New stove!

Gas, induction, ceramic, electric, wood fired. There's an overwhelming number of options to consider when buying a new stove. And boy, have I researched, vox popped and tested a plethora of choices so I can make an informed decision before taking the big financial plunge.

I'm pretty happy with the model we have chosen. It's fairly compact, extremely energy efficient, has some well thought out features and I think its style sits well with the rest of the house. And this particular model comes with a stack of bonus accessories. I'm really looking forward to cooking up delicious treats with the smalls for years to come on this baby.














This post is dedicated to to Lexi, who gets me every time.

Day sixteen :: the team

The dulcet tone of a chainsaw echoes across the valley, as Rodney works his magic on a massive tree stump that's been an eyesore on my rural idyll since we moved here. Earlier today, I was so grateful that Mal and Damien could get here so pronto to fix the septic. It was then that Tony arrived unexpectedly, with the spare part for the fridge. Five days early, you've got to love that.

What with Arne and Phil spending three days here earlier in the week with the interior makeover, Rob and Dean taking care of the rewiring, and Neil coming to take away everything they pulled out, it's been a bit like the agfest carpark here. Next week, Stevo will be here to do the plastering, and hopefully Pete can make it to finish some painting. Then we just need to wait for Wocko, Rick and Matt for some final touches and we'll just about have a new kitchen (oh, but we do need to save money to pay them, sadly this job will stretch over several weeks).

The cheque book's taken a beating. But we have a deadline to get the place shipshape before Christmas. You see, we're hosting the family this year, twenty six for Christmas lunch, and, as they're all coming from the mainland, well, they'll stick around for a few days. And that's when we can all relax and enjoy the efforts of our above mentioned renovation team.

Sneak peak

From the kitchen, looking through the new door. There's dust and crap everywhere. But already it looks so much better. More light, better flow. Tomorrow the builders will be finished. Did I mention they're also ripping out half the kitchen? Yes indeed. Hence the chaos. But it's looking amazing. Not good. Not great. Amazing.