Photo a Day Challenge - Day 67 Window

We had, in the lounge room, an old box styled air-conditioner unit. It was a noisy heap of rubbish, barely cooled and not at ALL sustainable on both the environment OR the hip pocket. So, we planned to get rid of it. L, the eBay queen, searched and found an old window that would be a suitable replacement... Trouble was, we had to drive to Melbourne to collect it! BUT, this was ok anyway, as we were going to Melbourne in a week or two (at the time) so it was all good!

window

A few months afterwards, the next door neighbour had a builder in, and we asked him if he could install it for us, and as they say in the classics, the rest is history!!

Hoo roo for now...

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Photo a Day Challenge - Day 49 Something you hate to do

Sunday was spent, cleaning, gardening, using the pressure cleaner (again) on the back veranda, and I also did the front path that leads up to the front door, which is actually on the SIDE of the house! But, I digress...

But, the 'something you hate to do' is weeding, but I don't have a photo of me weeding as how can I get a photo of me doing something when theres just me?

BUT, what I can show you is of the back veranda all clean, and good looking all the same!

Back Verandah Dinning Lounge

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I have had an ACHING tooth for the last couple of days, so I think it will be back to the dentist in the morning sometime! I had a filling a couple of months back, so I hope its not that playing up, as he said at the time, it was a difficult one to do...

Hoo roo for now...

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photo a Day Challenge - Day 39 Front Door

It is widely known, within the family, that when L won two stain glassed doors at an auction, I desperately wanted to use one of them as the front door. They were lovely OLD doors, and I just couldn't win the fight, so I sanded them back, repaired, painted and hung the doors on the bathroom and the laundry. Don't you think they're nice??

Laundry Door

BUT, as this is a 'Front Door' post, here is the front door, in a new colour scheme of which I must finish doing the remaining parts of the house... At LEAST I won the battle of what colour it was going to be painted, as L wanted something brash and bold (PINK or RED) but i was NOT going to do it, so it remained dark green until last year. Maybe its a bit boring, but I like it!!

Front Door NEW old COLOURS

Hoo roo for now...

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House is 'coming along' slowly...

OK, so I know I've been slack lately with blogging, but I HAVE been a tad busy!

You will remember, that the house has had some major work done, (repoint and re tuckpointed on the facade). Here is a little more of a 'tease' as I want to get ALL of the painting done, and then do a big reveal! This will (knowing my upcoming trips) most likely be either my birthday in March OR the end of March at the latest!

House OLD 'v' NEW colours

I've also been busy with a trip to Nowra on the South Coast on an old CPH Railmotor, Brisbane for a day of spotting with J and met up with M, 20/20 Cricket games (NSW v Tasmania & NSW v QLD) with B & J (and Co...) as well just for good measure!

Nowra on a CPH Railmotor

The day started early, having to be at Central Station 8am. The old Railmotors, built in 1923, were restored beautifully and faithfully, except for the 'long drop' toilets are now no longer dispensing to the tracks below, as opposed to being enviro friendly today! There was a fair amount of 'rocking and rolling' as we had a top speed of 80klm. It was also rather noisy, as there wasn't much in the way of insulation for sound, but it was a great noise! The trip took us out from Central to Waterfall, down the escarpment via Helensburgh to Thirroul and through Wollongong. We briefly stopped at Bombo Beach just before Kiama and then onto Bomaderry (Nowra) where we had lunch at the local RSL Club. Thanks S&L for including me on this day trip, I had a ball!

Tickets

CPH 1 & 7 Central Berry

Drivers

Rounding for Bombo

Trip to Brisbane for some spotting

I spent Australia day with a mate, J, and his dad, D up in Brisbane. We also teamed up with N who flew in from Newcastle and some local spotters up there as well, M works with J but at the Brisbane airport! We did some spotting, but alas, these photos are still on laptop, so I will need to process and upload as soon as I can. The day will get a post in its entirety, as I had a great day, as I think we all did! Thanks J for the trip, I owe you one!! :)

20/20 Big Bash Cricket

Now I know that some people just do NOT understand the laws of cricket, and I am not about to tell you how its played. It is easier to watch a game and see it, rather than be confused as to its play. Having said that, this version, 20/20, is a recent incarnation of the game, and these two games are the Domestic version of it! Both games, I went with J & D (and co...), B &R and M. We had dinner up in the Members Gold Dinning Room, and then sat in the Members seating area which has a particularly good vantage point! On the NSW v TAS game, I did not take my camera, but I took it to the NSW v ACT ladies match and following them was the NSW v QLD game. There was a little bit of entertainment between games, and being an old curator myself, I watched the pitch repairs and rolling! It was, both nights, a great outing, and I can't wait to go again! Thanks to all involved!!

