... Sleepless in Little Munro Bay!

...  Okay so we had planned to take the weekend off, it didn't quite go to plan but at least Sunday was a day of rest!

It was all going so well...  We decided to have an earlish night so we could be up early to put out the bins and recycling, make our daily calls and crack on with the bathroom and floor as soon as possible, but as we are fast finding out; nothing seems to ever go to plan!  What is it about Sunday nights and that Opossum?  I woke with a start, thought nothing of it and went to the loo, when I got back Kris asked why I had been crashing about, it wasn't me!  Then it started, we were both out of bed before you could say Opossum, it sounded like it had come through the 'dog flap' from the garage into the kitchen/dining room/lounge.  Thankfully it hadn't so we put a stool in front of the ‘flap’ in case he got brave and we went back to bed, not to sleep I hasten to add, how noisy.  The next morning we slowly entered the garage expecting to be confronted with a black, furry, pointed noise creature, but there was nothing, or so I thought!  Monday night was a repeat of Sunday so on Tuesday night we laid a trap.  Now what Kris had omitted to tell me was that there was plenty of evidence, he had found heaps of fruit peel left behind by our 'lodger'.  I went to sleep quite content on Tuesday night thinking that it would be a quiet night, surely the trap would catch our furry friend and I would sleep.  Yeah Right Oh!  The Opossum was playing games, how did he get in and miss the trap?  He must have been there all the time, it was okay the stool was blocking his entrance to the house, but hang on there's a noise which is closer, it’s in the room.  I investigated, there was nothing, just a snoring Mister Dyer, so back I went to bed praying to get to sleep despite the crashing and banging coming from the garage.  Then I hear it again, with all my might I managed to wake Kris who was not best pleased but after I put on the light, screamed he was awake.  There was something hiding behind the boxes, so in his boxer shorts, barefoot and armed with a broom he tapped away at the boxes.  Well you have never seen a pair of pink pyjamas move so fast onto the sofa!  It was a bloody rat just feet or should I say just metres from our bed which I hasten to add is also on the floor.  We lost it, into the wall it went, there was nothing we could do except go back to bed, for the second time, Yeah Right Oh!

So at lunchtime while making our well-deserved lunch I came across half a loaf of 'rat' chewed bread.  So I have now bought a rat trap, peanut butter and poison (Kiwi friendly) for the rat and an apple and condensed milk to lure in the Opossum.  I want to sleep tonight!!!!!!

Now for other news, the shower is in its priming stage so looking lovely and white, the floor is becoming more wood than carpet, Kris started some ‘proper’ work but has now gone fishing and I had a lovely douche with hot water, a bucket and some very cold water from the garden hose.

Welcome to paradise!  It has been a beautifully hot and sunny autumn day, let’s just hope this lovely day continues through the night and I have a night full of sleep!  Somehow with the noise (hopefully) of traps catching our friends (which I have to say makes me sad as I hate to kill things but they are pests and not Kiwi friendly), I have a feeling that I may be very tired in the morning!

To be continued…..

So shattered, time to take a weekend off...

...  Okay, so we have been here for 2 weeks and I think we should pat ourselves on the back (pat, pat, pat), progress has started, the long days of working hard are starting to pay off.

So far we have...

• Almost cut back the bottom section of the garden, found two sets of steps, numerous fruit trees, beautiful plants including a red hibiscus, knocked down the greenhouse, found more of the stream and garden that was hidden under the elephant grass and what looked like a corner of land on the top section of garden was actually a huge area filled with cut down trees that links the top garden to the bottom garden...  Phew!
• The garage has become the workshop for Birchall & Dyer - Shipwrights & Boatbuilders.  It's a work in progress but at least it allows Kris to start working on the house and start doing some 'proper' work too!
• The spare room has had the wallpaper stripped off, the holes have been fillled and it has been primed ready to be painted, plus the carpet has been pulled up and the foam backing and glue has been scraped off, it's ready to be sanded.
• The lounge wallpaper has been stripped off and the dining room floor is starting to go through the same process as the spare room.
• The bathroom, well what a job!  It was a 70's throwback, rotten and very unloved.  But all that is changing as Kris is building the most amazing bathroom.  The shower cubicle is well underway but over the next few weeks the bathroom will really start to take shape...

So, we are going to take a weekend off, we ache, we are shattered, we are sooooo tired...

As I write this at 22.30 I can hear the Kiwi's outside...  Enjoy the photos and I say goodnight!

The rain has stopped...

... and once again we had a bright Autumn day.

