Hitting Rock Bottom

Ben has been keeping a private stash on the front verandah.

A little collection that he's put aside for the future.

He showed it to James this week ... and revealed all.

Our block sits on top of an old volcanic flow, so you can imagine how rocky the ground is.  

Ben's stuck plenty of rock during the excavation. He's saved some of the best bits from the top of the reef. 

And the plan?

We'll use the rocks at the base of the fireplace in the living room, as if the fireplace is coming out of the ground.  The basalt will come up beautifully once it's scrubbed clean.  A real natural look ...

A Perfect Slab

The rain stopped long enough for Ben to lay the perfect slab.

And no that's not some kind of dirty talk!!

All that sticky mud has been covered in cement - which will ultimately be covered in spotted gum - the floor of our new living room.

Ben's put a layer of crushed rock on the ground - so the crane has got a solid base when it comes to lift the steel into place... next week.

It's all happening!

Concrete for the bored piers which extend down to the bed rock have been finished.

(That's fancy talk for the cement stumps are done to give the house a solid foundation.)

The steel has been fabricated off site.

The windows are also being made.

The roof will start going on the week after next ....  so we'll see some real progress in the next fortnight.

How Does Your Garden Grow

We popped up to check out our plot this afternoon.

We're lucky enough to have a little pocket in the community garden at the end of our street.

Our winter crop of snow peas, red cabbage and rainbow chard is flourishing.

We picked some fresh vegies to see us through the week.

About to Blossom

While we wait for our new house to blossom, the fruit trees in the garden are about to burst into bloom.  

Little by little, the days are getting longer.

It's no longer pitch black when I get home each night.

There's a hint that Spring is on the way.

James sprayed the white nectarine today to prevent another year of curly leaf.

Tasting the first fruit of the season, warmed by the summer sun is a sensation I'll never forget.

It doesn't get much better than that.

Icky Sticky Mud

The rain, the rain, the rain.

It's been coming down all week.

Ben the builder and Ash, his offsider, have been doing it tough.  

They've been digging in  heavy clay.

Icky sticky. Erky perky. Soggy boggy  mud.

It's the kind of mud that you can't scrape off your boots.  It sticks to them in great heavy clumps  ...

and the clumps get bigger and bigger the more you walk around. 

It ain't pretty ....  and nor is the great pile of dirty clothes we came home with after visiting the site today.

Yes, more bloody washing!

Something to sit on

My new job has taken me across town to Chapel Street and on an orientation tour of the area last week, I spied some furniture in a shop window, as our group whizzed past in the bus.

James and I ventured back to the shop last weekend to check out what I thought I saw in a blurry few seconds.

 Half an hour later we had a new lounge suite.

It's a three seat lounge + two arm chairs. Danish in origin from about 1950.

 The suite is in pristine condition and arrived in a shipping container from Copenhagen just a week ago.

It's stunning!

We're thrilled.

It will look amazing in the room.

And it's so comfortable.

The sofa dilemma has been resolved, without bloodshed or divorce!

(I can't believe it was so easy!)

Beware The Limbo Dancer!

Eliza says she'd like to answer a few questions about her favourite things - 

Favourite drink: Water

Favourite meal to cook: My famous scrambled eggs

Favourite building: The Birds nest at the Olympics

Favourite movie: The Princess Diaries

Favourite TV show: The Farmer Finds A Wife

Favourite holiday destination: England and America

Favourite tool/gadget: My hands

Favourite room in the new house: My bedroom 

Favourite thing about life right now: Being alive!