Author: Max

So at the same time our beautiful new baby chicks were hatching, we found out that the remaining huge tree in our back yard, was dangerously close to splitting completely in half… In the direct line of our house – Over the top of Max & my bedroom!

Whilst tidying up the chook yard, Max had discovered a massive, MASSIVE hole/split in the trunk of the beautiful old tree. On further inspection, we noticed that the section facing the house had a bit of a lean to it…. So we immediately called a family friend (a retired arbourist) – who removed a diseased tree in our back yard for us back in September 2017. He took one look at it on Good Friday and said it needed to be felled right away (as in like yesterday…!) as it was very unstable and could fall at any time.

8am Easter Monday Steve & his wife Lisa arrived as did both our sets of parents and by 5:30pm we no longer had a beautiful, old, shady tree in the backyard. I cried a lot!

It was a long, sweaty, emotionally challenging day… But we are very thankful for fabulous friends and family who all chipped in to help us clean up the massive mess and immense amount of timber left over once a tree is felled. Firewood for daaaaayyyyyssss!

We have also lost all privacy from our neighbours…. YAY… NOT!

When Max & I moved into our first home, built a fabulous chook house and rescued 4 ex-cage ISA Brown hens… Never did we believe the journey those silly chickens would take us on!

Out of the 4 hens, by Feb this year we only had one left… Ilona.

Because they were rescue hens, we didn’t have any information on them. No age, medical history, or previous living conditions… Only that they were ex-cage hens, no longer needed & were to be killed.

We figured that when we got them they were probably 3+ years old & had experienced a pretty hard life. As sad as I was when they died, (spaced out over 3 years) I was happy that we had given them a better life for their final years.

That fact that Ilona out lived her feathered buddies was quite comical, considering we had named her A-Loner and now she was all alone! Yet, she wouldn’t stop nesting (on nothing but air) week in week out… I would lock her out of the house, remove the nesting boxes, coax her out into the garden… But she was determined to hatch something! Silly broody bird!

So….. We contacted a family friend to see if she had some fertile eggs we could pop under Ilona & wait to see if she would actually hatch something. We were given 9 eggs and Ilona was absolutely stoked to see them & hopped onto the nest straight away, set about fluffing herself up & bok, bokking happily she sat… & sat…… & sat!

And then….. on Good Friday, the first of 7 baby chicks were hatched!

We ended up with 4 females and 3 roosters & one very, VERY happy foster Momma Hen!

Now that we have this fabulous new herb garden, we felt that we needed a nice spot close by to put our Baby Webber Q. It used to sit on this el-cheap-o stand we picked up from Bunnings over 6 years ago, but neither of us really liked it…

Max had some old pallets left over at work and we came up with the grand idea to up-cycle the old stand and repurpose the timber from the pallets… Into a brand new BBQ Stand!

Voila!

The only item we needed to purchase for this project, were some stainless steel screws! Pretty happy with how this little project turned out!

If you need us . . . This is where we will be!

My Sister and Brother in-law gave us the first hanging chair for Christmas 2017 and I have absolutely loved it. At the time, Max and I had discussed getting a second chair but didn’t really have anywhere to hang it. So when we re-designed this new “Zen Zone” we were thrilled to find the exact same chair was still available!

We have been spending our evenings out here and it is the perfect spot to unwind.

Hanging chairs are from Temple & Webster online.

Three months ago, we moved an old veggie garden (see post November 25th, 2018) and it is now a happy and healthy herb garden!

The new location has proved to be much better for sun/shade/rain. With the added benefits of some locally sourced pig-poo compost, (suggested by Mum) which has done the trick and the rosemary in particular is absolutely thriving and has tripled in size since I transplanted it into this garden bed back in November.

Max and I have been enjoying using the fresh herbs in our cooking, eating freshly picked homegrown tomatoes (that actually TASTE like real tomatoes) and the most deliciously sweet strawberries!

The possums have also been attempting to savour our harvest . . . hence the wire guards around the tomatoes and strawberries . . .

We are currently revamping our old BBQ stand, which we hope to move into a new location near the new garden bed . . . So watch this space for update No.3!

About this time last year, I decided to create something a bit different and a bit more permanent on our blackboard wall in the kitchen . . . See blog post from March 12, 2018.

