About time

So here I am…..getting it done. Who knows what we’ll end up with. 

Getting started is always the hardest bit.

Spring in the garden…..

Some spring blooms that I’m loving right now. Aquilegias. Nora Barlow. She is a beauty.

Snapdragons

Verbascum

Clematis

Kangaroo paw

Leucadendron

Half my time is spent out there just gawking at everything. No wonder I never get anything done. 

The other half is spent trailing and tracking this little human around the place and listening to his stories. 

Cottage News…..

Our new (old) fly wire screen door is in.

And the extra veranda post has been added ( must have been before the door).

Bill proceeded to lift the old bricks and begin laying the new path straight to the gate. He didn’t get far before realising it was going to be way too labour intensive. Lifting the bricks was the easy bit.

We ended up calling in the experts.

This is how it looked before. Just three veranda posts and a path that led to who knows where. 

Out and about in east Gippsland….

This set of 100 timber steps wind their way down an old sea cliff and provide access to Lake King. We timed our visit for late afternoon to see the sunset.

Fairy Dell is a nature conservation reserve full of ferns, moss, vines and old eucalypts. It’s just outside Bruthen.

At home….

Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work we go.

A visit from Bubblegum the little lamb.





By the end of the day, we’re all like this….

Big Drum Roll….

Amy is pregnant. 

With identical twins.

Baby girls are due around Feb/March. 

We

And just like that, Amy and Helen will have extended their little family to five. 

We are all still trying to imagine how it will be.

So much to look forward to.

Cottage Renovation….

We’ve talked about and dreamed about ( me that is )our kitchen renovation  for so long now.

The whole process has been an exact copy of this…..

With “failing” being when we were told that the extension plans could not go ahead because of the proximity to the power pole. Now, months later after rethinking the whole process, we have a door. We’re finally on a roll.

It’s currently at the “getting it” stage.

The back door to the decking ( nothing has been organized on the decking side of things at this stage ), was put in place last week and the cabinets are coming next Wednesday. In the meantime I will paint the architraves and anywhere else that can be done. And then we’ll organize the flooring.

For those of you playing at home, the door has been painted in Dulux Eaves, a soft creamy green.The kitchen cabinetry is in the same colour.

Bird News…..

It’s no secret that we love watching and listening to birds going about their daily business and it seems as though we’ve landed in Bird Central here at Marmalade House.

I’m still a novice when it comes to identifying who’s who compared to Bill , but he is yet to start a Bird List like he did at Frogpond ( probably hasn’t had time, truth be told ). Their bird calls intrigue me and I adore the colours of the rainbow lorikeets and crimson rosellas. But my greatest fascination is with their nest building skills.

Bill found this a couple of days ago.

In an old rusty saucepan hanging from the wall.

Seems like the perfect spot to me. They are wattle bird eggs. A gorgeous speckled colour.

All the Berries….

It’s berry growing time here at Marmalade House. Helen has planted every berry known to man including this one.

I don’t remember eating these before but I’m looking forward to tasting them all.

Loganberries, Raspberries, Golden raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries.

Back to Painting…..

The buzzer has just gone off which means I need to put the next coat of paint on the door architrave. 

And just to put the record straight, I have no idea what possessed me to volunteer to do the painting. I’m not a painter. I don’t even like painting.

 It’s messy. 

And don’t even get me started on cleaning brushes and paint trays. 

I’m determined to finish the job though.

Up the garden path this morning…..

Have a lovely week everyone. Hope you’ve been blessed with some of this beautiful rain.