so this is what has been keeping me busy....

The inside of the house has required some attention....  when we tackelled the original parts of the house internally we encountered some problems. The old termite damage is not the problem though... the floors weren't level and not one of the walls was straight!!!!  To put the new floor in and the new kitchen... we need level and straight.  Consequently, we have been very busy and as a result the blog and blog visits had to be put on hold.  Nevertheless, I have loved every minute of this renovation though and I have learnt so many new skills.  I have watched the tradesmen and Ross closely and am learning fast.  I feel confident helping to put gyprock up on a wall or ceiling and am quite the dab hand with a paint brush.  These days I don't even bother with the blue tape!

Life outside of the renovation has been equally busy.  Both my little pirates are growing fast.  There is so much to catch up on here and I have many blog posts planned but for the time being I will just document the last couple of months with some photos:

We spent a couple of weeks in Canberra, chez Grandma and Grandpa.

So we did a bunch of touristy stuff.

Canberra has some seriously cool playgrounds!

I can actually remember playing at this one, so it has to be around about 30 years old!

We went to the Fred Williams exhibition where Nicasso spent some time creating a Williams inspired masterpiece in the childrens room!

Every visit to Canberra the Captain asks to visit this installation by James Turrell in the grounds of the NGA.

Mt Stromlo (well what's left of it after the bushfires...)

The succulent garden in the backyard is finally starting to take off!

The bench seat in the dining room... can't wait till this is finished!

Front garden looking stunning at the moment.

Main bathroom is finished... we decided to go ahead and create the wet room area,  The best decision,  no more stressing about my two little ducks creating havoc in the bath. 

Halloween 2011... the little one is supposed to be Huckle Cat... he changed his mind at the last minute.  Fortunately, we did have some Lederhosen in the house. 

Ah well... I did my best with what we had in the house!

Floriade and a Funeral

Last week one of my dearest and oldest friends lost her mother to breast cancer. She is also 35 weeks pregnant and I was as devastated as she was that her mother never got to meet or hold her first grandchild. So the boys and I packed a few things and jumped on a plane to Canberra. Thankfully, my two little frequent flyers were thrilled as they got to spend some quality time with Grandma while I spent time with my friend.

Even "Richard" is a frequent flyer now!

Despite it being such a sad time for me in Canberra, it was such a lovely time to be visiting. Canberra is in the midst of Floriade, although I do think that my parents garden rivals Floriade in places. In the past their garden has been open to the public as part of the Open Garden Scheme but now my parents just work on it for their own pleasure (and ours!).

The boys gathered daffodils and other bulbs to make the most gorgeous bouquet to give to my friend.

The blossoms were spectacular. All over Canberra fruit trees and ornamentals are in full bloom and the fragrance in the air was delicious.

The tulips, always divine and so sophisticated looking compared to the rest of the bulbs!

RIP Maggie.