I started drawing one shelf, then two . . . Then a few curve balls got thrown Max and my way, causing our current plans and way of living to be put on hold.

2018 was a very stressful, rough and challenging year. We had to re-think holiday plans, our newly set goals, our renovation timeline was scrapped, I went back to working part-time, Max started a new job, we simplified our life, we questioned our decision to move back to the country and we relied heavily on our parents for guidance and emotional support.

I personally struggled with trying to figure out how to manage the mammoth list of things we needed to fix/renovate around the home as well as with my own need to try and fix our lives . . . All the time wishing we could go back to how it had been.

I struggled with anxiety and depression.

I was harbouring a lot of hate and anger.

As a very private person, I was receding into myself and putting on that brave face of “everything is A-OK” . . . When I should have been asking for help. I was exhausted.

. . .

Then, I realised the things I had to be thankful for. For what I have that others do not:

I have an amazing husband,

I live in a beautiful part of the world with two sets of parents less than 10 minutes down the road, who have shown unwavering love and support,

I have very close family and friends,

I have a home, providing a safe roof over my head,

I have my physical health and I am able to work,

I have a job, which I love,

I have vision and creativity,

I love a challenge,

I have a beautiful and affectionate (yet slightly crazy) cat,

+ many many more . . .

. . .

It has taken me almost a year to get to this point, but today was what I hope is a turning point. Signified by my need to complete the third and final shelf on my blackboard wall.

I tried to find a “Before” picture of this aspect of the house, but I don’t seem to have one!

There used to be a garden bed here, but without constant watering the plants failed to thrive. It was completely undercover from the verandah roof and never benefited from the rain, plus I couldn’t justify watering it everyday just to keep the plants alive . . . So we dug it up!

And . . . After two days of seriously hard yakka, we have a “Zen Zone”!

We used some leftover recycled railway sleepers (which were ridiculously heavy) and dug each one in individually, to achieve a flat and usable surface! This new space is situated directly out our bedroom door and is shaded in the morning and late afternoon.

PERFECTION!

Not pictured is a beautiful wind chime I received for Christmas, which suits this space so well and adds the most blissfully meditative sounds to an already very relaxing space.

I have ordered a second hanging chair to go where the sun lounger is, so Max and I can literally “hang out” together in our new Zen Zone!  >.<

Max’s parents are currently renovating a granny flat/unit on their property and in doing so have been clearing out an adjoining shed.

We have been popping in from time to time to check out their progress, lend a hand and admire the amazing views from the lounge room window . . .

On one of these visits, we were sorting through some old items in the shed and stumbled upon some treasures that once belonged to Max’s Norwegian Grandmother, affectionately known as ‘Special’.

Amongst the treasures were a vintage pair of Norwegian wooden skis! What a find! As Max’s parents had no need for them and didn’t want to see them go back into the shed to collect dust for another 10+ years, we were offered them!!

They are now proudly displayed in our dining/living room, adding a little something ‘special’ to our home. We feel very lucky to be able to give them a new life and to have saved them from the shed!

They are in remarkably good condition for their age and only required a wipe over with a damp cloth, before being mounted on our wall.

#Scandinavianinterior

 

There was a veggie garden in the yard when we bought the property, along the south side of the yard, under a nectarine tree and in the shade of a massive ironbark tree . . . Interesting location if you ask me.

After a couple of unsuccessful veggie garden growing attempts, I decided to re-position the existing garden bed to a more accessible and sun/rain friendly location.

I have planted thyme, basil, rosemary, oregano, mint and two tomato plants. I am going to buy some strawberry plants this week. . .

So far so good!!

The past few months have been a tad bit hectic . . . I have been working full-time (and then some) as the business I work for was closing down and we have been trying to clear out as much stock as possible, with massive discounts/sales etc. So work has been absolutely manic, meaning our renovations at home have taken a back seat.

But much to my bosses (and my) surprise and delight, someone has bought the business at the LAST MINUTE! Phew!

I have been asked to stay on under the new management, so I get to keep my job and continue doing what I love! YAY!

As my boss was sorting though old shop stock, she came upon a beautiful large timber mirror. She couldn’t remember how old it was, when she may have bought it, or what is was for . . . ! But she decided to gift it to ME!

The mirror was a dark timber, which didn’t really suit our decor . . . So of course I painted it white! It looks great against the charcoal bricks in the dining room and we love it!