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.