Good night, sleep tight...

...  That's something that is now being enjoyed at Little Munro Beach House.

Woo Hoo, we are finally sleeping in our new bedroom and it feels great.  What with the electric blanket making it toasty and some familiar decor it's such a great feeling to have a 'proper' bedroom.

When we first arrived the largest of the bedrooms was the obvious choice to be our room, but I hated it.  I didn't even like going into the room, can't explain why but it just felt dirty, it was smelly where the house had been closed up for so long and on our first viewing of the house it was the room that our landlord had been 'camping' out in while he had been doing some work.  So it was just used as a store room, there was no rush to move in there and then we decided that rather than wait for the landlord to bring us his desired interior paint we would go for good ole white and make a start on the decorating.  I'd never really been a lover of white paint but it works really well especially in small rooms.  After preping the walls and ceilings and painting it really started to take shape but...  I had no idea what other extras Kris had in mind, all I can say is WOW!

This is how the room looked when we first visited, I considered keeping the curtains and light fitting, not!

So, work commenced and before we knew it there was a bedroom ready for us to move into.  There are still a few things to do, find the perfect 'artwork' for the wall, make rope handles for the wardrobe doors and purchase blinds for the windows.  But, I'm sure you can now see why our new bedroom is now a room that we are happy with...

Kris framed the windows with Rimu and varnished them, what a difference has been made, especially once he made the curtain poles and up went the curtains.  Then the entrance and wardrobe doors were grooved the resemble farmhouse style doors.

We plan on giving all the internal doors and windows a similar new lease of life, in time of course!

Not content with decorating the main bedroom we also decided to work on the hall and the spare room.  Again there is a noticeable difference which is helping Little Munro Beach House look a more like our home.



After




Before





















The spare room has not been finished, we still have the windows to frame, curtain poles to be made, curtains ans blinds to be hung, entrance and wardrobe doors to be 'grooved' and eventually Kris will build a unique bed frame, but at least we know have a comfortable spare room for our overnight guests.

So with one month until I jet off back to the UK, there is one room which I hope to have practically finished.  Work commenced today on the little loo room!

It's been ages...

... since I last wrote on my blog, I guess my socialising has been getting in the way...

Can you believe that in a couple of days we have been living in our Little Munro Beach House for 3 months, how time has flown by.  So here I am sitting here and realising that we have done really well in the time that we have been here.  Okay it's no where near finished, infact we have hardly started but in the short time we have achieved so much.

I was going to say that there was nothing too major to report on this time, but a few little things have changed so I guess despite everything else we have been doing we have once again done quite a bit... 

The most noticeable thing is obvious as soon as you come down the drive, the front door, garage doors, workshop roof and window ledges have 'gone green'!  Once the cream exterior paint arrives the whole house will get it's makeover.

We still need to put another coat of paint on the workshop/garage door but the colour has certainly brightened up Little Munro Beach House.

The outside has been where we have been concentrating our efforts.  With Kris having some 'proper' work to do I have been getting into the garden in between socialising!  I have continued pulling up weeds which are so deep rooted, carried yet more rocks, separated succulents and replanting them, I have even made some steps using logs and shells.  I don't think the photos really show my work off as well as it looks but hopefully you can get some idea of what has changed.


Before work started



The whole area has been cleared, steps built
and replanting taken place




The lower level section like all of the garden did resemble a jungle, but now the section running along the wall has been given a new lease of life, again I know the photo doesn't show it as good as it looks in the flesh...


When we first saw this we really didn't know where to start...

I'm sure you will agree this area has also changed heaps...

The other little job done is that the front door which had a huge gap (unwanted air conditioning) has been filled and some plaster board has been put up closing up some of  the gaps in the ceiling and walls around the pantry and front door.  There is still more to go up but at this stage we need to wait until our landlord has finished with the electrical work.









Our bedroom is about to be partly decorated so we can move out of the spare room so I hope to share some more photos with you soon.

