Belated Catch Up

Sorry, folks, sorry - it's been a busy many past weeks and although we have been visiting and carting up stuff to Fossils Retreat, there does not appear to have been a lot to progressively chart photographically. It just seems we have been plodding along with not a lot to show at times. (Plus we FORGOT to take the camera twice).

What has been happening quietly on the scenes whenever we have had days off to get up there - is painting and cleaning up. We now have the newly built laundry/utility room painted with two large cupboards erected and painted; the kitchen dining room has been all painted (except for some window joinery); the kitchen is all installed and electric oven and gas hob working fine; the hall (12 foot stud!) has been painted, along with ceiling (ghastly job - enamel paint); the living room was completed painting this weekend (today, in fact). That's with all the skirting boards and architraves primed and x2 enamel coats, as well.

We've been busy scurrying round and about picking up bathmats, towel rails, toilet roll holders and the like. We have had and still have although tailing off, a minor cluster flies epidemic along with nearly everyone we know in the Wairarapa.


We hired the largest possible skip and made a slight dent in the three demolition piles behind the house. We made a gate and hung it and painted it one coat (1 to go).

Feijoa plants/hedge are doing just fine. Ditto the silver birches we have planted at the entrance. Vege garden is going crazy with all the mushroom compost we have virtually at our doorstep from Parkvale Mushrooms. (1 ute load for $30).

Tomorrow is moving day. The movers are coming around 8am. At Fossils Retreat, we have worn and used and paint splattered although clean, wood floorboards throughout, stuck sash windows, and peeling lino to take up in the kitchen. Over three days, the corpses of thousands of cluster flies have been discovered and disposed off. We know truly know the real truth of that old saying 'dropping like flies'. Three huge piles of wood to sort through into usable (and denail) / firewood / brazier burnoffs. But a woodshed needs to be built first ... and quotes for a fireplace and heat transfer units to be done.

FRIENDS - We apparently are going to have to get a new service and email address etc. but it won't happen for 2-3 weeks. Have faith ... the blog will continue with heaps more progress note and photos.

And we'll leave you for a few days with the most recent autumn morning photo from Fossils Retreat ...

Looking east from our dining room about 09.30 one morning. This is our only view of the Tararuas from the house. Expect lots of snowy caps in winter. We had 50 heifers from the over the road dairy farmer come and chew down our grass over a few weeks. Where the hot wire stopped you can see in the foreground and get an idea of how much long grass we had. That old deady brown tree on the middle left is the macrocarpa we had taken down last November that we haven't had time to go out and deal to.

And Rats to You Too

Last time we were up at Fossils Retreat was the weekend of 13-14 February. We had arranged for a huge skip to be delivered so we could make a start on getting rid of a lot of our three huge piles of demolition materials. As there is plenty of timber (and plenty of nails in it) in the three piles that needs careful sorting (usable/useful/hmmm/firewood) we concentrated on filling the skip with stuff like plasterboard, old lining boards and the like. As we were turning over and throwing off wood to get to the rubbish, I warned Denise of the possibility of rats. When the skip was nearly full, Denise loaded up the barrow with smaller bits of debris scooped in armfulls into the barrow. She had just chucked one armload in when I looked down into the barrow and saw ...


These wee babies (7) were pink and nearly transparent, no more than 2.5cm (1 inch) long. Denise reacted immediately and for some reason did a rather peculiar dance consisting of stamping her feet, clutching and pulling out the front of her singlet and screaming her head off. When she had calmed down and realised none had gone down her front (remembering the mouse episode in the potato tyre), her motherly instincts kicked in. We figured they were just newly born - probably while we were partaking of a long lunch and reading the weekend papers. Sadly, motherly instincts were quashed when Jennifer reasoned that 7 rats were better taken care of now as against in the house in 3 months' time.

Note : They were given 2 'instant death' treatments by Denise. There were no survivors and the wee corpses were reverently covered and disposed of in the rubbish skip

So, now we have three still large, but flatter piles of timber - a lot of matai - to be sorted and denailed (we're looking for helpers who want to develop their arm muscles. This is hard wood). The front gate has been finished and hung after several trials and tribulations. We have two raised vege beds up - one filled with soil and mushroom compost, and have planted lettuces, silver beet and brassicas. We just hope we get some rain in between our next visit.

