.

9.55 am:  THE PLUMBER IS COMING, THE PLUMBER IS COMING..... WHOOP !!!!!

ABOVE: And here we have young James, working on putting the mixer and spout on the wall.

I say young, but he's actually in his late 20's and has been a plumber for over 10 years.

I thought he looked about 16!  lol

Once those are done, Steve steps back in to put new jib on the wall, and install the bath.

He reckons he can do the bath install just fine. 

The paint I bought is too bright.  It's not like the sample sheet at all.  So a bit later on I will be going out to get a test pot of black, to mix it in and dim it down a bit. 

DOGSTARS:  Yes there is an existing drain from when there was a vanity/sink there.  It needs adjusting, which will be done tomorrow. Steve is coming over this evening to install the jib board behind where the mixer and spout go.

So, when the plumber comes back tomorrow he can put them on the wall.  Today the plumber altered all the water pipes to fit the new tapware.

ABOVE:  Tomorrow the actual mixer and spout will be put on.

I managed to doctor the paint I bought by adding black and dark grey to it.

All going well I will be able to paint the bathroom in about a week?  Not sure, it depends on how much Steve can get done in between doing his job and looking after his family.

The gardens and pots need watering, but as we are 'supposed' to get thunderstorms for the next few days, I'm holding off.

So far, there is no sign of any more rain.

Steve and his boys came over early evening, Steve put the jib board up, then we all ended up in the pool.

It was just what everyone needed to cool down after such a hot day.

Once they left, Stew and I had dinner and now it's quiet time before...

  NITE NITE

BATHROOM RENO

 

It is starting!

Today Steve is coming over to cut a big hole in my bathroom wall.

It's to expose the plumbing, so the actual plumber can come in and connect up our new bath.

I'm getting so excited to see it coming together.

There are several other things that need to happen as well.

I've decided to have some panelling put up on the wall around the bath.  Steve is going to do that for us.

I am also getting some new shelves for the room, to hang towels, and to store things like bath bombs, pretty soaps and so on.

And a handrail, to help get in and out of the bath as we age.  Not that I can see Stew in the bath anytime soon, but ya never know.  He might feel like a nice long, hot soak in the middle of winter.

I know that's the big thing I'm looking forward to the most. 😊😌  When I'm chilled to the bone... getting in a lovely hot bath.  BLISS.

ABOVE:  After our swim yesterday, we were all just lounging around... and Stew said "This is how I think of summer, sitting here in the sun enjoying a beer".

Me to darling, me too... well without the beer.

ABOVE:  After some bumpy days with establishing nursing, this little darling has finally cottoned on to it.  Her jaundice is also resolving itself, making her less sleepy and more alert now.  She is looking more and more like her brothers.  The family resemblance is very strong.

Right, I don't need to get outta bed yet, so I won't.  

CATCH YA LATER

A couple of weeks ago, maybe more, I bought a 'Counter Top' cucumber plant.

The idea was you kept it inside on your counter top, and just plucked the mini cucumbers off as they grew.

Yeah.  I watched it slowly start to die.  It just wasn't happy there, so I put it on the dining table.  No improvement.

So this morning, I decided it needed to go outside.

I asked Stew to bring up one of our Vege pods from around the back ...

ABOVE:  I knew exactly where I wanted the vege pod, which meant Stew had to move this big pot ...

ABOVE:  But not too far!   I was so kind, I got him the hand truck to help.  😂😊  

ABOVE: And there ya go, in it's new place.  I hope it does well there, cos those little cucumbers are very yummy.

ABOVE:  Yeah, I made him bring up another vege pod, cos I thought having the lettuces growing nearby would be a neat idea too.

ABOVE:  Very handy there.  And it doesn't crowd that area too much, maybe a little?  Meh, I don't care.

Stew's now escaped... gone down to the mall to get himself some more singlets.  I stayed home so we didn't have to go around and close every window in the house.

Steve, Bex and the kids are due over here after lunch, so Steve can do that bathroom job.

I have a multitude of photos from this afternoon, but they will have to wait until tomorrow.

We are heading off to Cambridge for a meal at our 'old' favourite Indian Restaurant.

It's been a couple of years since we were there, time to go back.

ABOVE: We now have a bigger hole in the bathroom wall... exposing the plumbing in readiness for the plumber.

With any luck he can come sometime this coming week.

On to dinner:

ABOVE: A mixed platter for two, entree.

DELICIOUS.

ABOVE:  I had butter Chicken, Stew had Chicken Tikka Masala.  Both were amazing.

I have to say it, while the Hamilton Restaurant is closer, the Cambridge one is SO MUCH BETTER.

The food is just more flavoursome.

We will be going back to Cambridge from now on.

ABOVE: Even the Garlic and Cheese Naan was to die for.  We couldn't eat it all so gifted some to the people at the next table.  They were very thankful.

Waste not, want not eh?

We are home again now, and will probably blob out in front of the telly till...

NITE NITE

TAMAHERE MARKET

Up early today.

It's the first market of the year for us.

We are off to Tamahere, which will be our mainstay market for most of the year.

