Waikuku Welcome

 

 

 

 

What a welcome home I received on Tuesday. The sun was BLAZING and the beach was perfect.

The weeds hadn't stopped growing or pulled themselves out though. A bit rude, I thought.

 

 

 

 

It was a great day to come home to because as much as I loved Auckland and was insanely jealous of all the cool restaurants, flower markets and shops. They do not have Waikuku Beach on Ponsonby Road.

Talk about our happy place. I mean, this was Guy's lunch break!!! I got up to my knees while frolicking in the waves and it was actually quite warm. If I had a cossie I would have dived straight in....up to my waist, because I'm not a huge fan of the ocean. I know, gasp! Am I even a kiwi? I promise I am, don't get me wrong, I LOVE sand....I could lie on that all day. But the ocean... As soon as something touches my foot I can't get out fast enough (it makes surfing hard, which is why I don't do it), some may call me paranoid, bit I ask you....why are so many scary movies based on the sea? Jaws 1-100, Open Water, which also had a sequel...because 2 people being eaten by sharks just wasn't enough and then there was Deep Blue Sea.... The one where a shark eats Samuel L. Jackson like he's a French fry.

It's because there are scary things in the ocean that can eat you. I'm a river girl, give me a river to swim in any day! The only scary river movie I can think of is River Wild, which means I only need to fear Kevin Bacon while swimming.... And seeing as Kev lives in Hollywood, I think I'm in the clear.

OK, see how my brain works...wildly off topic in milliseconds. No wonder my report cards always said 'easily distracted'. Back to the wonders of Waikuku, which only has happy vegetarian sharks with full bellies swimming near it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn't all play mind you, I did pull out a trailer full of weeds from our front mound and help finish off a fence and some irrigation. I also did some drop saw cavity batten cutting the other day, which I forgot to tell you all about. It was very exciting and made me feel like a real builder. That's what's been happening on the house lately, cavity battens and flashings....they don't exactly make for great photos and reading.... But I took a photo anyway.

 

 

 

Whenever I look at this photo all I can think about is the future decking..... how great it will be to sit on and look out at the native bush that we planted (at my feet) and all the happy birds tweeting away their thank you's for their bushy retreat. I will cheers them with a pimms and wish them a good day eating worms and berries and pooping on people's heads for luck. Truly the only living thing that could get away with such a thing, I'm pretty sure a bird started that rumour.

 

 

Happy Friday X

 

Go and type Marcus Foster into your spotify search and listen to him. So good. Apart from that strange woods song....it's a bit strange. So to be fair he did warn us.

 

Waikuku.....wow

 

 

 

 

 

I had to post some photos of our quick trip to Waikuku after a small house job at the end of the day yesterday... It was pretty brisk outside so I wrapped up in the grey moose (our affectionate name for our favourite rug - a wedding gift from Guy's Aunty and Uncle in Canada) and as soon as we walked over the dunes our jaw's hit the sand, it was just so beautiful..... Natures pastels. Hope the iPhone shots do it justice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A sight I won't soon forget and I hope I get to see again.

 

Baby showering 2.0

 

Last Saturday I had the absolute PRIVILEGE of throwing my Sister and Brother in law a baby shower. After 15 years of a gorgeous marriage and good times they are finally becoming a family of three after adopting their beautiful daughter who will be home with them in September!! Woohoo

I flew over to Melbourne with my Mum and I only lost my passport twice once.... Thank goodness for the lady in 20e who found it on her seat and tracked me down. I am useless when it comes to traveling without Guy, next time I am off away on my own I have asked him to put me in a straight jacket of sorts and draw a diagram on my front which points out little pockets containing my passport, boarding pass etc and I'll just be quiet and let the straight jacket diagram carry me through.

I wanted to make a special gift for the baby shower (kinda like Hudson's book) that Gracie could hold on to and something that everyone who loves her and her parents had contributed to. I took further inspiration from Hudson and his intense love for his blankie and decided a blanket was going to be it.

 

 

 

 

We bought a gorgeous cotton/cashmere blanket and then I took a trip to spotlight and picked up some wool and pompom makers. We set up a pompom making area and after everyone left I trimmed all the pompoms and attached them around the edges of the blankie with some wool and a wool needle. Actually Homestyle mag had a great 'how to' recently which featured pompoms which is worth a squiz!

 

 

 

A pic of the two new parents holding it up and a quick run through the Over app and it made a super sweet thank you card for them to send to their friends.

 

P.S I solemnly swear to stop being lazy and using my camera for my photos....

Out of the build

We actually do have a life out of the build, I just wanted to prove it to you. We went to an incredible wedding on the 20th and Guy was a handsome groomsman... I apparently started to blush when I saw him.....real smooth.

Such a massively fun party complete with swing band, flash mob, singing wedding party and a roomful of hat wearing heads! I love our possum tail backdrop...

 

Recap, update

 

We took possession of the section on September 21st 2012 and we are now in April 2013. I think when we bought it, Guy and I had these ideals in our head, we were gonna have our plans in for consent by the end of 2012 and hopefully pouring our foundations in late Jan or Early Feb giving us plenty of long end of summer days to get as much work done before Winter....

 

That was before we met reality

 

Reality is often a slightly muddier version of what you imagine.

