Grey

dull, dull, grey, so swollen
It needs to burst.
The heavy blanket above wants to rip open.
Free itself of the weight.
activivate.

{view from work desk}

A little bit of organization

We can now walk through the lounge and kitchen with out high stepping over boxes. I'm finding bits of tape everywhere, but at least we've gotten all the boxes flattened and out of the lounge room.

This morning while I measured out the property for a fence the neighbors surprised me and said hello through their kitchen window. I was attaching one end of the measuring tape the chain link fence that runs the length of our properties and looking out for their dogs, didn't even think about people up and wanting to say hello to the outside world at that time of morning (6am).

So far were on great terms and for once we can say good things about the neighbors. They seem to be living pretty green with a solar water heater, rainwater tanks, herb beds and chooks. We'll have to invite them for a bbq sometime to say hi, talk about a new fence (currently, the back half has a 1.5m fence and the front half a 1m fence we want a 1.8m for the front half) and get permission to feed their chooks scraps until we get our own.

I haven't quite figured out the other neighbors yet, so far there's Liz, who's a really nice mature womyn, Ron also of mature age and stare -er, and two young people in their 20's who come and go (haven't met them yet). I guess they'll come to the bbq as well as the fencing will affect them to. We have a retaining wall seperating the back half of the properties at the moment and we would like to install a fence to run along the front halves.

The first major operation on the property is to install a fence. Mick said that I'm in charge of design and procurment, while he's on labour duties. He's said this about everything, I design and decide, he does.

Here's some ideas for fences: let me know what you think.

First up is the brush fence. It's hardwood and steel so no termites worries there. This type of fencing also is a good noise barrier. The looks are great, but I'm not sure how they will look in the neighboorhood. Installation is not the easiest and I'm really sure its not the cheapest.

{all photos below are from vendors websites.}

Next up is the colorbond fence. Colorbond fencing is powder coated steel. Very durable and strong, very fast and easy to install. It would fit in prefectly with neighborhood fence styles. You can get several different colours and three different styles plus lattice work at top if you'd like to fork out and extra $50 a panel. Installing automatic gates would be the easiest with colourbond.

Last on the list is a timber pailings fence. Probably the cheepest option. Presents a problem for pest control because of termites. Requires the most maintance and labour for installation. Would fit in fine with neighborhood.

All three fences would look fine if we did this (see below) to the front. The house below is just around the corner from us. I'd move the stairs to the (facing) right, but I think the style really suits our property.

First nights

Were moved! I made mick pose with me up front late Sunday afternoon.

Thank you to everyone who helped us shift on Saturday. The garage is now full of cardboard boxes and the bins over flowing with stubbies.

Can you believe it, we fit 8 cars in the front yard Saturday night! Mick got home and cooked up a huge bbq and we all sat out in the back yard eating under the stars and by aid of candlight. There were kids running around screaming and giggling and trying to get into the Dulux can of jelly beans. It was pretty good for a first night in our very own place.

Our little cave

Finally! I've had some inspiration for our bedroom. Cruising through blog world I happened upon Coco & Kelley, who has a beautiful blog btw, and found this photo. It's originally from Atla at Apartment Therapy, another fab blog, who did a special on this apartment.

I love the rich cream walls, they remind me of the local organic Greek yogurt that is so luxurious that there's a 1/4 inch layer of thicken cream on the top when you first break the seal. So yummy that I always forget about my lactose intolerance and scoop out a big dollop, heaven.

And the dark "Caribbean forest," as Coco & Kelley calls it, just wraps you in it's arms of strength and comfort. Sophisticated romance springs to mind, almost perfectly balanced between masculine and femininity for a shared bedroom.

Now, we do live in Queensland and even though the temps right now are perfect, come January the humidity will peak and anything not dried within an inch of it's life before summer hits, will never be dry again. So, a fan is needed, and this one is gorgeous. Found it on the ever bountiful Neiman Marcus online catalogue.These lamps from Pieces Inc have just the right amount of contrasting colour to perk up our little cave.