ACT v NSW Womens

ACT v NSW Women's

Pitch Maintenance

NSW v QLD Men Usman bowled

Pitch Maintenance

What a way to watch cricket

ANZ Stadium (4 pic panorama)

Hoo roo for now...

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Repoint/Tuckpoint complete

Today, I had one HELL of a headache, and didn't make it into work it was that bad. Having said that, I spent most of the day either in the house (with air con on in lounge room) or in bed sleeping... It was another hot day in old Sydney town! At one point, I woke up in a sweat that was, simply, horrid! Sorry if this was TMI!

Anyway, this is going to be a quick post due to me being tired, so here are some photos, the reason why it needed to be done, a progress photo (or two) and then some of the completed work (both repoint and tuckpoint)! I will have to wait though to do a full shot, as I need to mow lawn LOW, fertilise and water in to make the garden look a lot better as it has had a bit of a trudging this last week and a bit!

I am SO happy with the work from Guliano from the Brick Pointing Team! I am MORE than happy to recommend!

Reason to repoint

Garage Side

Acidwash Pressure Clean

Repointed

Taped Up

Tuckpointing

Tape Removal

Garage Taped Up

Taped Up

Hoo roo for now...

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The path continues & Finals Fever!

Well, with there being rain (and possible thunderstorms) forecast, I awoke early on Saturday morning and went straight to the weather radar to see what was happening. And yes, there was rain out along the coastline! So, at 5.30am I headed across to the in-laws to collect the trailer and get the supplies (roadbase and sand) for when the hired help arrive.

I had some breakfast along the way, said hello to the in-laws and hooked up the trailer and headed back towards home. A call from the hired help ensured that things will proceed, and I went to the landscape supplies shop. I ordered and paid and when I got out to the guy on the loader, it was a mate I hadn't seen in, like years, and he got me the roadbase first. I said I would return when it was out and headed home.

The roadbase was out in no time at all, and during it, there was more than a couple of raindrops, so I quickly left to return to the landscape supplies to collect the sand with about a couple of wheelbarrow loads of roadbase left! So I got there, and was ushered infront of three other trucks, and I said my goodbyes and left. When I got home, the hired help had done nothing so when I backed the trailer into the garage, the first wheelbarrow load was quickly shoveled in and the first coarse was being laid when it absolutely BUCKETED down! It remained this way for the rest of the day (and even into today).

Tools down due to rain

So, the path was eventually laid, and by this time, the BIL, SIL and the nephews were on their way over to help. Good timing guys!!! Anyway, we had some cheeses, beers and watched the replay of the AFL Grand Final where Collingwood were the better team on the day. I cooked a Tandoori Chicken Roast, and for dinner. Not to mention a couple more beers. Oh, by the way, Macc was out of duty due to boredom, so the Forecat went to take on the additional role of Security!

Forecat turns SECURITY

So, today it was all about the NRL Grand Final, where St George played a great game and beat the Roosters. St George were also, the better team out on the field... I will )tomorrow) post some more pics of the path. It is at the stage where we are brushing in the sand to help 'lock' it all together! So stay tuned!

Hoo roo for now...

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A sale is now, not to far (WW #35)

Firstly, WW pic is down the line a bit as this post needs some explaining, sorry!

Ok, today is the LAST day, of the LAST cooling off period for the sale of the house... And, whilst I have heard (last night at 8pm), that the purchaser has transferred the deposit, he still needs to get the printed receipt to the agent by 5pm! This is very important for them, as the deposit was done via an EFT to the Agents Trust Account, and you know that these things do take time of somewhere between 24-48 hours to transfer! So, the countdown is on until this afternoon, where hopefully, I will be able to report with some FINAL good news!

