Friday procrastination meme

I'm having a lazy Friday evening catching up on blog reading, and I laughed at a few of the quetions, so I had to do this one (sorry for all you meme haters):

Explain what ended your last relationship?
I gave him an ultimatum and he started dating his flatmate. We’re both better off.
When was the last time you shaved?
This morning.
What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.?
Walking to the station. Late.
What were you doing 15 minutes ago?
Reading Suse’s meme
Are you any good at math?
Pretty good - but I do have my numerically dyslexic moments
Your prom night, what do you remember about it?
I shudder every time I think of what I wore to my High School Ball (as we call them in Australia) CRINGE!!!!!
Do you have any famous ancestors?
Well, someone on Mum’s side traced the family tree back to King Edward the second. (I’m sure many people could if they could be bothered).
Have you had to take a loan out for school?
School – no, of course not!
Uni – nothing like a HECS debt.
Last thing received in the mail?
A form letter request for alumni donations from the Uni I attended (like I need to spend MORE money on Uni?)
How many different beverages (aka drinks) have you had today?
Three different types. Several of one and one each of the other two.
Do you ever leave messages on people’s answering machine?
Yeah- that’s what it’s for isn’t it?
Who did you lose your CONCERT virginity to?
Concert that I bought my ticket for: Crowded House.
Concert that my Parents took me to as a young child: Max Boyce (I’ll be surprised if anyone knows anything about him without Googling)
Classical Concert: I can’t remember.
Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?
No. I'm too busy watching the sand and the water.
What’s the most painful dental procedure you’ve had?
Wisdom teeth removal. All four at once. Under General Anaesthetic- it was really just the after-effects that hurt.
What is out your back door?
A DECK!!
Any plans for Friday night?
Swim, eat, Veg out, sleep.
Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?
No.
Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns?
No and I don’t think I’d want to. Sounds unappealingly over-the-top.
Have you ever been to a planetarium?
A couple of times.
Do you re-use towels after you shower?
Yes. Are you telling me that there are people who only use them once and then wash them? (who don't live in hotels?)
Some things you are excited about?
Life. Friends. The future.
What is your favorite flavor of JELL-O (Jelly?)
I can’t remember the last time I ate any.
Describe your keychain(s)
Tiffanys. A special gift from a good friend about 6 years ago.
Where do you keep your change?
In my purse.
When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people?
How big do you want? Yesterday I did a presentation to about 20 people.
What kind of winter coat do you own?
A black wool coat I sewed from a Vogue “Montana” pattern, with a red and black tie silk lining.
What was the weather like on your graduation day?
I can’t remember. My mind was on other things.
Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed?
Open.

Enjoy your Friday night, and happy Thanksgiving to those of you in USA!

More construction work ahead

Work on the deck has continued over the last two weekends, and we look set to be continuing with construction and gardening work for a couple more, having decided that there are some finishing touches required- some painting, some planter boxes and more plants, and new furniture. An afternoon browsing outdoor furniture was quite disappointing (styles and expense), so in traditional "we can do better" fashion, we're busy designing some to build ourselves.
It's been an immensely satisfying project, (blisters aside) and we know we need to push on with all the finishing touches while our enthusiasm is running strong. Celebratory family and friends deck parties are being planned so we have some dates to work to!
Thankfully Walter is looking alot happier about it all- I haven't managed to get a shot of him at his new perch on the deck edge, surveying his domain, but he also spent alot of the weekend rolling in the grass (which is gradually becoming a little browner as water restrictions start to bite).

to market, to market

Scott and I enjoy a visit to Wantirna Trash and Treasure every now and then. I've heard it's what the Camberwell Market used to be like, although much bigger (being sited at a former drive-in theatre). All manner of goods are for sale, very cheap, laid out on tables and tarpaulins or the open side of a truck; by businesses and individuals; surpluses and seconds, household remnants, vegi patch gluts and strange collections that we're convinced must have come from the airport security confiscation stash (see the goodies we bought below); a riot of colours and smells and peculiarities; things that make you think of doing things like tidying up your own clutter or finishing off unfinished projects.


More pics here.
Our spoils for the day (not including the bowl), for the grand sum of $3, from the stall selling what we were convinced was loot from airport security. I couldn't help wondering who had hoped to knit on the plane, and was denied the chance, or who's work fell into disarray after being forced at the checkpoint to surrender their stitch holders.

WIP: on the tools

The last week or so (including a deliciously long weekend) creative activities have been livened with some power tools. A couple of projects on the go.

Firstly my Husky has been living on the dining table while I get on with a couple of sewing commissions. Reorganising of the study/slash/craft/slash/guest room has entailed dismantling of the massive desk in there, and replacement with a small computer desk, rendering the dining table as the prime sewing zone. Nothing like a commitment to someone to get you to pull your finger out and stop procrastinating!

Secondly Scott and I set to work on the final big landscaping project in our ongoing backyard renovation. We've been pretending to ignore the dirt patch outside the back door for about a year now- call it spring fever or whatever, but we decided to pull out collective fingers out and get the deck built (and if we fix our BBQ too, maybe get around to enjoying the result of our efforts a bit more!).

Scott is a good man with the tools. He has quite a fine collection (I like to point out that my trusty cordless drill comes in for quite a bit of use too) and knows how to use them and how to teach me to use them too. (The belt sander and I bonded over the front beam.. until my shoulder got sore and Scott finished it off....) Remarkably, despite often having quite different ideas about how something should be put together, and what would look better, we generally find a way to compromise and collaborate and get whatever it is built to our mutual satisfaction.

Here are some progress pics (there are some earlier pics of the garden renovation in this set at flickr).


Tools and the first load of timber supplies (all carted on the roof racks of out tiny little car- 4 roof loads later the guy at the timber yard joked that the car really deserved a holiday..) The paved area we created with some manual labor input from Scott's parents earlier this year, using pavers salvaged from the old "landscaping" (I use the term somewhat sarcastically).

The deck area marked out with string in the existing dirt patch, and a fixing plate in place along the outside wall of the house.

Posts and Beams in place- I hasten to add that the front beam will NOT be remaining this venetian red colour, if I have any say in the matter. It will end up an almost black, dark chocolate brown.

With the joists in place ready for the decking

Installation of spotted gum decking continues this weekend... (none of those illegally logged Indonesian rain forest timbers for us thank you!)


Walter may appear disgruntled by the rude disturbance of his peaceful domain, but really I think he's loving it- all the holes and nooks and crannies he's been exploring, and extra play and pats that he's been enjoying in between drilling and nailing.

off and hopping

This little* bunny will be heading off to join his new play friend tonight.

Our friends' baby boy arrived on Sunday afternoon, a week early but all safe and sound. I have had so many friends give birth in the last year, I would have thought I may be getting a bit ho-hum about it all, but having seen this pregnancy grow on an almost weekly basis, somehow the whole enormity of it all - the miracle of conceiving and creating a new life, the responsibilities and needs that emerge - seems to be all the more amazing. I hope I don't get all emotional and cry when I meet him tonight.




* actually he's a bit bigger than I'd planned... Maybe I should have checked the needle size I used last time before I started..