Backless!

I walked through the front door this morning and there was daylight. The back of the house is completely off. The kitchen, dining room and deck have gone!

One of the original fireplaces in the dining room - which will become a concealed work/office space - and room for built- in seat beside it, so I can trawl through cookbooks in comfort.
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The former kitchen .... which will be lowered to ground level to become the new living room.

And the cellar - put in by former owners some 30 years ago to store their wine, homemade salamis and sausages. We're keeping it!

Amid the rubble

While the demolition continues and the building detritus is carted away by the truckload, the garden remains oblivious to all the chaos and is looking lush and abundant.

The lemon tree is heavy with fruit - the best it's been in years.


Pomegranates looks stunning... Next winter I'll have bowls of them in the kitchen.

And the flowers bring some winter colour.

Fantasy becomes reality

I got to experience a fantasy today.
I won't draw it out.
I'll come right out and tell you.

When I did the washing today, I hung it on the line.

Simple as that.

Nothing sexy.
Nothing kinky.
Nothing weird.
No leather was involved. No small animals either.


Just washing, flapping in the breeze - rather than hung on !@#$% clothes horses around the house like a !@#$% chinese laundry!

It's a basic need. Fulfilled.

Our rented house has a clothes line.
Our renovated house will have a clothes line.
After more than 10 years without a clothes line I can't wait to live my fantasy every weekend.
I'll be unstoppable!

Now, folding the washing - that's when you can get kinky!

I can see sky

Ben is moving fast!

I saw sky where our roof used to be.

Half of the back of the hosue has gone.

The floorboards in the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, dining room and lounge room are gone.

OMG!
This renovation is really happening.
The demolition is is full swing.

Pina and Alfredo say Ben is a hard worker. I can see why.
And he does great proscuitto!

Take me to France

We supped on coq au vin and quince tartine at Libertine, our favourite French restaurant ... We ate by the fire, the restaurant was humming, the Beaujolais was flowing. Libertine has all the qualifies of a local bistro in Paris - a wonderful dining room with terrific service and excellent food.
The coq au vin transported us directly to France.
Unfortunately Ben the Builder and Tamara couldn't join us because Tamara was ill with the particularly nasty flu that seems to be doing the rounds.
So it gives us another excuse to dine at Libertine SOON .... like we need an excuse!

Question

Why are the first two posts on this blog about food and wine?
Says a lot don't you think!
Also says a lot about how important the new kitchen will be.
I cannot wait!!!

PS we are going out to dinner tonight with Ben The Builder and his wife to officially celebrate the start of this job. Yes ... more food and wine!

Mushroom Soup

What to do for dinner ...
It's the question we all face after work every night.
The girl had an easy early dinner ... but what can I pull together for us?
Ahhhh the mushrooms on the bench - I could do something with those. The boy picked those yesterday. The recent rain has been kind.

I grabbed the latest copy of Delicious - remembering the cover featured mushroom soup. Perfect!
Within 30 mins the soup was on the table ... a rich dark concoction. I whipped up a salad and slathered some fresh goats curd onto some sourdough toast ... and that was dinner. A glass of wine of course. Bloody delicious it was too!

A Champagne Beginning

It's been such a long time coming so when it finally started we popped a bottle of champagne. The good stuff. (Thank you for your gift Melinda! I've had this bottle for more than a year, waiting, waiting, waiting ...)
James shucked South Australian oysters. I steamed some mussels in white wine, herbs and our own tomato sugo. A seafood feast and French champagne ... superb.
Here's to our renovation!