Nest in the Vines :: More Framing and A White Throne

 

So the wall framing was finished last Friday and the scaffolding set up awaiting the truss raising that would be taking place on Monday. It felt wonderful to walk around our nest on the weekend with a real sense of the actual spaces we’ll soon be living in.

 

And guess what also arrived last week?

 

Yep! Our Bio Sceptic! Woo hoo! You all know what that means for this 40 year old princess, don’t you? But, there was to be a little bit longer to wait. Wonderful things come to those who wait, though. Or however that saying goes???

 

 

Monday saw the entire main house roof trusses go up. I couldn’t believe that the builders got them all up just like that and in only one day. Just 3 guys, no crane or anything, hands on deck..roof..and up it all went. And wow did it change the look of the place. It so gave it that real life housey feel. The bare bones.

 

 

Next the verandah  went on. It was great to check out the light and the sun and how it is all going to fall inside the house at different times of the day. At first I was a little worried about having a fully roofed verandah. The original plans had sections of pergola. But the guttering of some pergola and some roof was going to cause a bit of an issue so I decided to roof the lot and I’m so glad I did because I think there’ll be plenty of northern sunlight still able to warm the space in the winter time and I think in summer there’ll be very little sun come in.

 

 

Today the little vestibule gable at the front was finished off and the final rafters put on the verandah roof. I’ve had to do a bit of change-a-rooing with the vestibule windows due to changes in the truss pitch. Instead of a 45 degree roof pitch, which is what I wanted, I’ve ended up having a 40 degree one. Apparently we would’ve had to have a police escort to get the trusses down here at 45 degrees which, combined with the extra timbers in a 5 degree increase, would’ve made things too expensive. Because the build is all about budget I couldn’t justify spending more on 5 degrees when I already would have a huge roof cavity as it was. So that was the first compromise.

Then we ended up going with scissor trusses for the front section of the house, where the ceiling will be raked. This allows for that lovely open space feeling but is much more cost effective as the scissor part of the truss is set at 30 degrees instead of the external 40 degree pitch. Clear as mud??? I bet I’ve lost most of you now. Sorry. I’m all about the small, piddly, probably-not-that-important-but-you-never-know details. They are generally mundane and important to no one but me. Please forgivey…

But wait, there’s more boring, piddly details really important things I need to share. I’ve also had to compromise on the vestibule windows. This I have found a little more challenging to be flexible over. The central window was supposed to go right up to the top of the first gable. But the trusses for that little bit were not the correct ones {it would’ve meant that the window would’ve appeared to be cut in two as the base of the truss would’ve been visible} and so it was either get rid of these ones and build something else or compromise on the size of the window. After lots of drawing to scale and fiddling and faddling I think I’ve come up with an OK compromise that will still look nice but will mean the trusses can be used.

The final compromise for the week {let’s hope} was the top window which was to go in the bigger gable has now had to disappear altogether. This one was the one I had the most difficulty changing as I really had my hopes on having stained or pretty coloured  glass in that one. I found out about the need for changes with this window just before I had to meet the lead lighting lady to look at pretty glass. By the time I met up with her I was feeling a little bit upset and confused. After drawing and redrawing and looking at the actual gables, I have made the decision to have no window there at all. Due to the changes in the gable pitch, there is a lot less space between the two gables which leaves very little room for a window. I could have a little round vent or something decorative which I may still do but I’m fairly sure I’ll end up having nothing there now. It’s one of those things that I hope I can live with in years to come. But, as I know from experience, there is no perfect house and nothing ever goes to plan when it comes to building. So, I say to myself: Suck it up, Princess” and then  I reach for my third or fourth or fifth Ferrero rocher.

 

 

Now, for the best news of all. We are now the proud owners of this baby!

 

 

Is there a sight more radiant than that? I think not.

A beautiful, new, shiny White Throne. And I couldn’t be happier!!!! AND, not only that, our gas hot water system is fixed. Thank you, thank you, thank you lovely, R. You are my hero!

 

Oh man, I feel like a 1930’s ???? wifey who’s just opened her first loaf of sliced bread. Only I much prefer unsliced, crusty sourdough but… well… you know what I’m trying to say. Don’t you? No. Then please, let me try to explain it a little better. 

I am  jumping for absolute joy at the thought of no longer having to wander down to a far-away-from-the-shed grapevine surrounded by knee high grass, fresh with the damp dew of winter’s evening. I no longer need to lift up the colourbond and rusted car rim holdy-downy-thing of the hole. I no longer need to pour the contents of our breakfast, lunch and dinner {sorry}, into a slippety slop, stinking mush pile of filth. I no longer have to seal up the hole again. I no longer have to  stand right back to miss the brown splash back as I hose away the feralness. No longer do I need to boil the jug and pour it’s contents all over the entire vessel as well as eucalyptus and anything else that could mask the ecoli potential, careful as careful can be to not get my hand but always, always getting burnt. No longer do I need to stride back up to the shed, wipe the vessel down and place it back in it’s rightful spot. No longer do I need to add some blue stuff and a bit of water for flushing, ready for the next little call of nature, only to have to do it all over again in 2 days time. All of that is NO LONGER!!!

Woo hoo! I have a White Throne.

