A New Front

I finally finished repairing and repainting the big windows across the front of the house and now the scaffold has been taken down, so I can see how it looks. 
I like the colours I chose - these blues go well with the terracotta bricks, I think. Orange and blue are complementary colours (opposites on the colour wheel) so they always look good together. It replaces a nondescript, rather pustulent shade of yellow, which did nothing to enhance the appearance of the house. Probably, the windows and trim would have been originally painted white, I think, although when I was scraping and sanding, there was evidence that a bilious green had been used at one stage. 

I'm going to paint the little back porch in coming days, weather permitting, then that will be it until next Spring/Summer, when I can finish the windows at the back. There is always more re-pointing to be done, which can be done at any time of year.

As winter approaches, I'm pulling out the last of the summer vegetables and digging over the remaining beds to plant things that can grow over winter...….the plantings I've already done are growing well - indeed, I've already started using some of the Asian greens.
Goodbye summer vegetables for a few months - these zucchinis are the last!

The last of summer meets the first of winter in one dish - stir-fried ginger, soy and garlic zucchini with Asian greens. Delicious!

Repointing is FUN! Who knew?

While I was up on the scaffold in recent weeks to paint the windows and soffits on the front of the house, I noticed that some of the mortar in the brickwork at the sides of the gable was loose, cracked and falling out in places. I thought it was a good opportunity to have a go at repairing it while it was still accessible from the scaffold. It was high up and in a place that wouldn't be too noticeable if I really botched it!

So, armed with tools, mortar and new-found knowledge from Dr. Google, I launched in, expecting to find it an odious task...…...Well, surprise of surprises! I found it unbelievably satisfying to rake out the loose old mortar, clean out the debris, damp it down and re-point it with fresh mortar. It took a bit of practice to get the technique right, but I think I did an OK job of it. I kept it damp while it dried off, as recommended and this morning when I checked it is still intact and good.

Now I'm looking forward to repairing a few other places where the brickwork needs re-pointing!

A Frog Pond

During the summer, my neighbour gifted me a fibreglass pond which she'd taken out of her garden and no longer needed. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it...…...I had a kind of weedy desert where I looked out onto the garden from my dining room window - it's a fairly shaded area, so I thought it would be a great spot to establish a fern and shade-plant garden. So with the free pond and a bit of rock shifting and digging, that's exactly what I did...…...I bought a few plants and shifted some from other parts of the garden where they'd been struggling to compete with other plants. I'm happy to report that everything is growing well and looking lush. Now the frogs just need to move in. 

On that point I heard some frogs in the garden a few nights ago for the first time ever.....I hope it's not too long before they discover the wonderful home I've created for them. I've still to buy a little solar water feature so I can have the sound of water as well.

Oh yes - I'm also planning to make some small pieces of sculpture for the pond surrounds using a cement based sculpting medium that I bought a while back.

More Recent Work

Here are a few more pictures of recent works - firstly the front deck with its new coat of paint and refurbished wrought iron balustrade (so much work restoring that - I don't think I ever want to do something like that again!) Secondly, the restored and refinished kitchen floor with the hand-painted "tumbled tiles" design.

I've also had a good start on painting the front of the house - it's a brick house, so its only the windows and soffits that need painting. I was fearful that paticularly the end window was badly damaged, but I was surprised to find that it was remarkably sound under the loose paint. Only one tiny repair in one corner where the wood had rotted a little. Because it is the two-storey part of the house, I needed to access it safely - luckily I've been able to borrow my son's portable scaffold for a few weeks while he doesn't need it. I think the grey/blues I've chosen look great with the red brick - complementary contrast and all that!

Work has continued in the garden, too. the seeds I planted last week are coming up and the seedlings are looking healthy and perky. The weather is still relatively warm so I'm getting a late flush of scarlet runners and zucchinis.

Blissfully unaware, Oliver sleeps on!

Surviving in Strange Times

In a matter of a few months, how the world has changed! As the corona virus sweeps through countries, virtually shutting them down one after the other, we find ourselves forced to stay home and with as little contact with others as possible to mitigate the possibility of spread. Social distancing. Who knew what that was just a few weeks ago?

All that notwithstanding, I have still been pressing on with my renovations - nothing like a bit of hard work to keep yourself occupied with the added bonus that it leaves little room for brooding!
Fortunately, I quite like my own company, so being at home alone is not an ordeal for me. Missing the communal music-making, though.

So what have I been up to? I converted a useless corner cupboard (you know the ones - in a corner so its almost impossible to access what's in there. They end up being repositories of forgotten jars of unspeakable things!) I opened the back of it so that it faces into the dining room, framed it and painted it and now it is far more useful as wine storage.

