Has it been so long since I last added to this 'diary'?

Yes, it's been too long and if I'm not careful this blog will go the same path as many others - it gets forgotten and gathers dust. So this week my intent is to pick this up again as so much has happened..

Talking about the garden as I did in the last post.

Looking back I now remember that it was seeing how long and unkempt the grass 'lawn' had become and I really didn't know how I was going to tackle it. I've got some good neighbours: asked Joe if I could use his ride-on mower and within minutes he was there cutting the grass. It says a lot to say that it took him three rounds to get the grass down. Looked horrible once done as pretty much the grass had died at ground level..however it came right within a few weeks...thanks to Joe.

Spring and Summer garden

It got a bit tough during the Winter...it seemed to go no forever; but of course that's not the case. Having looked around the house it seemed that I'm not making as much progress as I thought but the the garden shrubs started coming through starting with the Michelia hedge. A wonderful lemon scent filled the garden for some weeks which lifted my spirits. I didn't realise until later just how well some of the garden shrubs had established.

I'm pleased that they're growing at a great rate, so next year they will have hidden the fence and given  some separation to the vegetable area.

Then the viburnums started and some of the lavenders

A very quick catch up..

This house was extended over a slope whereby the slope allowed a set of basement rooms and a mezzanine floor to be built just by adding on to one end of the house. What follows show how outside concrete steps were incorporated into the extension - but it was a bit rough with for example a huge step down from the kitchen to the landing. also a door had been placed into the (new) exterior wall but was poorly fitting. So the landing was raised and the door filled in. Hasn't changed much since this work but carpet has been bought for the stairs - another project to be finished!

Raising the floor level..

A nice surprise is to see how the window is now on a better level - before it was too high with the lower landing.

This is now going to be a new filled in wall from the deck (outside the kitchen)

I can't believe I've added nothing since March...

And now I recognise that this blog is in danger of becoming similar to so many others..i.e ones that get forgotten and gather dust. So..this week I'd better start catching up...once I've finished painting a large room...

Just pictures from the garden...

Second guest bedroom

'Way behind on this diary. I'd forgotten how horrible parts of this were; when I looked at the pictures I remembered. Starting with the original colour..yuk..

And this has an orange window..even worse. Interestingly when the room was painted it didn't look so bad. Still deciding. Have yet to finish this room properly, like most other parts of the house; it just gets too hot in Summer and besides the garden needs protecting.

Some fool had nailed the felt under lay to the floor. Grr.

Looks orange, but it's a cool blue (Robin's Egg from Resene's Karen Walker)