Labour Weekend

Well we’ve been working closely now for 7 weeks and the tension is starting to show..... this is really evident at night when i look for my second beer and my workmate has skulled it, there’s really only room for 2 in the fridge, something is gonna give, probably need to empty out the veges, could work. Least till its discovered

Saturday 25^th October

Spouting / guttering removal day today, Brett (son of Karen & Grant from Nelson) came and helped Bill for the day, which will be a swap in return for Bill helping Brett with his kitchen renovations in his bus. As the neighbour has agreed to have her guttering & facias replaced too, the new material will benefit both properties. As the old was pulled down, it was quite evident that it did need replacing as it had rusted through in much of it. The guttering is integrated with the facias and it is this facia that has really deteriorated due in no doubt to our proximity to the sea. In places you could stick your finger thru it. The deal was for me to remove it all but the installer seemed to prefer to remove the facia himself?? So that’s good, saved me some work. Now we have a trailer load of scrap that hopefully might be worth something from the scrap metal man.

Sunday 26^th October

After a short bike ride around South Shore / New Brighton, and a few groceries later, it was time to get into the Kitchen. Well it was for Bill to rip it to bits. Before that though I cooked him bacon & eggs, and then later baked some lovely hot cross buns without the cross of course. J Ah yes I look after him.

The old kitchen came out easily but not organised enough to get it in place in the garage, where it will ultimately reside as storage. Fact is the garage is bulging and we’re trying to tidy that up now so there is a bit of shuffling in & out to get to the walls for painting etc.

We are putting in a Bunnings kitset as they do a reasonable job. (apologies to my joinery contacts in Nelson). A very compact simple kitchen, sparky is looking in tomorrow to sort out extra hot points, and electric hob wiring, brought an under bench oven down from Nelson, from a kitchen upgrade I did a coupla years ago. It came with a nice gas hob but was going to be problematic to install nicely (due to gas piping), so again bought one online from AK Trade Depot and shipped down with a sink drainer & tap at very competitive pricing. Hopefully by weeks end will have a picture to put up.

Monday 27th Labour Day (and it was)

Had our first wet morning today and were forced to eat brekky inside. Not bad as we have been here 8 weeks now.  Did need to go to Bunnings this morning so dropped Sheryl at the laundromat and did my thing, was surprisingly not hectic and laundry all done when I returned to pick up the scrubber Sheryl.

Have just returned from a walk along the beach to warm up (didn’t work) and now contemplating a wine and planning tomorrows effort.

Friday 24th October
K Day

A day off from renovations to go shopping for the day and get our new Kitchen. We headed out to Rolleston first via Brown Sparrow (a Demolition Recycler) who has a large range of everything you could need in a home that has been removed from Earthquake damaged homes in Christchurch. We were hoping to get a garage door to replace our damaged one ( damaged by a car at some point, not the earthquake), but even though they had a huge range, Bill was unable to find one suitable. So it may be plan B - repair what we have.
At Rolleston we caught up with Vicki & Trevor passing through to Wanaka for the long weekend, to get some items we had made in Nelson that they kindly brought down for us, as that was a much cheaper option for us.
Lunch was eaten at Musgroves ( another Demolition Recycler) in the van as the wind had come up strong and cold. Can't splash out on lunch and a kitchen all on the same day - but I did get a coffee at Bunnings where we purchased our new kitchen from. It is amazing today how you can just go to a store and by a basic kitchen just like that off the shelf!
This is to be Bills project next week, and hopefully we may get the property on the market by the end of the week depending on how our meeting goes with a couple of Real Estate Agents.



Thursday 23rd October

A day of finishing off flooring, which has come together really well, and sorting out clutter in the lounge as the last of the curtains were hung, and a bit of cleaning up done.

 To the left is the finished lounge, unfortunately I never took a photo of when we first started with the floral wallpaper and floral curtains, but I'm sure you can picture the massive change we have made to this room.

To finish the day off we headed walked down to the Salt on the Pier for another Thursday Special, where Helen & Ralph, and Marg met us for an enjoyable evening.Good music, good food and good company.

Tuesday 21^st October

With beautiful weather provided by the sacrificing of Phallinger Opposum to the Gods
 (thank you Ralph), Christchurch had another summers day. We had a lovely walk along the beach to start our day. The walkway along the top of the sand dunes gives great views. It was a perfect day to be in the garden painting fences and decorating them with iron to break the monotony of wooden fences. This has transformed the garden / backyard area. Great idea Bill. 