I've been doing quite a bit of work outside. I've put in a ferny frog pond in a shady corner that my dining room window looks out on. No residents as yet, but I'll get some tadpoles in the spring. I've also painted my front deck and hand-rails. I don't have pictures of those two projects, but I'll take some tomorrow. The vegetable garden is expanding and in recent days I've planted beds with winter vegetables......seemed like a good idea, given current circumstances.

Some digging around and clearing up unearthed this set of steps that had been completely buried - they lead up from the backyard bungalow. When the conifer is finally removed, I'll make this area into a pleasant little garden.

Unfortunately, my excavations didn't yield any treasure - just this:

In late summer last year, my friends from Switzerland stayed for a week or two - they helped with some of the jobs around the place. This is Hannes' fence - such an improvement on what was there before! that one got used as kindling to start the fire with last winter. And Ursula helped me to strip the layers of old lino and vinyl from the kitchen floor and remove the old glue (big job!) After they left, I finished it with liming white and painted a decorative tumbled tile design where the kitchen and dining room floors meet. I'll add pictures of that to my next post. 

But the biggest job in the past year was getting the fascias, barge boards and down pipes replaced. I had this professionally done - it was beyond my skills to do this kind of work properly. I'm glad I did - it looks so good and absolutely no leaks since the 50mm downpipes have been replaced with 90mm, which can cope much better with heavy downpours. The colour is Colorbond Deep Ocean - a kind of dark blue-grey, which I will also use on the garage door and the gable ends. The windows will be a lighter shade of blue-grey.

 

So that's about it for now - I sliced the tip off my finger today using one of those lethal mandolin slicers - bit distracted, I think. I'm throwing that thing away tomorrow! I don't think I'll be able to do much work in the garden tomorrow - I need to let it heal. Maybe a day reading and tea-dinking is in order!

Finishing The Garden Studio

Well, another Christmas has come and gone and summer is just beginning to wind down a bit after weeks of hot, dry weather. I was on a mission to get the little back garden studio space to a completed-enough state to use it on Christmas Day (I hosted 22 family for lunch and needed all the space I could get..........I used the studio as a coffee/tea station and chill-out space.)

Since then, I've gone on to finishing it off as my backyard studio retreat - a sweet little space to read, sketch, sculpt, listen to music and even use as an extra bedroom when required.

I'm so happy with it and I spent very little doing it, just a bit of time. This is what it was like before.........and this photo is somewhat flattering:

 

Here's a view from the same angle:

 

And from two different angles......

So much more inviting, don't you think?

My next big project will be the kitchen floor - I can't wait to purge myself of the layers of old vinyl and lino and strip those lovely boards that are underneath! When it gets a bit sunny in there, that floor covering gives off a weird smell - won't be sorry to be rid of that!

I've had a quote to have the fascias, gutters and downpipes replaced - something that I decided needed to be done professionally - that will be done in early April and then I can get on and continue with the painting of the external woodwork.

Here's what else I'm hoping to get done over the next few months:

*Side fences on both sides

                               *Re-do all the insides of the kitchen cabinets 

       *Open shelving in the kitchen

    * Paint front deck and steps 

        *Repair some loose brickwork 

             *A bit of repointing of brickwork 

*Finish painting inside   

That's quite a list - I'd better get on with it! 

 

The Atelier

When I found this house, I was delighted to discover that there was a very solidly built small brick bungalow in the backyard. Perfect for a studio........an atelier if you want to go all fancy-French!

When I moved in it was full to the gunnels with old packaging, discarded junk, broken furniture etc, but once all of that was gone, it revealed itself to be structurally sound and only in need of a good clean, paint and finishing touches to make a very inviting space to work in. I had fully intended to get it done before last summer..........that didn't happen! But I've finally reached a stage where I can give it some attention.

First the floor - good sound hardwood floor, albeit with a few flaws indicating that it is not first grade, but perfectly serviceable for a studio. I cleaned it up and scrubbed it to remove decades of ingrained dirt (it had never had any kind of finish on it). Here it is in all its glory, cleaned and ready to go. The walls are "ranchwall" plywood, which should paint up quite well.

 

I decided to finish the floor with Feast and Watson Liming White, which should lighten the room considerably and provide a good cleanable surface. The floorboards are inconsistent in colour and there is a bit of staining - the limed finish should even out some of inconsistencies.

This is what it looks like with two coats of the Liming White and another yet to apply:

 

Now try and picture white walls and a brightly painted window and door (colour yet to be decided on). A bright rug, some practical shelving, a worktable and an easy chair. I can see myself spending a lot of productive time out here once it's completed!