Where did the time go ?

Tomorrow my eldest will get on  a plane and travel to the other side of the world...  This will only be the second time she has flown and never outside of Australia.

I am proud of the young lady she has become and proud to that I have brought her up to be independent, able to stand on her own two feet.
Today I just feel sad, my baby really has grown up and tomorrow she will leave my house and really have to fend for herself.  I know she will be back in three short months, which will fly for her but drag for me, but I know too that it will be a different Annie who comes back a more grown up and independent one.  One who really does no longer 'need' her mother.   I just wonder where the last twenty years have gone....

Pictures of outside.

 The above picture is at the front of the house

 This one is taken outside our  laundry door,

The vege patch,  the chooks helped themselves to some of the plants..

 Above autumn leaves , this is also in the backyard



Nothing much is happening here today so I thought I would take a few photo's of the yard.


The first pic is if you stood looking at the house.  The tree is a huge elm tree busy at the moment dropping its leaves everywhere.   I am not sure that we will be able to grow any plants underneath it.


The second picture is to the left when I walk out the laundry door.  Its a little overgrown  and in need of some TLC.

One coat of paint done, one to go

After  a lot of umming and aahing , the curtain material was finally decided, thanks mainly  to the wonderful lady at the paint shop who worked through several  curtain / paint combinations.

Sunday afternoon was then spent painting.  Pete did the high bits, Olivia did the low bits and I did what was left.   The colour at first appeared too dark and I started to worry that I had made the wrong choice but as we went on it seemed to be lighter.  It is a funny colour, it seemed to have an orange tinge to it, then as the day wore on and the room got darker it then appeared green.

I am looking forward to getting the second coat on and seeing how it looks then.  At the moment it is quite patchy especially around the area's where we have cut in.

On a roll.

This is the next problem area, which probably should be dealt with first as this is what  visitors see as they enter he house.

Most of the stuff on the floor is to go to the op shop or hard rubbish later this week.

 The photo above is what you see as you come in the front door, the sliding doors open to the back yard.

 These are the cupboards on the right as you walk in , there is a lounge to the left.

After you have walked in if you were to turn around this is what you would see.



I need to make the front door area welcoming... Again a big area which is well to be honest BORING.   Paint in a some cream colour , there is nothing appealing or inviting about it.....It is a strange entrance as there are cupboards on the right as you walk in...a lounge is to the left , in front is another big area which really doesn't seem to have purpose.. sliding doors at the end open out into the back yard.


The curtain  drag on the ground and  need to be replaced.  Will see what the curtain lady suggests when she is here later in the week.  Time for a lick of paint I think..

More about the dining room..

I have someone  coming to do a quote for a curtain  later this week..  Hopefully she will also be able to guide me in colour choice etc.

I thought I would measure the room, the window is 180 cm wide, there is 120 cm of wall on the right ( as you are looking into the room)  this is the side nearest the fire.

The wall on the other side of the window is 185 cm wide.  The long wall  is 14 foot long  is 14 feet long    ( ?? 430 cm).

The opening into the kitchen is  180 cm,  there is no doorway ( just a hole in the wall. 160 cm wall near the heater and 150 on the other side.


I have a pic of the light fitting also.. ( not a good pic )

My dining room : in desperate need of help.

As I said  in my last post  decorating I don't do well.  We moved into this house almost two months ago.  Admittedly it has taken all this time to unpack.. but now we are down to a few boxes I am starting to see the area that need serious work.  The dining room is most in need of an overhaul.. At the moment it is like  eating in a hall, a very big room with no personality

I am showing some photo's looking for help.  The photo's were taken late in the day.

The room is on the dark side of the house, so I am not sure whether to try to lighten it or go with a darker colour scheme.  Both the curtains and the paint   are to be update.An suggestions on colours or what furniture to put where would be great

No decorator gene

As I wrote in my previous post I am now at home full time ( which I am loving)  but with the extra time i now see all the things that need to be done both inside the house and out.


Unfortunately for me I missed out on the home decorator gene.    I have friends who can walk in, move  something a few inches and  create a fantastic look, I can see it needs fixing but I am never sure how to go about it.

The dining room needs a paint  but can I choose a colour .. no way.  The silly part is it is a tin of paint..if its not the right colour it can be changed, its not written in concrete.  Still i hesitate .....

 When I figure out how I will post some pic of the trouble spots and ask for  your suggestions....


Outside is  in need of desperate attention....the garden is very overgrown.  We have made a start and planted some seedlings but there is lots of weeding and pruning to be done elsewhere.    The previous owners planted anything and I mean ANYTHING  that would grow, lots of creepers that have grown out of control and plants that spread madly if not trimmed back regularly.

It looks like it is going to be a nice day, so I will spend the afternoon trimming back and weeding the garden.