Not on my own!

No siree- not on my own!
Today I fetched the birds. Kate helped me bring them here. They were looking a little worse for wear. An early moult.
So they have moved over and now I am not going to be on my own for New Year's Eve.

Snowy and Pyro

Birds installed at the back door

And I have my Mark to talk to on line :)

A home is built

We have had our first Christmas here.
The kids were staying at their father's place so Christmas morning I got up and started cooking. At about 9.30 I called them and they were all still asleep!
The plan was made to have them come over at midday, then do the presents and follow with Christmas lunch.

Bill and Kate

Kate, Erin and Rusty and Stop-it and Tidy Up

Presents

 And that is exactly how it went.
Andrew and I had pooled resources for the kids Christmas. The presents were from both of us, as was the lunch. I think the kids benefited from this as I swear it was the biggest Christmas ever.

More food than could possibly be eaten.

The kids went home with their dad- and I was alone again.

Beautiful things

I have been spoiled. One simple gift and one spectacular and both make my heart happy.

Adrienne, Sylvia and Maree came and stitched on Friday night. My first (and only) visitors in a month. Adrienne brought flowers and I adore getting flowers. It takes some of the hardness out of all the new stuff.

And the completely overwhelming gift. Helen gave me a quilt!

 A while back Helen had this quilt for sale and I drooled seriously over it. I wanted it so much but I couldn't justify paying the small amount Helen was asking for it when I have so many quilts already. Helen aka Helen Godden aka Helen Goddess, world-famous-international-prize-winning-Helen seriously under prices her quilts.
But like I said, I couldn't imagine trying to justify it once I got home.

Well here we are, some time in the future and Helen remembered! She presented me with the quilt at a pre-Christmas nibbles at Joan's.
Helen pointed out the parallel story of the dragonfly emerging and my new life.
And I am utterly thrilled to pieces to have it hanging in my home.
 

It's perfect

I am framing again

For Christmas this time!

I have a bunch of paintings and I am trying to pick matboards and frames on line. A bit tricky. I am hoping they arrive today!

Gardening in red

So here is where it all has to begin. I have to retain this low wall of nasty, rocky, red dirt. I also have to figure how to get the water to stop pooling here against the house. This is slowing me down. The figuring that is.

Initially I was very much in a do-it-yourself frame of mind.

....Until I saw my neighbour, two doors down, spend all day standing on a machine to dig his holes. If the machine takes a whole day, how am I going to do it with muscles alone?

Then I saw two bronzed and muscled men working an auger between them to dig holes for a fence. If it takes two of them, I don't stand a chance with this horrible 'soil'.
I measured it out today to get an idea what I will need to be shopping for, supply-wise, if I can resolve the hole-digging part of the puzzle. It is 7m north to south and as many at a right angle, east to west.

 But here is the fun part. Look at the magnetic end to the tape measure...it has picked up our native micro rocks full of iron! how magic! That's why our dirt is red, you know.

 Here is the garage. In the world of recent movers, this is a minor miracle. Mostly people move in and then after some months, they can get their car into the garage after all the boxes have been unpacked and stored. Yet here is my car, parked and at ease while the other half of the garage has become my work space to strip back a desk I am preparing for Erin.

 The desk is another of my 2nd hand bargains. $20 plus some elbow grease and paint stripper.:)
Keeps me out of mischief and fills that spot in my soul that is forever needing to be making something :)

New House New Life style

So here we are! The 4th weekend in the house. I meant to give myself the day off as I have been feeling absolutely pooped, but when  you have a lovely bright clean house, it is hard not to want perfection so I have been fighting chaos that kids bring to a home.

Note: Washing machine bought on all classifieds. Very pleased with that purchase!

Three loads of washing have been done and I have figured out how to get my clothes line to stay up. Up until now I have done small loads and hung them on the rails over the machine and bench. I love that. No extra floor space taken up with clothes horses. Handy to the machine so no double handling.
But today- with linen and so on- and a gorgeous sun filled sky, it was time to hang things outside.

I have stripped the sheets on my bed. Now that I am no longer crammed in the study, I am very much enjoying clean, white space! On the wall you can see one of the framed painting I bought on eBay from China. I have more to frame yet but the money situation here is frightening me.

My computer space looks exactly as ugly and cramped as ever!

And here is the family room looking through to the lounge. Keeping the kitchen bench clear of clutter is a full time job. The only time it is clear is when I am standing, vigilant in the kitchen to shift cups as the kids put them down. (Though in this photo, I confess it is one of mine!)

I have installed:

• A wireless printer so the kids can print without having to have a wired up network. That was the bane of all out lives in the old house.
• Bill helped (read 'saved the day') install the wireless Internet. I think the fibre to house here has been strategically nobbled to urge me up to a faster speed. At present it is no faster than the old copper back in Amaroo.
• Children
• A Christmas tree of a very sparse branches. I need Sylvia to make it look cute.

The Christmas Tree

I hoped this weekend to go and fetch the real birds and pop them onto the veranda here. The problem is though, that we don't have complete fences and it is very exposed. Yesterday the kids watched as two fellows walked up to the house and started measuring the veranda!? What the?

Coffee table bargain: $20 today at a garage sale

 The lounge room is the same: light filled.

Kate's domain

Last night I bought and built bedside shelves for Erin and Kate

Erin installed in her room