Twilight, looking south from the front gate of Fossils Retreat

It's Bye Bye to Louey the Fly and a few Other Inconveniences

Things have slowed a little as far as interior renovations are going at Fossils Retreat. We now have a working bathroom (we just need a shower curtain); toilet; all kitchen conveniences including TWO filters from our rainwater tank, and laundry tub and water. Electricity in most rooms. Our builder has started another job, so it appears we only see him on rainy days (or any day Jennifer is there to put a few hours in).
Next trip up, we bring up a permanent queen bed and 'make' a bedroom of one of the front rooms.

Bye Bye to making up and dismantling the rather uncomfortable couch/bed each day. This photo shows our 'studio' living just prior to the new kitchen being installed.

Spent a fair bit of time doing smallish jobs that took a while. Had a good old scrub and tidy up and got two raised vege beds completed. Spent a lot of exhaustive time excavating and sieving some of our topsoil hill and transporting it by barrow to the beds. Well, one bed. A barrowload doesn't go far when you're filling raised beds. We have a good stash of mushroom compost under a tarp nearby - got a ute load full a few weeks ago from the Mushroom Factory down the road.

Bye Bye Louey the Fly. Denise wanted a photo before she scraped the stickers off and cleaned the window. The cracked pane has since been replaced. This is the view above the kitchen sink. The two new raised vege gardens in the bottom panes

The potato leaves are dying off (the ones we planted in tyres with old hay around). Denise was excavating the first tyre with delight when a tiny field mouse ran up her arm and dived over the fence. I'd like to see her if it was a rat ...

Another little job done. Our mailbox finally up. It wasn't that easy as we had to make a whole new little supported shelf for it level with the others. Tansy has just come back from chasing a hare

Follow up on Open Home

We arrived up at Fossils Retreat after work on Friday 29 January at 11 o'clock at night. Breathless, we opened the back door and gazed in admiration at our new kitchen. Drawers galore. Denise immediately had to start unpacking everything remotely belonging to the kitchen and put it away. Ditto the fridge. (We had bought a Buy Now fridge for $120 off Trade Me). We finally got to bed at 2.45am.

Folk started arriving shortly after 11 o'clock. The BBQ was set up, and over the next 12 hours, we had 30 friends and family and neighbours pop in. The new oven worked splendidly to satisfaction (apart from the fact that the symbols in the manual in no way look anything like the symbols on the oven face which can be a bit of a problem if you are looking to fan bake, for example) and the day went well. The weather was brilliant.

One of Denise's daughters made us a beautiful housewarming cake, which was just scrummy and kept Jennifer well satisfied for the next few days.


Cutting Tracey's housewarming cake in the new kitchen

On Sunday morning, Denise sat up in bed at 8.45am and announced 'I can't do a day like yesterday today'. Que sera, sera ... the weather had turned cooler and rainy so no BBQ outside. We had 12 guests on the Sunday which was nice and cozy - all sat around on our couch/bed and assorted plastic picnic chairs admiring the half painted kitchen (the half that the kitchen fittings went on) having a few drinks and a few laughs.

By tea time, everyone had gone. We had plenty of leftovers in the fridge to last the next few days.

No work was done on the place this weekend.

Open Home

OPEN HOME

at

164 Waitangi Road Carterton

Over the weekend of SATURDAY 30 & SUNDAY 31 January

Any time after 11.00am each day

Denise and Jennifer invite you to drop in and view the current progress. We are hoping to be able to offer a wide but interesting assortment of foodstuffs but would appreciate any contributions towards refreshments. At this stage we cannot guarantee the state of the place but we are hoping to have a toilet working. Overstayers welcome.

End of the Year Wrap

We made another lightning trip up to Fossils Retreat on 31 December, laden with more stuff from the garage at Avalon. Prior to that, we were there for the day on 20 December, when Stan kindly gave up a couple of hours and downed some trees for us - which we now urgently need to get sawn and split so we will hopefully have some dry firewood this coming winter. Stan taking down a small lone gum on the road on the south side of the property. Best taken down now rather than in 2 years when the Council complain it is hitting the power lines

Stan also took down a few willows on the east side that were preventing a gate closing, and a large macrocarpa that was starting to die on the inside. Unfortunately, nobody got a shot of the macrocarpa being felled.