 

We did get our consent in as of two weeks ago and now we wait HOPING that it comes back with a big green light and a GO sign in the next few weeks. Cross your fingers for us. Because the days are getting shorter and shorter and winter is fast approaching which means Guy (an integral team member) will be working almost 100% of the time. This means that building is going to be pretty slow, add to that my parents are off on a well deserved holiday to the States to visit my Sister and Brother-in-law for 5 weeks! So there isn't a huge amount of the big stuff we can get done when Dad is away seeing as he is the man with the know how. Guy has picked up so many skills during the shed/workshop build though, I'm pretty sure he'll have a hefty list of what he can do in Dad's absence!

 

 

Another big one is the financing of such a project, well we are hoping to be doing it in stages, for example, we borrow x amount and we advise what that amount will be going towards and what we should expect to have finished with that money...when that checks out, we go to the next stage, then the next etc etc until it's all done at the amount we agreed upon.

When we start to draw down on these mortgages we will need to move in with my parents.....goodbye little house.....that part will be hard.

My Parents are great, obviously, we live in front of them and soon they will live in a cottage on the 2.5 acres with us. But Guy and I have lived alone together for so many years now, that moving in with ANYONE would be hard. You have your own habits and roles/jobs around the house and... ya know when you just don't feel like seeing anyone or don't have the energy for chats after a long day, you can just BE with your husband, on the couch, watching tv and not even notice that you haven't spoken a word for over an hour because you're both totally comfortable and happy to be sitting silently in each others company. It's those times of just being completely alone together that I will miss. I'm sure my parents feel the same way!!! Haha! But it's not for a long time, hopefully this build won't turn out to be one of those 5 year long 'Grand Designs' fails.....it's a hardly a grand design so I'm sure we'll be fine.

 

 

 

When I think about what we've got done in that time though, I think we can all be pretty proud! We started with a paddock and we now have a proper section, complete with mailbox.....although I'll touch on that another time.

Jobs done so far-

Planted a shelter belt of 100 trees

Built a post and rail fence and entrance gates

Excavated and partially completed a 100m long drive way and turning pad

Built a board and batten pump shed

Put in a water tank

Set up hundreds of meters of irrigation

Built a 160sqm workshop and shed which will be hugely utilized during the build

Landscaped mounds ready to be planted

There are so many sub-jobs that go into every one of those things that I would be here forever, if I know anything for sure, it's that we will appreciate our new one more than anything. As every part of it will be built with our blood, sweat and tears!

 

 

 

 

 

i think below is a great during and after shot of the workshop/shed...

 

 

chocolate bunnies

4 glorious days off work, one day trip to Hickory bay with friends Penny + Seth and baby Jack, 3 days working on the section, 100 gazillion chocolate bunnies in our tummies. Win!

 

 

Little river stop off for possibly the best spinach and feta scone ever...

 

 

Board bags come with nappy bags for Seth these days

 

 

Walking in to Hickory Bay

 

 

 

There's always time to cut some beach shapes

 

Penny and her delicious wee man Jack

 

Then I stole him....baby hog...... And he fell asleep! Awwwww

 

Surprise! Ju and Caleb arrived.... Ju got in on some Jack love as well.

 

 

Walking back over the hill to reality....

 

Dinner at the Akaroa hilltop pub....that place is amazing these days! If you haven't been lately, do go!

 

We also watched baby seals jumping, diving and frolicking in the water while we ate far too much cheese, focaccia and chips..... although too much of those three things is never enough in my opinion. All in all, it was one of those days that made you feel incredibly lucky to be living in New Zealand...

Such a great day out and soooo many photos that I think I will post about the section work another time. I am planning on getting myself a proper little point and shoot camera at some stage....the iPhone is just so damn easy but not the best when it comes to picture quality I guess.

Hope you all had a great break and ate plenty of hot cross buns with creme egg chasers..... X

all over the show

 

Long time, no see! Apologies for the zero posting (usually I wouldn't say that because I don't like to assume you have missed me, but a very special reader has taken it upon herself to gently remind me when I've been absent for too long.... So this is for you) we have had something to do and somewhere to go every weekend for the last few weeks that hasn't been 'build related'... we have builders guilt... Our build conscience (yes, he is a fat hairy builder-fairy with offensively low slung shorts, sitting on our shoulders) has been grunting at us and mocking our social ways. But, builders guilt aside....we've been having a damn good time.

* a crafty day with a girlfriend and the carousel flora ladies

 

* a hens weekend in Marlborough biking to the many wineries and drinking

too

many

bottles

glasses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* an ahhhhmazing engagement party for a couple of our nearest and dearest at their wonderful farm which I have talked about before

* Lake Pukaki amazingness.... Heaven on earth.

 

 

 

 

* crafting and sending away a pretty garland for a lovely lady's wedding

 

 

 

Oh...There has been quite a shift and change with the build as well.... Which I'll get to ASAP but before I do.... I have a 7 METRE!!!!! garland to finish for a wedding this weekend. Yikes.

P.S I'm getting my hair done today..... High jump with a karate kick - pow!

 

Shed update

This shed is getting closer and closer to being done, once the battens are all on we can give it another coat of stain to have it looking dapper as hell. Oh, and there is a working tap on the side of it, right there, a tap!!!!!! The process of getting that tap on the side of that shed is no easy task... It involved a lot of digging trenches and laying of pipes and refilling trenches.

 

 

Ok. So I dug about 30cm of it, and even that had my brain in a boggle! I'm so impressed with Guy and how he has picked everything up so quickly. So far there has been nothing he can't do and I am as proud as punch. He does have an amazing mentor in my Dad, it's like watching a building themed karate kid movie.... You need to be one with the digger Guy San....