new traditions

Our family have enjoyed some new holiday traditions in the bach. To name a few: fry ups of the leftover Christmas ham, digging for cockles on the low tide, lighting a bonfire on the beach at night, stargazing, beachcombing, using a kayak and swimming at the beach almost everyday...

The beach at low tide is littered with tiny jellyfish whose sting causes a very itchy rash. We encountered the jellyfish while we were swimming and as a result didn't stay in the water too long. Luckily none of us were badly stung. Then there was an algae on the sand that stunk in the hot sun. We found 1 stingray (thankfully with it's barbed tail removed) left on the sand by some anonymous fisherman and plenty of these spikey things (sorry don't know what they're called) rolling across the sandy foreshore into the sea. 

Now I'm back to the hustle and bustle of city life! 

change in conversation

The last months of 2011 were filled with an urgency to get the bach ready for use at Christmas. We achieved this and it was a very special time for our family - lots of precious memories. When I returned home, I felt different. I have no motivation to blog and no crafting or sewing plans for 2012. So for the next wee while dear readers, I'll be a little sporadic in my blog posts while I work out the change in conversation.

go with the flow

In the early afternoon after a brief rain shower, a beautifully irridescent rainbow spanned the bay. 2012 is looking to be a year of change for us! I'll have all 3 children at school... so that means I'll supposedly have more time during the day to get things done. No crafting or sewing plans so far so for now I'm going with the flow.

new year

120 steps from the bach deck to the beach. The first day of 2012 looks promising. 

It's rained steadily here for days and parts of the Coromandel are now closed off due to flooding.

The beach is empty and only the very hardy holidaymakers go for a swim. Hope the sun comes back soon.

Wishing you a happy new year for 2012!

christmas 2011

take care and happy holidays to you all!

the bach

the builders, plumber & electrician have finished and the bach is eagerly awaiting our family. Mr B did a fantastic job as project manager and kept the momentum of work going despite the inevitable hiccups along the way. As this will be our first summer spent there, I'm looking forward to loads of fun times and lots of special memories for our family. Happy holidays!

counting down

with Christmas just only a week away, we're wanting to get the bach ready for the holidays. The builders have finished (hooray!) although they're back briefly on Tuesday to complete the shower installation as we've had problems getting the right rails from the supplier for the shower doors.

the digger arrived yesterday hauled by a R Model mack truck. A trench was dug between our bach and the main sewage connection across the road and the pipes were laid and then covered over. The plumber is coming back on Tuesday to complete the connections.

Then hopefully we're done?

ice cream

my parents had a similar ice cream maker back in the 1970s. In the summertime my sister and I would sit on the back step and take turns cranking the handle and topping up the ice and salt. It was a tiring job and the only thing that motivated us to keep going (30-40 minutes of hard out churning) was the promise of yummy pineapple ice cream at the end of it all. The ice cream was delicious so it was well worth the effort!

When this RCW Frost King ice cream maker came up for sale recently on Trademe (our local equivalent to ebay) I couldn't resist buying this for my family to try out. Of course I'll be trying my best to replicate our family recipe. I recall that it included a can of Highlander condensced milk, cream, a can of drained crushed pineapple although I don't have any exact measurements. It'll be a process of trial and error. I'll let you know how it goes.

decorating

the builders have 99% completed the interior building work in the bach. Mr B and Sydney have started painting inside the bathroom and toilet areas as well as some exterior painting too. No fancy colours here. Just a simple off-white shade in the utility areas, warm vintage yellow for the rooms and a sandy colour on the exterior cladding. The electrician is yet to come and there's still the deck to be built.

Today we had hoped to have the digger there for the sewage connection however there's been a problem with finding where the underground phone cables are placed. Hopefully Telecom (phone company) will be on site asap to mark out the cable positions so work can get moving again.

3D paper orbs

my 2011 kiwi xmas ornaments for the swap are these wildly fab 3D paper orbs (now posted). I used a double sided printed card stock to create the orbs and the finished product measures approx 2.5inches. The instructions for making these paper orbs can be found on this site.

up close, the orb looks like a hydrangea flower, bursting with lots of petal colour. These were really fun to make!

what's next?

well I've had a few fizzers and flops happening in my world since I last blogged. First up, my birthday plans turned into a complete waste of time (nothing worked out!). Then my insurance company tells me that the person who drove into my parked car at the mall is denying liability even though there were witnesses. Now I've heard that the builder in charge of our bach work is in hospital with stomach pains (suspected appendicitus).

Ahh rant + vent over, but I have to wonder what's next?

steady progress

Unbeknownst to us, the builders were able to put in about 3 days work last week. In that time they completed the exterior re-clad and have started to finish up inside.

It will probably be at least another 2 weeks before I can realistically get to the bach (it's hard to be paitent!) as there's so much going on with end of year activities for the children... school trips, a birthday, a ballet recital, parties...

Oh dear, I better get cracking on making my kiwi christmas ornaments before I run out of time!

licorice allsorts

this handmade 100% wool blanket is destined for our room at the bach. It measures 223cm by 182cm and weighs around 2-3 kgs. I love crocheted granny squares especially when they're bright and colourful. Reminds me a lot of licorice allsorts, yummy!

on the inside

Hallway view of kitchen/lounge



Hallway view to new bedrooms

the bach interior is undergoing a major rework (check out the photos above). We still have two bedrooms although now they're both located off a common hallway and the new bathroom/laundry has been relocated. Fingers crossed that the builders finish this week!

retro bach update

last Friday the builders attended a fishing competition and this week they've been working elsewhere. They'll be back on Monday and I'm hopeful that the building work will be finished by Friday next week. The front window has been replaced with a sliding door and that removed window has now been installed around the side as a bedroom window. That's great recycling! The exterior asbestos cladding is being replaced with a marine grade plywood which we'll eventually be painting 'Desert Sand', so the building can blend in with the natural surroundings.

Soifua John

sometimes life speeds by so quickly that I can hardly catch my breath or even think. Today my thoughts are with a volleyball friend who passed away this morning. Tofa Soifua and safe journey John!

yesteryear roses

the heritage roses that we bought online a couple of years ago are now making a spectacular show with the most fragrantly scented blooms. The two roses pictured above are both climbers with deep, glossy green leaves. (Sorry, I've completely forgotten their proper names). These roses would love to climb and ramble in every direction. For now they have to be content with climbing on the fence.

In the foreground of the third photo is our cat Rocky who just insisted on being in the picture...

retro bach progress



there's been plenty of progress on our retro bach since I last posted. The new addition is a welcome replacement to that awful eye sore that we had. The new walls are true and straight plus the floor is level. We've had a major rethink of the interior so there's been a lot happening inside as well (I'll post about that soon). The bach has a new roof on. The front window is to be replaced by a sliding door and the new deck will run right across the front of the bach.

Mr B has been fantastic in ensuring that the builders are kept on track with minimum disruptions. He's made several day trips (that's about 2.5-3hrs each way) with his off-sider, Sydney, to undertake demolition, deliver building materials etc. Great work guys!

It will be another week or so before the building is completed and then we'll get on to the painting and decorating. I'm looking forward to getting back in there to have a good cleanup.

start building

the builders started work last Friday and already the foundations are in, the floor is down and the framing is starting to go up. There's no work today as the weather forecasts predict stormy conditions. However we've been told that they'll be finished by Friday next week. Then it's up to us to do the painting etc. I just can't wait until it's all done!

at 92

Happy Birthday to my Grandma Asia who turned 92 today. She asked for a band to play at her birthday party yesterday and here she is doing a Samoan dance surrounded by family members. She's still got the moves!