Jennifer demonstrating prowess with a splitting axe. A pity that this is the only shot Denise got with her phone and the log fell over

When we arrived, we were thrilled to see lots of big wrapped parcels all over the paddocks. Well, not too thrilled in that the parcels were a bit bigger than we anticipated and there is no way that one person can move one of them. Two people can't move one, actually. Hmmmm

50 big bales of baleage dotted around the paddocks

Jacob the builder is on holiday for a few days, but we did manage to contact and meet up with a plasterer who is going to start with the gib stopping for us. (Dry wall, for American readers).

Denise models the latest in fashion for rural Race meetings. She is thrilled to bits to find we have a 'permanent' door step

The new addition - laundry and utility room - now all lined out

Denise is looking into the corner where the new pantry will go. The wall opening has been cut into the lounge for the bi-fold doors, and the former doorway from the hall has been filled in

Our new bathroom, taken from cribbing space from each adjoining bedroom. Yes folks, believe it or not, a claw foot bath will be going in here AND a basin AND a toilet AND a few other fittings. Claustrophobic people may find visiting this wee room a bit of a challenge

We are really pleased the way things are ticking along. The only hold-up at present is that the plasterer cannot do the kitchen/dining area walls as the bracing needs to be inspected by the Council, and the chap who does this is on holiday until the 11th. We will now have to put off the kitchen going in by a week as we will need to have the kitchen area plastered and painted beforehand. Plenty of other chores to do though.

The little feijoa trees are doing very well. We are so lucky in that (to date) the hares haven't snacked on them. Potatoes seem to be doing OK but hard to tell without rummaging around in the tyres. They are only just starting to put up the occasional flower.

And the Batts Go On ... And the Batts Go On

Another lightning trip over to Fossils Retreat after work on Wednesday 16 December to drop off more de-clutter from Avalon, check on and water the feijoas and tend to potatoes and view more progress ...

The framing of the wall on the left near the tractor had to be completely rebuilt with sound timber after Jacob discovered most of it was not sound. All enclosed with building paper now. Our resalvage/kindling/bonfire stacks are getting bigger ...

Denise stands where the pantry will be in the new kitchen. Batts have been installed on the newly rebuilt wall (window from Trade Me - 2 panes to be repaired). Jacob has had to put down new flooring on the left wall corner. The opening into the living room has been cut. We have a hall door in place

Repaired ceiling in the living room. This is the rebuilt corner where the original diagonal fireplace was situated. This room and the hall will retain their original 12 ft studs. The 3 bedrooms will have ceilings reduced to normal height as we don't have enough of this original paling to replace all the ceilings.

Looking from the dining room through to the living room, and Denise tries out the new hall door

Jennifer practising lounging at the dining room table in the late afternoon sun. Those lovely french doors which Jacob has made open outwards were $300 on Trade Me. Window from The Renovators, Masterton (sod wouldn't haggle the price so it has been our most expensive window)

A raptured Denise picturing her new laundry/utility room (both these windows were existing in the house - just rearranged)

We are absolutely chuffed that things are ticking along so smoothly and so fast. We really have been lucky with all our tradespeople - Jacob, our builder and his team, Kevin the Sparky and Robin our plumber.

We have accepted a quote from Pete's Kitchens & Joinery in Greytown for our kitchen, which we thought was modest (the kitchen a modest design, that is, not the quote) but what the heck! It will be exactly what we want in the space we have, so we're going for it.

In the meantime, our potatoes in old tyres fed on old horse manure are thriving far better than the remainder of the bag we planted back at Avalon; the feijoas (to date) have not been demolished by hares and are flourishing well. We take up 2 x 20 litre containers of water each time we go up, to water. We also found out that we have about 25cm of water in our water tank collected from the garage roof. Still waiting to hear from blokes who put up house guttering so we can collect rainwater from the house roof too. Doom and gloom if we have missed out on all the best rain and we are in for another Wairarapa drought.