sex change for our maggie

According to our expert sources (thanks Dad!), Ethel is really Ethelbert the Saxon King... but that's a liiiitle too long, so we re-christened him Joe (after Hillary Joseph the grandad, Ethel's husband).

Anyway, Joe saw Drew outside the house yesterday and hopped right up to him! (Joe hopped, that is, not Drew). Just as well we bought that mince on Sunday! :)

Ethel comes to visit

So there we are, having some breakfast at the house before Drew went back to Adam's place to fix his garage in a quid pro quo arrangement... when down pops a magpie about a metre and a half from us! We tempted her (gender unknown, but it's 50-50) with some bacon from our Maccas healthy breakfast (!), which she snavelled up, and even grabbed a piece from our fingers. So now we may have ourselves our first regular popping around for feedings! We've christened her Ethel after the nanna who lived here for so many years.

MSB time

With some pointers and assistance, Drew launched into wiring up the Main Switch Board. Not something he's been exposed yet, so this was a great learning experience (a positive one, as opposed to the tiling frustration). A neat freak and detail oriented in this regard, Drew ensured the MSB was perfect!

There's some more RCD, RCBOs and security PIRs and other interesting acronyms to be sorted out, as well as the intermediate switching plates to be sourced and fitted, but the majority of the electricals is now done. Later this week some testing will be done, with Adam, and then the changeover between the downstairs MSB and the upstairs MSB. Closer!

switch it up!

Adam came over, in a trade for services - he'd help Drew with the switching and the switchboard fit-off and change over, in exchange for Drew's construction skills in fixing up his shed/garage which came off second best with a neighbour's vehicle (with no handbrake engaged!). So all the light switches are done and ready to be tested - thanks so much Adam for your time and expertise :)

swear words!

a learning process, punctuated by many swear words... from working out the right consistency for the adhesive, the measuring up, the trowelling... and so on. *sigh* A very long couple of hours for not much visible advancement, but some lessons learnt (the hard way generally!). Lots more hours to be spent doing the rest of the tiling and grouting etc. Still, it'll save some money.

waterproofing

Greg & Mulvina - the polynesian waterproofing team - arrived on Wednesday to waterproof. Nice blue huh?

a picture of frustration

This is a picture of frustration. Borne from the glimmer of the end of the tunnel appearing, then being blotted out by train running us over, yet again. AARRGHH! Okay, enough melodrama. We found a tiler, he had a waterproofer. Tiler confirmed on Monday afternoon, yep, waterproofing Wednesday, tiling to start Thursday. Wednesday midday tiler calls - oh, sorry, got a big contract, can't do it now. Juuuuust when we thought OMG we might actually move into this house by the end of September... *sigh* Oh well, that's renovating for you, right? And at least it's waterproofed. Properly, we hope. O_o