i killed santa

I haven't blogged for days. I've been lazy. And busy in other ways. I did a bit of gardening work. And I mean a BIT. While mowing I killed Santa. He was a toy the dogs have had for a few years now, he was lying on the grass... I did try to mow past him but he got sucked into the mower blades and was dismembered. There were Santa guts everywhere. The dogs are in mourning.

I've also had a lot to think about... about myself, new year's resolutions, where I am in my life and what I want from my life. I'll have some more to say on that later at some stage. I've been doing a lot of thinking. For now I just wanted to touch base and let everyone know we're ok.

There are fires burning around Tasmania with the strong winds and extreme heat, but we are safe.

Its been really hot.

 

Too hot to blog.

But then again, its too hot to do anything and at least the amount of energy expended typing is less than that expended doing anything else.

I'm sitting here on a recliner, two fans and an evaporative cooler working overtime to keep the living room bareable. Occasionally dripping water I've poured over my head. Dogs flat out, panting around me. The phone is next to me. As are the tv controls. Getting off the chair uses produces too much energy and thus heat. The less I move the better.

Dinner for tonight will be fruit, cheese, dips and crackers. No cooking.

z

an old bookcase gets a new look

 

I've been itching to get stuck into this particular project for a while now. Ever since I made up a space in the living room for Wayne's office. When I did that I moved this bookcase into the space under the window into the kitchen (a perfect fit!) so Wayne could hide away his bits and pieces.... which he never does... but that's beside the point.

The point is that it started out like this: an op shop find, a little worse for wear. It obviously had had glass in it at some stage, possibly a kitchen cupboard, maybe a bookcase...

 

First I gave it a fresh coat of paint, no distressing in those days. Then I put flyscreen in it to use as a towel cupboard in my bathroom.

That worked well for a while, then I  moved it to the spare room where Bonnard (one of my standard poodles) destroyed it by digging at the flyscreen. He only destroyed the top part of both doors so I just cut the screen and left it like that for a few years.

I mean, it still worked. And it was easier to access things on the top shelf without a screen there!

So, when the office area was created the bookcase lived there without the top screen for a few months. I'd planned to replace the screens with burlap, just hadn't got around to it till today.

Here is a photo after removing one of the doors.

When I'd put in the flyscreen I'd used narrow quad to hold it in place. I had to remove that and managed to do it on both doors without breaking it. Great accomplishment!

 

I had planned to use some grain sacks I'd found at an antique shop but they were too short. So I got out my stencils and some sharpies and went to work.

All went well till I realised that I'd put the burlap in the first door upside down. Darn. I DID check you know... but somehow still managed to get it wrong.

I had to remove the quad and of course broke every single piece of it that time. Something to do with using slightly bigger flathead nails instead of tiny bullet head ones... d'oh!

Oh well. Live and learn. I had to put the burlap back in right way up using tacks and glue and folding it over to prevent it from fraying. Didn't look too bad actually.

Lastly I had to find a handle. The one I had on there had been gnawed on by Bonnard plus it no longer suited. It was fine for the bathroom as it matched the vanity, but not for the new look. I found an old brass handle I liked in my box of knobs and handles and added it.

 

So here it is! A little more battered than before, a little more lived in, and way better for hiding all the junk I'd like to keep out of sight when visitors come over!

Ok. The words aren't entirely straight. Pulling on burlap to stretch it has that effect. But I'm pleased with it.

Now... onto the next project! 

z

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digging it up

 

This is Dancer, our gorgeous girl. She's a 3yr old anglo arab x warmblood, but she's almost entirely arab to my eye. She's not that big, if she cracks 15hh we'll be happy. But she's the sweetest, prettiest thing. So gentle and loving and trusting. And she moves like a dream.

I've organised a lady who comes highly recommended and who's a great rider to come work with Ben to get him going for me. Hopefully she'll work on me as well to get me going for Ben!

When I feel confident with Ben I think we'll get her to start with Dancer. She's not had any work so far other than the work Wayne put in to get her trusting us and giving us her feet. He'll start ground work with her soon (at least that's the plan) so she'll be ready to start.

If it goes well, I figure this winter Wayne and I will be riding on our tracks! Finally!

Meanwhile, today I finally got off my butt and got motivated to do some work.

I started by clearing out one corner of our metal garden shed. When we first moved in it was meant to be the gardening shed, plus storage since its nice and dry. Over the last 2 years things have spread and it got messy.

I got in there today and made a pile of stuff to go to the tip, organised storage stuff on one end, camping gear in a corner, fishing rods hung on the back wall, gardening tools and equipment one one side. The ride on will park in the middle of that side.

Its clean. Its tidy. And I have room to put my 'projects to do' and to store large finished pieces waiting for a home.

I went down to the casita and climbed over the broken fence (which Wally broke last winter rushing the gate to get into the corral) to retrieve one of the 3 old metal lockers we inherited out on the porch.

I managed to drag one into the casita where I dumped it. I'll ask the boys to bring it up to the metal shed for me later. I figure the lockers will act as storage as well as a space divider.

Then, since I was on a roll, I decided to tackle the oily bog in the garden bed.

I doubt you'll remember this fiasco, but  not long after we moved in I decided that the small 'garden bed' near the small timber shed and carport would make the perfect spot for my hydrangeas. I've always loved hydrangeas and really wanted a spot to grow my own.

So I dug out the pebbles, found weed barrier, pulled that up and started digging holes. Put in the first two hydrangeas ok. Then I hit oil.

Sump oil.

Seems the last owner of this place used that spot to tip out the oil when servicing his cars.

What kind of person does that????

Sigh.

Needless to say, I did what I could. I dug and dug and carted and dug some more. I got sick of the smell of oil. So I did what anyone in my place would do. I put it in the too hard basket.

I put three hydrangeas in the not affected areas and left a hole to deal with 'later'.

Today 'later' finally came around. I started again. Pulling up oil soaked weed barrier and digging, carting and digging more.

I'm a weakling. I can only do a job like that for a short time before my arms fall off. So I called the boys. Wayne and Chris (who's visiting). Chris is too polite to refuse to do me a favour so I got them to dig the soil looked normal. I have a nice big hole now. Tomorrow I'll take the trailer down and buy some topsoil to fill it and I'll finally be able to put in the last hydrangea.

Talk about having a quiet day!

z

heart tray

How pretty is this tray with its heart handles? When I found it in an op shop it was all pine and looked heavy and chunky. Not that there's anything wrong with chunky. I like chunky. I love chunky sport shoes, I love chunky bracelets. But this tray just looked like something you'd hit a burglar over the head with, not serve tea on. And so un-pretty...

But the hearts. And the solid wood. I couldn't go past that.

So I did what any self-respecting DIY-er would do - I painted it. Sanded it. Painted it using a chalk paint of my own mixing, lightly sanded it again to create a smooth satin feel you can't get enough of touching.

Heavy no more. Chunky it might be, but its also light and pretty now.

It may still come in handy as a weapon of self protection, but you'd think twice about using this pretty tray to pound someone on the head.

I like it when things work out, don't you?

z

Featured at Rustic Restorations Weekend.

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