Monday, March 31, 2025
Such rain
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Getting used to it
Still a very long way from settled in, but we are getting used to the changes and the constraints. There will be a slow process of finding homes for things and we are COMMITTED to continuing to downsize our stuff. Nothing comes in, just leaves! Except for the essentials of course (rubbish bins, shelves, we also need more lamps so that will be a fun hunt through antique stores) ... other than the things we have to have it will be minimalism all the way! Hah.
Some things are much easier to get used to than others. I am very fond of the walk to the washing line ... I may be cursing it before too long but right now I love the novelty, and the outlook. The walls are some leftover outbuilding or pig pen or something ... we have grand plans for a garden bed. And a path. I'm not sure if the photo shows it but the fence is our property line and we have cows on the other side. Very rural, although sometimes they do sound quite cross.
The cat has settled down amazingly well. She had a good explore of everything then ate some food and used the litter tray, so two thumbs up for her. There are a few good spots to watch the birds and some screen doors she can see lizards through so everything is OK in her world. When we were having dinner yesterday she jumped up on a chair next to us and gave herself a thorough bath which is the sign of a comfortable cat. My husband's sign is sourdough and he made a delicious loaf the day before yesterday - the oven gets his tick of approval. We haven't had gas since 1999 and it's taking a little bit of getting used to but the oven is definitely an improvement on the weird Italian thing. The cooktop's not as good as induction but it is still light years ahead of the awful ceramic disasters we put up with for 20 years before that. I think my comfort sign will be picking up a paintbrush and I unpacked everything today so possibly tomorrow!
I also went to the local quilters group on Tuesday which was very nice - just four ladies there (they meet every week for a sew and chat) - they have a designated space next to the scout hall and were very welcoming. I would like to get into quilting again now I (allegedly) have more time... In a month or two. When the house sells and the boxes are empty.
Saturday, March 22, 2025
Unpacking is worse
Nightmare of boxes at the moment - it is all well and good to accept the idea of downsizing but the reality is endlessly depressing. And I’ve gotten rid of so much stuff! Unpacking is so lovely when everything already has a place … we are not doing that. We are doing the opposite of that.
The actual move went smoothly and only took two days rather than three … two very long days but we got through it. Today we went to the beach and fetched the cat who had been residing in solitary splendour fed by the neighbour. She seems to be ok with the new place after a good explore. I am not so sure! Why does getting out of your comfort zone have to be so very uncomfortable??
Thursday, March 13, 2025
Urgh packing is awful
This is the very dull world I am living in at the moment.
Things take up SO MUCH more space in boxes than stuffed into cupboards. I thought we had done a lot of decluttering, but there is so much stuff, and we are still finding things we can live without. Amazing how easy it is to get rid of something when it's actually in your hand and it's just a choice between two boxes.
Yes, I know, we should have paid the money to get them to pack it. But it wasn't just a few hundred more, or even a couple of thousand, it was nearly ten thousand dollars more and I can sling a few things in boxes for that kind of money. We are still getting them to do all the kitchen, glassware, paintings and anything fragile so it's kind of a compromise.
I packed my sketchbooks before I had a chance to take a photo of my urban sketchers painting, but here is a panorama I took of the temple we were trying to draw. There was much cursing! It is enormous, brand new, a very very odd shade of apricot and covered in tiny detail. I went very literal with mine, and it's not good, but some of the other sketchers did amazingly impressionistic paintings that really captured it. Despite the grumbling it was a good meet-up and everyone found something different in it.
The weather is slightly turning and I had a foggy walk this morning. This is the Saudi embassy which hasn't been occupied for at least five years and is starting to look a bit sad. Then the fog burnt off, it was 31 degrees and scorching, and then a thunderstorm rolled through with heavy rain, and now it's steaming again. Not good weather to wrestle things into boxes. Why do I have so many clothes? I don't need to buy another thing until I'm 95.
Monday, March 10, 2025
Made another shirt
There's not much painting or anything interesting going on at the moment in Canberra - although I did go to Urban Sketchers yesterday, I'll have to take a photo of what I did - so the sole light of creativity is shining at the coast, where I made another cotton top. Nothing very exciting, and I've made the pattern before, but I thought it was pretty.
This is the outfit for someone about to go and spend two thousand dollars at Bunnings on a kitchen bench type thing. That we have to put together ourselves. I nearly cried at the moving guy when we realised that the quote was for us packing most of our stuff into boxes and that if we wanted them to pack it would cost double. I HATE packing but also LOVE money. It's a conundrum.
The cutest thing about this shirt is that I had some fabric left over so made a pair of matching shorts. I could wear them together, but I will not. It would look silly, but inside my soul I like the idea of rampaging around town in a cotton checkered set.
Number two has gone back to Melbourne so a fleeting but very welcome visit .. including the new house finally! I don't know if it made a positive impression but that's where all their stuff is going so I'm sure we'll get a visit or two...
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Took a break from all the house things
I went down the beach for a couple of days - so sick of everything to do with house stuff! So me and the cat headed off ... Saturday was an absolutely beautiful summer's day.
I did some sewing, went for swims and walks, ignored the cat mostly. Sometimes she found me.
We have number two staying for a few days, which is delightful! This was on the back of a weekend trip up to Sydney for Mardi Gras - the minibus made a drop off on the way back to Melbourne so happiness all round. The weekend sounded like an exhausting amount of fun ....
Saturday, March 1, 2025
Made a shirt
I finally wore the shirt I made last time I was at the beach - nothing terribly exciting but should come in useful. The fabric is a fairly heavy viscose twill, so I originally thought it would be too dense for a shirt, but it has a lovely soft drape ... and there wasn't enough for a dress so shirt it was! A nice oversize shirt that's easy to wear with anything.
I didn't wear it anywhere exciting, just to the shops. Which is the most exciting place I go these days, except for my farewell drinks on Thursday, which was a lovely catch up with my colleagues. It has been such a nice group - we used to have regular drinks around covid time (whenever it was possible) because so many of us were working from home but it's faded off a bit since.
Another shirt shot. It's been super hot here the last few days - more typical February weather than what we've been having. I've been doing some early morning nostalgia walks around the trails by my house - reminds me of lock down because these are the walks I used to do then. A two hour walk without a mask even though we were only supposed to exercise for an hour at a time with a mask ... how naughty and rebellious of me. I figured that the three people on average I saw on those walks who I avoided by at least ten metres did not pose a substantial risk to my health (or me to theirs).