After the downpour and the leaking ranch slider we have a very wet carpet, oh well never mind it will be pulled up soon as it's hiding a wooden floor.  The FB advice for old towels was great except we don't have any so the old magazines took the brunt of the water.

One good thing that came out of the heavy rain was that one of the branches that were in my view of the sea was broken, one less thing to chop down!

Well not only did we have the water to deal with yesterday but also an uninvited visitor.  A cheeky little opossum decided to keep out of the rain and hide in the garage.  Gary & Kris chased it out as that's something we really don't want hanging around.  We have no light in the garage so I am glad it was Kris who went into the garage first as that would have given me one hell of a fright!

Work has continued at Little Munro.  Kris is hard at work with creating our new shower; it's starting to take shape so with any luck it won't be too long until we can shower at home, inside!  My lovely neighbours got a visit from me today and my portable bathroom cabinet!  I spent the morning with the heat gun and a scraper removing more foam carpet underlay and glue from our spare room, another wooden floor to be restored and then I was back out in the garden clearing more cut down trees etc...

Mister and Mrs Dyer are shattered, time for a G&T!



The black Opossum was happily sleeping in the garage
and then found an empty can of Bourbon & Coke on his head!



This nocturnal creature was not happy to have been woken up!

Our first week in paradise...

... and what a week it has been!

We arrived last Friday with the car and truck laden with a few items to get us started.  A borrowed mattress for the floor, a few kitchen essentials, baby wipes and loads of tools!  We unloaded, opened up a bottle of bubbles for me, a few beers for Kris and we celebrated with a piece of steak, poached egg and a sausage!  With only a camping stove we didn't have a huge choice of options!

Our first morning, what a start to a day!  To wake up and the first thing we saw was Little Munro Bay, our 'make shift' bedroom is the lounge so we woke to see the sea, maybe I could get used to this!

Our first weekend was filled with visitors, well more 'willing' helpers.  One of the garages was transformed into a workshop and a more of the garden was cleared, which resulted in finding another set of steps connecting two areas of the garden, more of the stream and more fruit trees!

It's been an interesting 'first' week, we feel like we're camping with an indoor toilet.  No bathroom means no shower, Kris has tried out the garden hose or just gone fishing!, whereas I've been borrowing various showers, wet wipes have been our best friend, although the garden hose or in my case a bucket was 'heaven'!  We received our first post, had our phone line reconnected.  Kris continued in the workshop, building his work bench and sorting out some tools, it's still a work in progress but is on it's way and is now at least usable.  I have been ripping down wallpaper and we have been ripping up carpet, basically we have managed to achieve a lot in just a short time.

There have been tears and blood spilt, mine as I slipped on our drive, a lovely little hole in my knee, it hurt for two days but healing now.

Due to the computer 'hiccup' this update is well overdue, but now that we are on line there should be no stopping me, hopefully updates will be every couple of days .

Okay, here are some photos showing some progress of the workshop...


The workshop,
eventually it will be cream with a green roof



Who knows how long this has been left empty,
or full of rubbish

 

Almost empty



Work on the floor starts

 



Not a bad effort for a few hours work

 

Time for a Tui!

 

Then it was lined to keep out some noise,
also should keep the neighbours happy!



Painted for better light and an attempt
to keep it looking clean!

So for now I will sign off...  It's been raining all day and one of the ranch sliders (patio door) is leaking so I best get some more newspaper to mop up the drips!  Oh well, we new it wasn't going to be easy, but we are smiling, it could be worse...

It's official...

...  Kris and I moved in on Friday 11th March 2011.

It's been a busy few days and already there are lots of changes to show you.  But, seeing as though it's our first week I won't update you on the progress for a couple more days as I just need to get the new computer set up so I can show you some photos...

However, we are now registered with the post office for our rural postal delivery and the phone line is connected, so just the computer to go and then we are back in communication with you all.

Welcome to the Little Munro Bay Blog...

...  Kris and I thought that it may be a great idea to set up a blog to capture all the events of what lies ahead when we renovate Number 1 Bay View Place, Little Munro Bay.

To date I have been sending an update email monthly which will continue, however the 'blog' will be more frequently updated.

I guess over the coming months there could be all sorts of highs and lows while we work on this project, this way you will get to hear about them as they happen!

So...  For now this is it...  Once we get the phone line connected and the new super dooper computer hooked up, we or should I say I will get 'blogging'...

Happy reading in the future.

No exit other than to the beach!

Front view of 1 Bay View Place

One of the views from our back garden!

Little Munro Bay, our little beach