So for now I say "That's All Folks"...

Green Fingers...

Well I won't profess to knowing much about gardening, to be honest until now it has always been "Dad how do I do this?", and normally he would be there to help.  But until Mum and Dad visit in early 2012 I am doing my best to 'go it alone'.  Kris is supportive but he knows less than me and really doesn't have much interest with it, so the garden is my 'baby'. 

My last blog showed my efforts with the creation of the rock/shell garden, it really makes a difference and everyone who has visited has had positive comments about it.  So after that I decided to tackle along the side of the garage which was so overgrown and full of weeds and open up the side of the garden which was just a mess and had obviously not been touched for a very long time, the Ivy had really taken over.  So there I was with wire cutters, secateurs, pruners, machete and lots of energy!



I  thought I could start by chopping down what had grown above the wire fence but it was soon evident that everything was so entwined with each other I was fighting a losing battle, so drastic measures were called for.  I started to show who was boss and found an inner strength to cut, pull, dig out and yank the fence out, I am sure at times it would have looked quite comical as I went flying across the garden but I was determined.  There appears to have been some steps created at some point so over the coming weeks I will move the succulents and flatten the steps and possible will use crushed shells to define the steps.  So it's nowhere near finished but I am so happy with my efforts so far.  Not only was it hard work pulling it all apart, I then had to continually load up the wheelbarrow and wheel it round to the other side of the stream.

By taking out the fence, weeds, ivy and
unwanted plants/trees, the garden
has really been opened up.





At a glance it doesn't look that bad,
but I can assure you it was a 'jungle'




















While I have been working in the garden, Kris has been continuing starting up the business as more work comes in.  He has also been working on the bathroom, the unit to house the new sink and and the raised flooring area, it's looking fantastic.  We are hoping that our landlord will like what Kris has done and will agree that it can be finished and fitted to allow us to create the bathroom we are hoping for.  I will keep this under wraps for the time being...

But, one other thing that Kris has done is experiment with an old log from the garden, he has made a couple of benches, they are great and very useful so we now know that we have a use for all the others that are to be cut down in the near future.

   

Something else that I hope to update you on next time is the Pukeko's.  We have a few that frequent our garden and have kindly eaten all our fruit!  There is no point worrying about that.  I think they are so cute, they make me smile, they are a bit silly, they can't really fly, they glide, they strut around and in my opinon are just beautiful.  So we are going to try and 'pet' them, others have done so why not...  Here is one of them that was in our garden this morning...

Enjoying the autumn sun...

It's been a little quiet on the house renovations this past week, I didn't say we hadn't done anything, but...

... after the first month of the work being very full on it was time to put some time aside to start 'proper' work...  Birchall & Dyer - Shipwrights and Boat Builders have begun, the business cards have been printed and gradually work is coming in, so let's keep our fingers crossed that it's not too long until the diary is full of jobs.

Although Kris has been busy on other 'projects' he still had time to help me with a few 'creative' chores and fix the leaky patio door.  So off to his workshop he went and before we knew it the door was 'fixed', he just needs to finish off the bottom, fix the other patio door and and of course paint the outside of the house to see the full effect.

        

In the meantime I was homemaking...  The majority of the boxes are now  unpacked, I've found homes for the 'odds and ends' and have sorted out my dressing room.  When I first saw the smallest of the small bedrooms I wondered what we could use it for, it was Kris who suggested my own dressing room, and what a fantastic idea that was.  Okay it still needs decorating, shelves have not yet been made for my huge shoe collection, but it's looking just fine for the moment and I love 'my girlie space'.

                       

Now that the house feels homely it's been time to get out into the garden.  Other than the odd rainy day the autumn weather has been fantastic.  So to make up for not going to the gym I have been digging, carrying rocks, pulling down fences, chopping whatever gets in my way and basically having a good work out in the sun...  It's still a work in progress but the messy border at the front is now a rock/shell garden, as for my other garden work, hopefully my next blog will show you what I've been up to...