As I was a bit slow with the paint work, Bill got on finishing laying the floor in the laundry, and restoring the ceiling in the garage that had “somehow” fallen down while the tenant was here. He also cooked a lovely lunch; I was ready for it too by 1.00pm. With the lovely long evenings, we have kept having mid day meals which allows us to work till after 7 at night.

Monday 20^th October

Week 7 in Christchurch.

Now with most of the painting done, I started out in the garden today painting fences, the start of the transformation!

Bill continued hanging doors today and found one door had slipped through quality control – only one coat of paint! Shock @#*? Horror!! He also assembled two of the bedroom wardrobes which look fabulous painted. And assembled storage cube towers into the wardrobes, kit sets from Mitre 10, really well made, impressing Bill so they must have been.

We have been waiting on the Lawn mower man that I had chased down up the street a week ago to come and mow our little patch that was just about ready to cut for hay, but I finally gave up and cut it myself. Not the most even of cut, needs a bit more work I think. But I saved enough from not getting the guy in to allow two bottles of wine to be bought. 

Saturday & Sunday 18^th & 19^th October

The Guys arrived mid day to lay the carpet Saturday, Bill completed fitting the fiddly security stays to all the windows, while I got on and played with my present from Bill – the water blaster. Very flash, very efficient, very satisfying cleaning up grotty fences. Got very cold by the end of the day too.

It was a lovely feeling having new carpet throughout the house at the end of the day, but before I could take a photo Bill had covered the floor in the lounge with blankets to prevent any more red wine incidents. So you won’t see a photo just yet.

Sunday Bill finished fitting curtain tracks, so I could hang drapes in the lounge, and he started fitting the doors. The toilet is once again private, just in case anyone was wanting to visit. We needed a change of scenery by late afternoon, so headed off for a bike ride. Tried to go around the local wetlands, but there was too much signage prohibiting bikes, will have to come back and do that another day. So then did a large loop around the outer of Brighton, through an area decimated by the earthquake, quite eerie as we rode through the area, past what was a retirement village, the poor residence now housed elsewhere. Quite sobering.

Friday 17^th October

D Day

Off to the Dump this morning, all loaded and expecting a similar charge to last time, but surprise, surprise, it was only $63! Half last time, but still double Nelson charges.

Then while out with an empty trailer, we visited a Landscaper and picked up a load of lovely smooth quartz stones to replace the bark at the back door that keeps getting traipsed into the house and bus. Late Friday we got a call from the Flooring company, to say the layer was sick and wasn’t going to make Sunday – I am about to cry at the thought of all the rush up to this weekend to get the carpet down – AND then she says so can another guy come Saturday instead? Yes yes yes.

Thursday 16^th October

Lifted the last of carpet today, with getting the carpet laid at the weekend. We will have another trip to the Dump tomorrow; I think Bill has recovered enough from the cost of last trip that we can go again. With the last of the painting done, carpet all lifted and loaded for the morning, we treated ourselves out for a meal down at the Salt on the Pier. It’s a pleasant 20 minute walk along the beach to the Pier, where we had a lovely meal. They do a special on Thursday nights, Happy hour from 4 till 6, live music 5 till 7, and a lovely steak meal for $15. On top of this, they also gave us a plate of nibbles that was big enough almost to do us for our meal for the night. Very generous, great service and a pleasant evening. It was nice to be able to walk it off back home.

Tuesday 14th October

Its been an excellent day with lots coming together. Bill getting more paint to finish kitchen, and getting light fittings all up, including the ones he had to modify for the kitchen. (He is very clever). Finished lifting the vinyl in the laundry. Below is Sheryl multi tasking - painting and talking to Rocky and smiling even though it is after 8 at night.The wine tasted extra good after to days work.

Monday 13th October (6 weeks into the renovation)

A real summer's day today, which is great with all the paint fumes to have all the doors and windows open. Great drying enabling final coat on lounge, just the trim to go now. Bill lifted the vinyl easily with his new gadget in the kitchen. With a bit of pressure that the carpet is to be laid this Sunday, paint getting low but hopefully enough to complete the job, having main meals at lunch times so we can work through till 8 at night, it is all coming together.
Bill has continued making our bread, with varying degrees in texture and size, but today's was pretty good.

