A rather damp week

While our intention to break the drought was heartfelt, we underestimated how good we might be at it. Throughout the process we've had some wet days, and solid, well-above-average rainfall. This has meant that our massive rainwater tank is now full, before we move in. It has also meant that any remaining leaks were quickly found and fixed. The house is now remaining mostly dry, with just 'seepage' into the cellar and basement, which will stop once the landscaping is sorted out.

The last week though has seen nature take it up a notch. In a seven day period, the airport received around 200mm of rain, a third of the annual average. We've had times during the recent drought where we struggled to reach that over a year.

One of our smaller lakes overflowed into its little creekbed...



Normally you can walk across this area, with a small hop over the creek itself...



Our rainwater tank wasn't the only thing that filled up.



We haven't reached that level since the 1990's... When we started the renovations, the dams were around 40% full.

Back to the house, which we're hoping to move into one day soon.

The spiral stairs now have their safety handrails, at each of the three levels.



It feels a lot safer now at the top landing...



More of the joinery has gone in. These are pigeon holes for our new walk-thru-robe.



From the back they have some 'texture', or as Mark described it 'designed to make his life more difficult'. As the walls will be a rich plum colour, we're thinking of a rich gold-leaf backing on this unit... We'll see.



The kitchen is coming along nicely. For the interested, it's an L-shape with an island bench. The loose cabinets here will go on the wall. All the appliances are ready to be installed once the final big panels (for the wall oven and fridge/freezer) arrive.



Lots of other little things happening too, mainly on the inside.

The loft ladder is (mostly) installed.



We don't have a lot of architraves (see, I speak 'builder' now!) but we do have one here where the wall types meet.



The tiling is close to finished. Those scary bright-green/gold mosaics aren't too bad across a large area.



And the last little patches of plasterboard are going on, in preparation for the painters.



The next couple of weeks will be very hectic, with painters, floor-sanders, electricians and other trades all starting and finishing in quick succession. We're now looking at the schedule trying to work out when we can bring in the curtains, the lights, the bed, the snooker table, etc. - and eventually us! Soon we hope. Real soon...