Full of weeds and not very
 fitting for a beach house



Rocks from the stream, shells from the beach
and an old washing machine drum aka a herb pot

                                                                      






So, that's it for now...  My back aches, my legs ache but I'll be back in the garden tomorrow as there is so much to do, so much for me to learn, but I'm loving every minute, I just wished I had my green fingers Mum and Dad here to help...

It's beginning to look like home...

... Finally after a 3 month wait the contents of our container arrived at Little Munro Bay.  We were fortunate enough to have some extra helping hands, so with me ticking off the item numbers while the 'boys' unloaded the truck it wasn't long before the garage and house were full of boxes and pieces of furniture totalling 111.   It should have been 112 but we had a missing box and soon realised a couple of missing items, but I am pleased to say we are now in receipt of everything.





Just a few of the 111 items

Well then the fun really started, with so many boxes to be unpacked and items unwrapped it was never going to be a quick job.  It was soon evident that the helping hands were better off going fishing to let me enjoy seeing all our lovely things and to start finding homes for everything.  I did quite well on my own and with some 'girlie' help the following day a good chunk had found a home.  If I'm honest I didn't expect to feel so emotional seeing all my things that had been lovingly bought for our home in England, so to see them in New Zealand I guess made it really sink in that this is not a holiday home, this is our new home.  So, yes there has been some tears, not for sadness, I guess just for change.





Spare room -
finally no more sleeping on the floor





Dining area -
still more pictures to go up but looking better





Lounge area -
somewhere to chill out with fantastric views





My office space where I can watch the TV
and look out to sea



Woo hoo - TV, Sky and our beloved Postbox

Kitchen -
we're a little more organised despite the lack of cupboards



Got to love the old Pantry



Garage -
great for the fridge / freezer, laundry and storage

We're still not completely unpacked but at least the majority is now done so Little Munro Beach House is beginning to look more like a home.

Other than the arrival of the furniture only one transformation this week, the old and I mean the old washing line which is at least 40 years old (replacements cost a few hundred pounds - honest) had rusty wire for the clothes, infact the whole structure was so rusty it would have ruined anything put on it.  So after a wire brush, paint and some new line it looks as good as new.  It's huge and holds so much so it was worth saving.



Looks as good as new



A very unloved washing line












So, that's it for now...  Another busy week over, me 'homemaking' and Kris doing some 'proper' work as he has started working for himself...

I wonder what is in store for Little Munro Bay Beach House this week?

The best things are worth waiting for...

...  in our case there are lots of those things, but the first being the shower!

So, it's almost 4 weeks since we moved into Little Munro Beach House and today I can proudly say we have a working shower.  It's not finished but after the alternatives this is fantastic news.  It's a one off, it's unique and it's been made from all sorts from various sources and it looks great.  I can't wait to see the final result not only the shower but the whole bathroom...


Before work starts on the shower

 

Looking good



Just need the taps and door but what a difference


Another big difference is the floor in the spare room, lounge, dining room and kitchen.  The flooring had been there for at least 20 years so you can imagine removing it was not an easy task.  The lino in the kitchen was stuck with a glue which did not want to shift, then the carpet in the spare room, lounge and dining room was just as bad.  First the carpet was pulled up, then the foam backing had to be scraped up followed by the heat gun and a scraper to remove the glue.  But if that wasn't bad enough, Kris sanded it all with a belt sander, he spent hours over 3 days on his knees wearing a his protective gear, to say he is shattered is an understatement but again it has been worth it.



This carpet was in the spare room
as well as the lounge & dining room



After ripping up the carpet and foam
backing we were left with the glue






The spare room after being sanded



Removing the glue with the scraper and heat gun

 

Next job was the sanding with a belt sander





The lounge after being sanded



and the dining room

















We have the container arriving first thing tomorrow, so we have been getting organised as there are 112 items of furniture and boxes.  But despite there being so much to do at least with our stuff here it will feel more like home.