Little things

We've unpacked and sorted most of the big things (except those kitchen cabinets, that could be a loooong process) so now it's just the endless little things to try and figure out.

This is the wi-fi extender - our house is kind of a capital-T shape, with the modem at one end of the top bar, and the bedrooms on the long upright - so the bedrooms didn't get any wi-fi at all. The extender has fixed that, and wasn't too painful to install, but the sewing room is right at the bottom of the T and still doesn't get any signal. I won't worry about it for a while, it might not be a problem! Depends what I do with my time perhaps.

I'm not sure if this photo shows it but the sunniest spot at the moment is mid-afternoon on number one's bed. The house itself is mostly quite dark with small windows but the two kids' bedrooms are west facing and get this wonderful sun patch in the afternoons. I have been having a coffee and a little lie down there ... often with the cat. Magnet for any sort of comfort.

The shadows are a bit longer and the nights are getting a bit colder but the fire is good. The washing line isn't in a very sensible place for drying clothes, but we did finally figure out the hallway light. It's a motion sensor! This is the hallway all the bedrooms come off, and they thought it was a good idea to have a sensor light that automatically goes off after a couple of minutes, and which doesn't come on at all if you approach it from the bedrooms. It turns out the oven is electric even though the hobs are gas, which we think is a true marvel of modern engineering. It's still turning out fabulous loaves of sourdough.

I went to quilters again on Tuesday, which was lovely - ten ladies this time. And cake for Carol's 80th, so double winning. I had lunch with my old work team in Canberra on Wednesday where I heard about all their adventures leading up to the end of the parliament. I feel a bit bad about leaving them to deal with it without me ... but also felt quite good about not being there. It sounds like chaos, but it was lovely to see them and catch up on the goss. 

We also took the opportunity to re-paint one of the rooms in the Canberra house and we are getting it re-carpeted. It looked very grotty with no furniture, so we're hoping fresh new carpet will tip the balance. Someone must want it, surely.

Such rain

We have had a very soggy couple of days - and it is a different experience when you're living in the middle of a lot of grass, without paths or a carport! We both have rain boots and a spot to put them - although the main door we use opens directly onto the kitchen ... which is friendly but does involve lots of mud where you don't really want it. I am not sure whether it will be one of those things that you get used to, or whether a long term solution is needed. There are a few things like that - can we live with this? Can we buy something at the hardware shop to fix it? Does it need an army of tradies and a five figure sum? Not that we have a five figure sum at the moment ... there was one person to the Canberra open house yesterday and it was a neighbour ...

We had our first visitors for lunch yesterday! It was so lovely to see them and show them our house, and they are old enough friends to forgive the chaos. I picked some of the late roses in their honour.

And it was cold enough to need a fire for the first time; well perhaps not NEED but we wanted to do it so we did. And it was lovely - the tenant had left a bit of firewood which we are using but we'll have to get organized and get some more in soon. This is the end of the living room that we have a bit more under control - the cat has claimed that chair near the fire, unsurprisingly. The proteas on the sideboard were from the local farmers' market on Saturday - small but entertaining - and the only thing we have put up on any wall is the clock that Dad gave us many years ago and suits the house beautifully! Thanks Dad .. and yes, we need a brick pad under the clothesline, but we won't hold you to it.

I wouldn't have said we own any trinkets or ornaments but look at the mantelpiece. Definitely temporary! We will find proper homes for things (before Christmas, my expectations are low). 

I have got my sewing / art room unpacked and kind of under control. Everything is put in a place but probably not the right place. I have room for two desks which is nice - I can quilt on one and paint on the other! It might drive me mad but I'll give it a go. I have a good view down to the garage and the old stable thing so I can keep an eye on whatever project my husband is cooking up.

This is the back wall of the sewing room - peg board is up and I put a new cover on the ironing board after I took this photo - it is fresh and green and fits in the garden theme! It was not at all the highest priority task but I did it anyway. Today we went to the dump; because we don't get any garbage collection it will be at least a weekly task. It's all so strange ...

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.

We already knew the kitchen would be a nightmare with limited storage, so we are storing everything temporarily in the bookcase in the hallway while we build more cabinets. We are building them in the shed so we can still use the kitchen. This means that 30 boxes of books are still in the lounge room and we can't park our cars in the shed ... but we weren't going to anyway, not for a while! It took us two years in the house before last before we got a car in the garage. You have to have somewhere to poke your bits and bobs ...

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.

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??

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. 

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...

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.

Then it took a slightly autumnal turn.

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 ....