Love the texture of this Fendi linen from Neiman Marcus.

I'm not big on the white marble tops of these side tables from Paris Hotel Boutique, but the structure is what I'm looking for, maybe something a bit more practical with a drawer. The one below is from Neiman Marcus again and the one below that from Room and Board.

We've got to get the wall paper down before we do anything to the bedroom, but I can at least start collecting bits here and there.

I know the bedrooms should get done after the lounge as it's the most visible to guests, but I'm thinking that if I wake up in a room I love, then I'm that much more motivated to peal wallpaper from everything else.

I wrote out a time line today for inside the house and it goes something like this:

Move in and unpack, make sure all items to be stored are in water tight containers off the ground on pallets under the house.

Paint wall between kitchen and lounge: top-white, middle-chalk board grey, bottom-red.

Hang up photos on chalk board middle strip.

Remove wallpaper from the lounge, our bedroom, Roger's bedroom and hall (I recall that the back bedroom doesn't have any wallpaper.)

Paint all walls Primer white. Then move on to: our bedroom, back bedroom, Roger's bedroom, lounge.

Remove shag carpet! and polish floorboards.

Do something about the window coverings. Remove and replace with ?.

Then we play the waiting game. We want to live in the property for about a year before we do any major renovations on it.

Tea Party

Now that we have a yard again and arn't going to disturb neighbors too much, Iwe get to throw parties again. I've already got a tea party dancing along in my head. Mick just shook his head and looked at me like I was crazy when I told him about it. It'll be girls only in the backyard and I'm really looking forward to it. The sky is a predictable but beautiful blue these days and the temps are perfect.The organic cold MENU and SERVING METHOD method is:

Strawberries (med bowl)
Cream (sm bowl)
Scones (tray)
Jam (sm bowl)
Lemon curd (sm bowl)
Turkish Delight (tray - pink)
Petite Fours (tiered cake stand)
Cake – Bolconne Dolce (cake plate - pink)
Russian tea cakes (cake plate –silver)
Banana Nut Bread (tray)
Assorted finger sandwiches (tiered cake stand & tray)
Chicken Curry
Chicken Salad with Smoked Almonds
Egg Salad
Goats Cheese and Watercress
Cheese (wood board)
Figs (wood board)
Grapes (wood board)
Assorted nuts (sm bowl on wood board)

Tea, of course!

Curried chicken and homemade bread sangers, I think I'm drooling already.

Now this is where my love for planning comes in here's the EQUIPMENT list
Table & Chairs (8)
Roses in low clear glass vase
Other flowers in low vases (2)
(lillies? I'll drag lisa along and we'll see what's at markets)
Tea lights in glass votives (16)
Three tiered stand (2)
One for sandwiches
One for sweets
Cloth napkins (8)
White Tablecloth
White Tea Towels (4)
China – Teacups, saucers, tea plates (8)
Silver tea service – teapot, creamer, sugar
bowl, tea spoons, sugar tongs

Salt & Pepper shakers
Cheese board and knife
Cake stand, knife and server
Crystal water jug
Water glasses (8)
Champagne goblets (8)
Ice bucket
Serving bowls (5)Serving trays (4) Serving spoons (3)

butter (cream) knives (2)

this lemon curd looks so yummy. I can't wait till we can harvest our fist lemons.

I'll have to do a few early saturday mornings for garages sales and find all the lacey linen and feminene china for the party.

Wishful Etsying dreaming design

So I may be getting a bit a head of myself, but I just couldn't help it. I was cruising through etsy.com (best site ever!) and came across so much that I thought would be perfect for the back bedroom that my clicking fingers got away with themselves. Below are some ideas:

The decal would go at the end of a day bed we already have. Don't know if there's room enough. The decal is by the etsy shop, Badass Custom Decals and is called "Bird on a Tree"

I found this great material and thought it'd be perfect for some throw cushions.
Designed by Free Spirits and sold on etsy by Mod Fabric

Another decal, but I think it kinda ties in with the bird. Again, room?