Saturday & Sunday 11th & 12th October

The good weather continues as we keep progressing on the renovation. The day cut short on Saturday as we cleaned ourselves up and headed out to the Jazz Musician's Ball with H&R. Nice to dress up for a change. It was a good night held at the Cashmere Club with the music played by 3 different bands and catching up with some of Helen's extended family (whom I first meet when I was 3).
It was a late start to Sunday with a 2.00am bedtime (been a long time since we've been to bed that late) so after a lovely breakfast Helen cooked us, we headed home to carry on with the reno. Neighbours from Nelson, Dave & Jo called in the afternoon, with their son Hamish, it was good to catch up.
Bill managed to achieve more than I did with the day before we had Marg & Don over for bbq dinner, which included some lovely venison Don provided.
Another social weekend so we are not feeling too isolated since leaving home.

Wednesday 8th October
Final bit of wallpaper came off late today! Such a good feeling. Now Bill needs to prepare the last 3 rooms for painting, already kitchen is undercoated. Need to get on with buying a kitchen.
Things are progressing quite quickly, but it looks like we will still be here till early November.
Had morning out shopping for important items like toilet roll holder. And checking the last 6 lotto tickets. No winners unfortunately.
Been such a warm sunny day with a Nor Wester, no sign of the predicted rain thankfully. The evenings are stretching out already.

Saturday & Sunday 4th/5th October
A social weekend with Vicki & Trevor down for the weekend from Nelson. Had bike ride out to
Spencer Park, a 7km ride along a coast trail heading north. This is obviously a popular park
with lots families, and activities. Including the Adrenaline Forest where there were high wire
activities. Not for those scared of heights! (Me)
My brother Allan was in town for the weekend with his partner Nicky, whom we met in town
at a little Craft Beer Bar in quaint New Regent Street which appears to have survived the
earthquakes, but surrounded by empty lots and rebuilds. But with the sun shining, Christchurch
does have a positive feel about it.
We then went on to dinner at other ex Nelson friends who moved to Christchurch years ago. All
of us use to camp together when our children were growing up, so it's lovely catching up and
seeing where they are all up to. Marg put on a lovely meal for the four of us and we had a good
catch up. Arrangements were made for the next day that Sheryl later stuffed up!
Sunday was another lovely day to get out and do a walk after a cooked breakfast, just like
camping days of old. A fairly relaxed day with taking another day off the renovations. Bill hadn't
had much time out, unlike myself swanning off to Wellington the weekend before. So didn't
hurt him to have a few extra beers. Even had time to do a bit of reading in the sun. Then as
the afternoon was nearing its end & a bottle of wine almost finished, we started to wonder why
Marg hadn't turned up !! Then the loose arrangements of the night before came slowly out of the
memory bank - poor Marg was waiting for me to ring when to catch up! Thankfully she is a very
forgiving friend and did turn up once I rang to see where she was. Another good social night
was had.

Friday 3rd October
T day today.
With the impending arrival of visitors for the weekend, pressure was on Bill to finish the toilet
off. The floor was completed, now the tiles up the sides needed grouting before the toilet bowl
installed (and one can't have visitors without a toilet). Although we did entertain Helen & Ralph
for lunch. Luckily they didn't need any facilities. And they kindly took their tree home again for
storage!
I went to Bunnings and ordered wooden blinds for bathroom / toilet/kitchen & laundry after doing
the homework and filling in the form. But then! I was given more information and had to return
home for re assessment of our choices. Not before queuing at the counter for Bill's tube of
silicon, and once I got served, realising I had no money on me!
Day moved on at an accelerated speed, but Bill just had the new toilet installed as our visitors
arrived. AND it was needed immediately wasn't it Vicki:-)

Sunday 28th September
I've had a lovely weekend in Wellington, catching up first with my cousin Sandra in Otaki, then
with Shannon, Nick & Jacky and two nieces in law (Nicki & Marta). And even Rocky via Skype.
Shannon had shouted me to WOW which once again was really WOW! Amazing the talent
that is out there and how it is brought together with dance. Weather could have been better but
company more than made up for it. Thank you Shannon for your wonderful hospitality.
Poor Bill was left home alone but coped well...........
Bill had the first shower in the new bathroom, which functioned perfectly. The shower in the bus
works well but you are limited in that there is only a small water cylinder, so showers are kept
short. Now with the completion of the renovated bathroom, we can have nice long showers:-P