The Adventures of Hunca Munca

Here's the birthday boy, doing just what he wants to do on his special day. He is building a deck. Not really my cup of tea, but he is happy as a pig in mud out there working on his latest creation.
The ground is full of stones, which causes some challenges when digging.

We went to Thyme Cafe for brunch and will be off to Barbara's house for tea soon. I haven't been wasting time either today. I wrestled with the Christmas tree (yes, yes, I know I should have taken it down ages ago). Now the lounge looks very bare. Maybe I need to work on a display for the Chinese New Year.

I had a bit of a dig and tidy up in my vege garden. Now remember that this is a pioneer woman's garden. I'm making do with what I can find. My raised beds are wide fence palings screwed onto pegs. I'm putting one more in tomorrow. I attacked the "lawn" with the weedeater today. I love slashing things off with that. I put in Mr Cucumber and my black passionfruit today, as both were eager to start taking over the world. That's the spirit! I took the precaution of making a rabbit proof fence around them both, in case someone wants to be a vandal.

Someone else was making the most of the day. I felt guilty after waking her up when I was vacuuming, so I took Miss Hunca Munca out to play in the garden.

Here she is admiring the place where I just planted lettuce seeds. As she is rather fond of her greens, she is making sure everything is as it should be. The metal frame is part of a dear little seed raising house, minus the glass. I'm using it to stop Miss Dog from lying on the garden where the seeds have been planted.

Hunca thinks the compost bin smells very interesting.

And here she is checking out my second bin. Nosy little lady, isn't she!

So after such a fun time exploring she will be wanting a play outside every day!

Happy birthday to my darling Mr B. You are the best husband ever!!!! XXXXX

Everest Attempt Begins

It really does feel like an attempt to climb Everest, getting our house ready to sell, and moving to a new house. It looks like we are dressed for Everest too, in our winter gear. That jacket makes me look like an enormous tomato. Warm though, and it kept me dry in the parts of the house that don't have a roof. We took the first load of excess stuff out to the lockup today. The best part about delivering stuff to the lockup is saying hello to the gorgeous donkey that lives there. So when we got home today I started working on filling a box of kitchen items that I won't be needing for a while. Plus I filled another box of books. The second of many, many book boxes. It feels a bit strange tucking my special things away in boxes, but I'm sure I'll enjoy getting them out again and finding places for them in my new home.

Miss Hunca Munca was very pleased to hear from her mummy and daddy. She supervised closely while I gave her house a clean. She was probably casting a suspicious eye over the disposal of a few hoarded food items. She was very pleased to have minestrone soup for tea. She did a bit more exploring today because Miss Dog was outside while I sorted a few things out. Miss Dog doesn't pay much attention to her now she has got used to the idea of a ratty travelling on shoulders. Monty completely ignores her. Hopeless hunter, thank goodness.

One more week of the term. I've got a pretty chilled out week planned. Then the big push to Everest begins. XXX

Gazing at the floor while the Heavens open.

Wet, wet and more wet around here today! Look at my lovely roof. It is going up bit by bit. The colour is called New Denim Blue and it is made of Coloursteel, which looks just like traditional corrugated iron. Today when we popped (glopped) in there was so much water inside as only half of the roofing is up. Plus the area you can see above in front of the house is thick with goopy mud. But I did get very excited standing in my lounge and looking at all of the lovely space. The verandah has a ceiling now, which Miss Dog is going to love on cold days. Me too!

We went flooring shopping today. I've discovered that I like the carpets that are a shade of chocolate. We've got some samples home from Mckenzie and Willis. Mr B couldn't face the curtain department today, so I'm going to have to go in on my own. We are having a flooring product which is a vinyl but comes in planks that look like real wood. It really does. It is commercial grade so it will last well and should cope with the clitter clatter of animal claws. We had some samples home and it is amazingly easy to clean. That will go in the entrance way, kitchen and bathrooms.

I have to admit I'm a bit panicked that my ability to decorate this fabulous creation is going to be sadly lacking. My taste is very much Country Living, but I find it hard to work with neutrals. I've never really had reason to choose fabulous curtains. I do have a mad passion for fabrics but there are so many horrid ones available, and so many divine EXPENSIVE ones. In the main living area, which will have a mass of curtains along one wall, and five Roman blinds, I don't want anything heavily patterned, but then I think something one flat colour would be completely boring. I think that sometimes a heavy pattern with lots of colours can take over the whole room when the curtains are across. I don't want anything that looks like a budget buy, but I am conscious of the cost. Any ideas?

On the current home front, Miss Hunca Munca Ratty has settled in beautifully. She has very quickly realised that Mr B is a cosy nest of warmth, and loves snuggling up in his polarfleece jumpers. She also knows I am the main source of food, and gets very excited when I bring her a plate (jar lid) of dinner. She eats what we eat, although I'm not usually inclined to grab a huge chunk of food off my plate in my teeth and then scurry off to my bedroom to enjoy it at my leisure like she is. She is the cutest little ratty in the whole world. She sleeps quite a lot, and when she wakes up she has squinty eyes for a bit, and she often has a big stretch and a yawn. Just a dear wee darling. We are so lucky to have custody of her. I'd put some pictures in but it has been really cold and Hunca burrows as much as possible in this weather. The moment I pick her up she is heading for my shoulder to gain access to some part of my clothing.

Tomorrow we start moving things out to the lockup where we will store excess stuff until the big move. We'll meet up with Mr and Mrs CT, who not only own the lockup, but also love a hot coffee or chocolate on a wet day. A great excuse for a gathering. I'm looking forward to it.

Well, I think I've got my blogging mojo back. I'm pleased about that. XXX