I'm not sure how well today will go, it's still 'holiday' time for a lot of people.  So, we don't have big expectations.

But, we will enjoy being there, and catching up with everyone we have come to know and enjoy being with.

ABOVE:  The dogs met Lily last night.  It was interesting.

Marley was very, very interested. And she did not want Coco anywhere near her. 

Coco was scared off by Marley, which was a bit sad.

Next time they come over to visit, we are going to put Marley in the garage, that way Coco can check out Lily without Marley getting pissy at her.

Right, I better get a move on... make sure we have everything we need for market, and then head off.

BACK LATER...

ABOVE: 10.22 am. As we anticipated it is much quieter here today.

Luckily the weather is good. It was drizzling at 6am. 

I have to apologize to anyone who's  left a comment thats not been published in the past 2 months.

I forgot to check the spam folder.

WHOOPS..  there were 17 unpublished comments in there.

I've now published them all.

Right... back to this market.

People watching mostly.

2.14 pm:  Finally home.  It's been a long, hot day.

It was VERY quiet today, but we still had an enjoyable time.

I do hope next Monday's Auckland Anniversary Market in Cambridge is a bit better.

The best thing about a slow market is that I don't have to frantically sew more stock for the time being.

I saw several ladies I knew, and enjoyed saying 'Hi' and having a yak with.

Roz from Christchurch, it was neat seeing you again!  Funny how I run into you at markets... though I think you know I will be there somehow!  😂😅😊  And how special that you were up here to witness the birth of your three day old grandson! 

Stew has just left to do his 'weekend' grocery shop, and I'm going to sit in me lazy boy with me feet UP.  I've got a bit of leg/ankle swelling going on, but not too bad.  I tried to move and walk around a bit during the day to avoid the 'swell'.

Stew just checked our cucumber patch...

ABOVE:  CLEARLY, we missed this one!  OMG I've not seen a cucumber that big in forever!  

I hope it still tastes nice.

And doesn't my darling look FANTASTIC?  Such a hottie.

8.15 pm:  Stew, Steve, the boys and I all got in the pool this afternoon.  It was just so wonderful to cool off after such a hot, sticky day.

Once they left, we had dinner.

And now the day is winding down... and I can't wait until it's...

BOOK AND BABY

 

If I can drag my butt out of bed early enough, I plan on having another walk at the mall this morning.  

Because my eating has been utter shit lately, I need to walk more just to keep the status quo.

ABOVE:  In her father's words "The Greatest Baby born in 8 years".... having her first bath.

I ask for their permission to post photos of Lily each day, and they have said just go for it.  They know I love to share my love and delight in her.

It is so special to have a new tiny grandbaby in the family after such a long interval since the last few were born.

ABOVE: Stew and I are going to dote on this little darling, as she is probably the last grandchild for us.

NOT forgetting our other grandchildren of course... those that we get to see.  There's 6 we don't see due to various reasons.  Distance.  Estrangement and so on.

It is what it is, and we are realistic enough to know it's not a perfect world.

We love those who are in our world.

ABOVE:  My summer reading.  I'm on page 9.  I don't think I am a reader anymore.  It's a very   good book/author, but I just don't have the time to read.

If I'm not walking, sewing, doing jobs around the house, visiting family etc... I'm on the computer! 

But... I will try.

BACK LATER...

I didn't go for a walk.  The sun was out in full force at 6 am!  I stayed home and did a few jobs around the house, then I DID go into my joyful place... the sewing room.

I have to make another runner for an order.

The purchaser did not make her instructions clear and so yeah, I have to make another one to fill the order.

Bex just sent me these:

 

ABOVE:  Our eldest Grandchild holding our youngest grandchild.  This photo made me cry.

While we raised Brylee as our daughter, at the end of the day she is still our granddaughter too.

Are they our 'bookends' I wonder?  😂😊💗

ABOVE: Dom got in on the act too.  It doesn't look like Lily was too happy.  Our darling little redhead.

Well, after blistering sunshine first thing, we've since had some heavy drizzle which made me run around and close all the doors and windows.

Now?  You guessed it, the sun is out again.  Frustrating as hell.

I am 90% finished the runner I had to make, then I can friggin well relax again.

12.03 pm: Brylee and Dom just called in to visit, and drop off home grown tomatoes.  They look lovely... the kids and the tomatoes!  lol

Now it's lunchtime and I'm taking a break ...

6.54 pm:   I've had a busy afternoon.  I finished the runner on order, then I made another black 'n' white one for me stash.

I also went over to Steve's and picked up the van for market tomorrow.

Steve, Bex and the kids arrived for dinner, I just did sausages and wedges.  Simple and quick.

I took a couple of photos of the dogs meeting Lily, but they can wait till tomorrow.

Marley got all jealous of Coco going near the baby and was stroppy as hell.  She jumped down Coco's throat in fact.  So we will have to watch her, so her guarding behaviour doesn't get out of hand.

It is unbearably hot today.  We've had three heavy showers of rain, in between sunshine.  We are living in a bloody sauna.

And now, I'm off to enjoy having the kids here, before it's...