The decal is by the etsy shop, Badass Custom Decals and is called "Sea Grass"

I would love this pattern on another cushion.

Designed by Jennifer Pagandeir and sold on etsy by shop, downshadowlane.

So here's how I imagine the layout of the room.
I'd like to experiment and see if these two colours on the fabric swatch above would be too much if used as primary colours for the room. Maybe a turquoise in just a shade lighter. The room isn't that big (haven't had a chance to measure it yet.) But if done carefully it just might work. We have to fit alot in this room so solid walls with patterned accessories (cushions, window dressings, not the bedspread) might have to be the go.

CONTENTS:
A magazine table with small table lamp and plant on it next to the window.

The daybed under the other window. This window is up about 5 ft from the floor.

Our filing cabinet at the end of the bed with a plant. The cabinet is metal but it's a fabulous three drawer number with bright rust orange drawers and a dark brown cabinet.

A small writing desk with the laptop and arm chair. Somehow I've got to figure out where to put the printer, it'll probably end up under the desk as a foot rest.

A bookshelf

assorted nic naks (cause they just need some place to collect dust)

Here's the rest of the house. I think I've made it to wide, but I've only been going off pictures and memory so far. I took the liberty of adding builtins for two of the bedroom (they don't have them currently).

Paperwork

There is a never ending flow of paperwork that is being printed from our printer these days. Loan application forms, First Home Owners Grant (FHOG) forms, copies of passports and licences to be certified. Lots of emails back and forth between BCU Credit Union and myself. We've requested many, many documents and as of today are no longer waiting on any!

I got an email this morning letting us know that we have been conditionally approved by the Mortgage Insurers subject to the house valuation and FHOG approval! One step closer to moving in- I'm starting to allow myself to be excited again!

On Thursday past Mick and I met at the bank to get six months of savings account statements from 4 accounts printed off. We requested the statements a week and a half before but they only sent one page from one account so a trip into the branch was called for. Mess ups like this exactly why we have chosen not to go through Commonwealth Bank for our home loan. Getting paperwork becomes somewhat of a mission because two of the accounts are in only Mick's name and the hours that he works makes getting into a bank next to impossible.

I received the last of our statements from Mick's personal loan this morning and I've sent it off to the bank. I think I've faxed over 100 pages of contracts, loan and savings statements, application forms, and a myriad of miscellaneous documents.

Over the weekend we got mail from the real estate, the solicitor and the bank. We've declined to have any extra searches done by the solicitor, The property was sold only 2 years ago so I'm hoping that any nasties were found and dealt with then, of course I could be very badly mistaken and something could be horribly wrong with the place. Guess we'll just get to be surprised!

So here's the important dates:
5 May - Building Inspection (really the 6th because 5 May in Queensland is Labour Day)
15 May - Finance and payment of deposit
23 May - Settlement!

I've scheduled a household and carpet cleaner for the 23rd, but I'm thinking that I'll have to get those changed to the 24th and 26th respectively, I want to be able to hand the keys into Jeff Jones Real Estate, our current rental agents on the 26th. Might just have to take that day off work as well. Whoo hoo... moving! my favorite past time in the whole wide world.

Since Roger, Micks dad, is going to be living with us till after Mick's surgery at least, were going to get Foxtel and SKY installed. So I've got to call about that now to get it installed in time. Lots of footy watching for recovery should be helpful and if not technically healthy it's at least not physically taxing.

Which reminds me about the Optus Wireless Broadband and our land line. I'll have to get that changed as well, hopefully they have coverage out in the burbs of Carina. I've already ordered a moving checklist from the Post and that should remind me of any other little things I've missed. Hmmm...electricity, unions, credit card, bank, car and health insurance....and the list goes on.

Only 17 days till the keys are ours!

ps I've been debating on changing the name of the blog since it is a bit deceptive. The house is a workers home, but a cottage? ideas/suggestions are very welcome!