Kim x

Elijah Rainbow Fisher Fund

 

By now I’m sure that most people reading this post will have seen the news and realise that Lauren Fisher, a fellow blogger and unschooler, has lost her baby boy.

Last Saturday evening, baby Elijah Rainbow Fisher died. There has been  a lot of media hype surrounding this absolute tragedy and the Fisher family have had all of that to deal with as well as going through the deepest, harshest of grief that any family need go through.

Some lovely friends of Lauren have set up a Fund where people can donate to help Lauren and her family in a financial way. The Fisher family currently have no car, and no income. If you would like to donate to the Elijah Rainbow Fund then  click here or pop on over to my button -------> and click there.

If you would like to  follow Lauren at her Facebook page click  here. Her original blog is not working right now so Lauren is posting on a temporary Facebook set up.

You can donate funds to support the family here.

A FB Page has also been set up to keep people informed of opportunities to help and support the family. Please feel free to join in there.

 

 

 

Kim x

Tea & Toast :: Storage Love

 

For Tea & Toast today we have a little bit of storage inspiration. I hope you find something here that inspires you:)

 

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Happy Tuesday!

Kim x

Nothing but Him

 

There have been so many things that I have wanted to blog about over the past week or so. So many words and pictures swirling and twirling around in my mind. I’ve been excited and all bloggy- inspired. But now they are gone. Into nothing. Nothing could possibly be written here today that has anything to do with the normal goings on in life. Nothing could possibly be given a frivolous, shallow, prettied up view of life right now.

There is nothing in my mind right now other than a woman and her lost baby. I have nothing to give today. Nothing but my prayers and thoughts and tears for a fellow blogger and friend who will never, ever know again the life she once had, only a couple of days ago.  Her life now has been so  drastically altered. The scar in time will heal over but the pain that is deep, deep down will never, ever cease. Not in this lifetime.

The only real comfort that this woman may ever know is in Him. Otherwise there is only nothing but pain and utter, utter grief.

May you find peace and rest in Him, Lauren. Today and always.

 

Kim x

In Loving Memory of Elijah Rainbow Fisher

 

 

As I type this blog post there is a blogging friend of mine  who is in the absolute depths of despair and grief. Grief beyond comprehension.

I can not imagine how she must be feeling right now. So many thoughts and feelings come to mind, amidst the tears and sadness, but I’m certain that none of them are anywhere near the raw, open wound of emotion that she must be feeling at  this time.

My heart goes out to her and her beautiful family. My prayers are with each one of them.

In memory of your precious one – little Elijah Rainbow Fisher.

Words are scarce right now.

 

Kim x

Springvale Sunrise

 

The sunrises here are absolutely beautiful. Every morning I find myself staring out the window, seeking out those first crimson peeks of the sun waking up. What a glorious way to start the day … with a cuppa in hand of course.

 

 

So far I think my favourite thing about living out of town is the sky. Funny how you think the sky is the same everywhere, isn’t it? It’s not. It’s so much more when you’re out in the country. It’s so much bigger and brighter and stronger. The stars are huge beaming lights and the sunrises are all encompassing rather than mere glimpses of a change in the day. And the dark is soooo dark and the light is sooo light. 

Love, love Loving the sky.

 

Kim x

Nest in the Vines :: A Slab & Some Framing

 

Well, the slab was poured on the weekend despite a freezing cold day. It eventually dried after the poor builder and his off-sider worked from 6:30am til dark waiting for it to go ‘off’ and continuously using that whirly machine thingy all day to … well, I’m not really sure what that thing actually does but it looked like an important part of the whole process, that’s for sure.

The day definitely had it’s share of drama and excitement.

 

Form work and all of the dirt snugly covered with gravel and plastic and metal ready to be blanketed with concrete.

A big mess of a building site. We’ve had so much rain!

So the concrete truck had to stay on the road.

And a crane had to come and lift the concrete from the truck onto the house site.

Which worked a treat until the crane got bogged! Thankfully a tractor came to the rescue and pulled the crane out at the end of the day.

The slab was poured and smoothed.

Ian and his off-sider spent the rest of the day going over it with this whirly machine thingy until it got dark.

 

To have a slab felt good. We had a floor. Something to ground us, so to speak. But to have the frames start to go up on Tuesday – well that has added another dimension altogether. Walls and height make the slab beginnings feel much more like a real house is being built. And boy, they go up quickly. The trusses, which will go on after the framing, are prefab but the frames themselves are being built by the builders. They are so quick that I can see why they didn’t feel the need to buy the prefab stuff.

 

 

And that strange change of perception has happened to me, yet again. If you’ve ever built from scratch before then you’ll know what I mean. The slab goes down and you are all excited and happy because, well, every step forward is a good step. But inside you lurks this worry that you’ve gone and built a doll house and not a real livable one after all. Slabs are so deceiving like that. But the minute the walls start to go up the relief hits and you feel like nothing’s as tiny as it once seemed. The space looks much bigger and livable and you begin to relax and stress less, for a minute or two.

*** It is a small house though, I’m not that tricked;)***

 

 

Nothing like seeing frames going up!

 

 

Oh, and guess what this luscious hole is for? Sceptic! Yah! I can’t tell you how excited I am to be having a sceptic put in so soon. Oh to not have to clean out that disgusting camping toilet. A girl can only dream…

 

Kim x