Also, there is now a very (very) slight possibility of me heading across to Dubai in mid September! I will be racking up a couple of days this coming weekend at a conference, and as such, I will be using them to go across to the Emirates Nation! At this stage, it is still very much 'up in the air' (no pun intended), but I will know a little more by the end of the week!

NOW, for the WW pic. here is a funny sight this morning, but an all to serious one as well... There is a great little spot, to sit and watch air traffic movements... It has slowly been deteriorating over the years, and things like this certainly do not help! The amount of times I have seen cars bogged in the soft sand behind is amazing, but this guy really does take the cake!

Fool Truck Driver at Sheps

Hoo roo for now...

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It's time to sell, and start to move on... And a birthday thrown in!

After getting home, I have finally come to the conclusion... It is time to sell and (try to) move on! So yesterday, I met with TWO Real Estate agents. It is a very difficult decision to make, and one that is not made easily, but there is SO much involved with it all that I had no idea! Not just the selling of property, but how it intertwines with Estate and Probate etc! But, I think that a price I have in mind is, achievable in the current market and still a very competitive price! SO now, it is just a matter of time until the contracts are prepared and then there will be a 'For Sale' sign on the lawn!

And today, we had a party over at 'C&P' place to celebrate the first birthday of little J! When it came to the cake and presents, he was SO tired and he could barely keep his eyes open! Where as his older brother R, well he was up until 12.30am and wasn't showing ANY signs of wanting a rest!

First Birthday, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Birthday Cake, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

R waiting for J's Happy Song, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

R on J's Birthday, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

There was the usual, way to much food, lots of sweet things and an abundance of presents! Also, I should add that Mr 5 W also had a celebration for his birthday as well, which made the presents look as thought it was Christmas in May!!! Both M & W were having a BALL, and even Miss R and her younger brother J were having a good go at the cakes icing...

M J Birthday, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Birthday boy, Mr 5 W J's Bday, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Miss R J's Bday Cake full, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

J serious look with mum, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

The day was ALSO birthdays for O, S and there was cupcakes for them, as with both M & W... April/May is a busy time for birthdays I think!!!

MWSO Bday Cakes, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

The garden has suffered a bit of a beating whilst I was away, and I lost a couple of plants (Chocolate Sapotae for one), but the Passionfruits are producing like nothing else! This morning, I harvested around 50 of them, and needed quite a large bag so I could take them to the party! Also, they are SO full of flavour, and very YUMMY!

And tomorrow, it is my first day back at work, I dread to think how much work is there, but we will see how we go! I have a GP appointment in the afternoon as well, so it is going to be a full day. I hope that S will be up for the 'usual' 10am coffee!!!

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A busy week complete...

Man, have I been busy this last week... So much so, I am now looking forward to going BACK to work for the rest!!! Of course, I am only joking here...

Over this last week, with thanks to a mate (F), I have swapped the office upstairs, to into the third bedroom, and put the third bedroom upstairs! This will work MUCH better for me as getting up and down the stairs is not much fun with my back. But, after a few hours of cleaning and trying to get the writing desk down (eventual FAIL as a corner went through the gyprock ceiling), it will remain upstairs as a second study place with a bed and an air-con. Here are some pics of the before and I will do some when they are finshed IN FULL!

3rd Bedroom, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

3rd Bedroom: - bed removed already, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Upstairs Study, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Upstairs Study II, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Next on 'The List' was a trip to the tip (Recycling Station) to dump the Greenwaste from Mum's garden makeover the other day. Whilst I was there, I got a before and after of how it is processed. There are lots of rows of mulch everywhere!

Greenwaste Pile Tip, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Compost Piles Tip, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

And then I had the luxury (as if...) of having to tidy up the garage so as the Solar Panels people could install them onto the roof, and have access to where I wanted the inverter and access to under the house. This had me going to the Tip (Recycled Station) again to dump another trailer of rubbish... I can now fit my car into the garage (for the first time...), Within 5 mins of power being turned back onto the house, the meter started to run BACKWARDS!!! Yeah for me!

During Install, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Rails Installed, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

Job Finished, originally uploaded by AussiePomm.

So, Monday its back to work... YEAH!

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