23 November 2014

We had a new book published on the history of Waipa, that is our local district. I went to buy the book yesterday, in the hope of finding something interesting. It turned out that there is a lot of information about William Jackson, who built our house, most of it we already know. There was even a photo of the house, taken on April 1, when the Battle of Orakau was commemorated, 150 years ago. The author came around while we were working on the deck. His caption reads: "William Jackson's house in Grey Street, Kihikihi has recently undergone extensive renovations." We are very pleased.

I visited my doctor, and after that we went to visit the goat farming friends. A delightful day.

Some time ago I bought a booster pump to improve the pressure of out hot water system off a frind, but never put it to use. When I tried it, it was frozen solid. I took it apart and got it working again, but has not had the opportunity to test it on a low pressure system. Saturday was spent mowing grass and trimming edges, which I don't like.  

The rest of the week was restful, with us not being able to do any major work because of a full house.

16 November 2014

The wall got painted and the architraves got painted and fitted. Around the window I used some timber I had in my pile, but that is not painted yet. Sorry, we have no updated pictures.

Barco and Jeamien needed some storage space, so the room is already in use, and will most likely not be finished before January.

I spent some time tidying my workshop, it became difficult to move around. There is still a lot more to clean up.

We started looking at gas water heating in the new bathroom and kitchen, but cannot decide where to install the unit. It has to be out of the way of the south western winds we get from time to time, and conveniently close to the kitchen sink. Only time will tell. Luckily it is not an urgent matter.

I foresee that my productivity will be down in the coming weeks, so be prepared for me skipping some weeks.

9 November 2014

We have finished all the plasterboarding, including the ceiling, and started on Gibstopping (Bring die Polyfilla!) I also sealed most of the gaps with urethane foam. That is quite an expensive exercise. I used two cans in all, at $ 40 per can!

I also bought timber to do the architraves around the door and window. It is quicker than to rework and reuse old timber. Maybe I am getting lazy.

I sanded the new wall in anticipation of painting it. That will hopefully happen on Monday.

I think I have mentioned about our children living here while their house is being renovated. Well, it seems some of their furniture will be living here for a while as well. So we cleared out the "new room" for their use. We can still work on the exterior.

2 Novenber 2014

Things are speeding up on our side. The floor of the room on the deck is in and we have cut a hole in the wall on the eastern side for a window that we have bought about two years ago. The window is fitted, We had a problem deciding on the right door to install. I checked our existing supply, and was not satisfied. In the end we removed the door and frame between the old kitchen and the laundry. It is a nice solid Rimu door, although it is painted. Doors and window fitted, I started on the insulation in the outer walls and installing plasterboard with Elna's help.  The last plasterboard was fitted yesterday, although not screwed in all positions yet. That is for tomorrow. Then I will start on the ceiling. It turns out to be a nice room.

The builders doing the renovation on Barco and Jeamien's house started last week with the intention of doing the outside first, but  rainy weather forced them to work inside. They have already replaced the whole kitchen and done some plasterboarding. We went over on two days to assist in moving the kitchen contents and the lounge furniture into the garage. The whole family and menagerie has moved over, so we will have a full house, full of grandchildren and full of activity. I even had to build a fence to keep the dogs in.

Sorry, no pictures this week.

19 October 2014

The assistance for Jeamien turned out to be on Friday. Then we had the kids over on Saturday and Sunday, not that we would consider working on Sunday.

The ride on got a new drive belt and a spark plug, working fine now. The only problem is that the grass needs mowing every week!! I haven't even started using the line trimmer on the boundry fences.

The framing for the floor got done, and we (Elna and myself) managed to cut two sheets of flooring and fit it, then we ran out of daylight. The schedule for the coming week is to finish the  floor and pay more attention to the grass. It cannot be called a lawn- far from it! We even have Chicory growing in the grass. The Kiwis would call it a paddock.

Sorry there is not more  progress to report on. Some weeks are just slower than others

Oh, a last remark. I have been on Statins, a medication to lower Cholesterol for the past four years. One day I Googled the medication and learned the following about possible side effects: It causes itches in the groin and armpits, it affects the liver, it causes muscle pains and wasting of muscles, it causes tiredness. I had all of these side effects. So I stopped taking the medication. Everything improved drastically, and guess what, my shaking is MUCH reduced, I even reduced the mediation for that. So when my time comes, I will much rather die from a heart attack than develop various infections and be bed ridden for who knows how long!
God bless

12 October 2014

The promised pictures did not eventuate, so please be patient for a little while longer.

This last week we started work on the little corner room on the deck. First order of the day was to remove three years of junk. Then I removed the original decking to asses the condition of the framing underneath All of the old floor framing had to be removed, all the beams were rotten on the ends. So I bought new timber and started installing.

As you can see, I didn't get very far. At least all the planning and guesswork is done now. My cold turned into a full blown sinus infection, and I had to pay the doctor a visit on Friday. Energy levels very low. I would not want to repeat the bout of pneumonia I had two years back.

I also had a problem with the ride on. The drive belt keeps slipping, so when you see a cloud of blue smoke approaching, that is me. Another problem is that it runs unevenly. I will do the basic and replace the spark plug tomorrow.

Barco and Jeamien are having their house renovated, and need some assistance moving stuff about. I will spend some time there tomorrow. They will also live with us from the end of the month, and I have to provide a dog proof fence, for three dogs, varying in height from 35 cm, 18 cm and 11 cm. It might end up putting shade netting against the outer fence, and I do not know about the other limits.

Think of me, I am suffering!!

5 October 2014

Well, what a week! I picked up a cold from  Jacqui on Friday, and I was not worth much during this last week. On Monday I removed the door and door frame toe the new kitchen, and laid the vinyl as promised. On Tuesday Jaco came to help and we removed the last nails of the wall panel, and moved it out of the  way. Then we started moving the pantry. first we rolled it on broomsticks to the edge of the deck,and on to the trailer. I drove around to the large doors, and then I realised we could  not do it by ourselves, so I asked Elna to call the next door neighbour, Allan. With his and Elna and Jeamien and Shaun's help, we got it off the trailer and towards the door. We built a ramp and it went smoothly over the threshold. After that it went easier. Inside the kitchen, we put a big block in front of it as not to break the plastic adjustable legs. All went well. On Wednesday I refitted the wall and door.

With all the activity, I could not take pictures myself, but Jeamien took some, and I will add it as soon as I get hold of it.