Restoring the Old Girl

Feeling the heat

A hot Summer's day in Brisbane can be just as limiting as a cold, rainy day elsewhere. Sometimes that sun is just beating down way too hard to even think about going outside.

We recently pinched some pink frangipanis off our tree and made some necklaces with them, while we waited for the afternoon to cool off.

The frangipani is just about our last remaining tree, after we had to remove an ancient grapefruit tree to put in our pool...more on this in a minute.

We managed to selvage an old bird's nest from the grapefruit tree and now have it hanging on our front verandah. I think it's been many years since a bird lived in it.

We have been at Euphemia for exactly eight months (tomorrow). While I've been interested in antiques since I was a child, I can honestly say I'm sick of the sight of 'old stuff' at this point in time.

The task of clearing out the house has been enormous, and I'm still not done.

I have set aside certain bits and pieces which will suit the finished aesthetics of the house including; linen, glassware, china and furniture.

The renovation cannot begin and be completed fast enough for me. I long for freshly painted surfaces, cleanliness, floors that look clean when you clean them. I need storage, order and decluttered rooms.

We have ring binders and computer files full to the brim of our ideas.

Fortunately, we began the plans for the house only about a month after moving in, and they are now approved and in their final stages. Next we can start talking to builders, and hopefully in early 2010 work can begin. Let chaos reign if it means getting the work done. Renovation is hellish, but as I like to say (irritatingly);

'you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs'.

Since the plans have taken so much longer than I would have thought, I've found myself overcompensating in other areas, simply to get a decorating 'fix'.
I painted the children's cubby house, including external pink stripes in two shades, homemade bunting (about the only thing I can sew), and even installed a chandelier!!

Also while playing the waiting game, my husband drew up a minature cardboard floor plan of the finished house, and I set about making little paper templates of our furniture (in the same ratio).
We were then able to test how furniture could be arranged in the finished rooms, and see what pieces we could keep, and which bits of furniture would not fit post reno.
It proved to be a very worthwhile exercise actually.
Keen to get the renovation ball rolling, we also decided to get a pool.
Originally we planned to do this last if the budget allowed, but we've pressed on anyway. This has also proven to be worthwhile, since it would be too difficult to put the pool in once the building work is done.
It's very close to completion and once finished, I'll post a photo of it. The pool construction has taken longer than we thought, there's been the odd tiny hiccup, but it's on budget and has been a great warmer for the bigger job to come.....