I was going to Post over the weekend but at 9am on Saturday Morning the Pianoman decided he would rip up the carpet in the living room, install the new floor boards himself, and have a beer in hand by 3pm in readiness for the Football Grand Final. I completely admire his drive and optimism but I'm a realist and therefore shelved all other activities I had for the weekend and also packed the laptop away so I could deal with the chaos created by our first foray into DIY renovations.
We essentially live in a 3 bedroom house but the living room is the size of a small football stadium and you can see why I suspected it may take a little longer than 6 hours.
The activity provided much enjoyment for the Kidlets though.
There was dancing, wrestling, and.....
Indoor Gymnastics.
The Whippet resists change and does not cope with upheaval of any kind, especially the kind that involves losing any of his creature comforts. He followed the sun around the room and lounged on the last remaining edges of the carpet until there was none left.
The Football match came and went and I suggested it might take a bit longer than he thought, to which he responded, "I'm on a bit of a roll now, I'll get it done even if I'm up till midnight!". Well midnight came and went and so did Sunday.
This is how it looked Saturday night. One row completed. By Sunday night a few more rows had been added in between some socialising, ferrying kids around as well as running a press conference.
I really can't wait to show you when it's finished. I think it will be amazing. The carpet has been in this house since it was built 30 years ago. It was really revolting and the pale green colour was just not conducive to life with lots of kids with muddy boots and Whippets with muddy paws and a new baby who would have to navigate it's way through all the filth.
I was tempted to leave the floor bare and have the concrete polished, a look I absolutely love. We have underfloor heating throughout the concrete slab (and I could just the kiss the feet of the previous owner who had the foresight to have that installed when she built the house) so I wasn't worried about the 'coldness' but I just really didn't think it suited the style of the house. I also just about died when I got the quote to have it polished - $7000.00. Thanks but no thanks.
So that was our weekend.
I was then just about to get the laptop out this morning but the Whippet thwarted those plans when he came inside to show me a huge gash in his back. It is the worst injury he has had and necessitated an urgent trip to the Vet to have himself put back together again. Five staples. They are obviously gold-plated because the Bill came in at $250.00 which makes those staples at $50.00 a pop the most expensive staples in the universe. I was floored.
So we wandered around the Harbour for a few hours while we waited for the sedation to wear off (the Whippet that is) and despite some minor hyperventilation on my part at not only worrying about poor Remy but also having to fork out so much for staples, it was a glorious Spring day and I couldn't help but admire how pretty this little city is.
So, I have no functional living room and the saddest Whippet in the world who will need more attention than the 4 kids and the Pianoman put together but I am delighted to let you know the winners of my little giveaway:
Book - Lisa
Wooden Bear - Mumofsix
Wooden Buttons - Annie from Knitsofacto and Brydie from Cityhippyfarmgirl
Yellow Crochet Potholder/Coaster - Fiona from Arbordale Farm
Christmas Heart Crochet Holder - Grammy Braxton
Ladies, if you could please e-mail me a postal address and I'll have these off to you this week.
Thank you all so much for all of your feedback on my Blog and saying nice things and I just wish I could give something to everyone.
Have a great week!
Oh Mel! Thanks for the progress update on the Pianoman's sterling efforts. He is a trooper, attempting to do it alone. But poor Remy! Oh my word. And cripes, the staples must be platinum, don't you think? A fab shot of the wharf. Yep, we live in a haven. Thanks so much for your delightful company yesterday ☺. J x
ReplyDeleteIt's the male nesting impulse! Mine went into the baby room to paint when I was two weeks off having our twins. He emerged hours later with a wheelbarrow full of wall. He had decided it was too difficult to strip so he would reline the room instead. Needless to say, it was still being built when they were six months old!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing big room...so much space. How does it compare to your last place?
Do the men nest too? Oh dear! I think he is making up for my lack in that department. So, it is essentially just a 3 bedroom house but there is an attic/loft upstairs too - not a huge place for a family of 7 but the lounge room is massive and where we hang out the most so that is why we are working on making that the 1 nice room in the house. The carpet was really bad although it doesn't look so bad in the photos. So even though its just 3 beds it is sooooo much bigger than the shoebox we had in Sydney.
DeleteIt's the male nesting impulse! Mine went into the baby room to paint when I was two weeks off having our twins. He emerged hours later with a wheelbarrow full of wall. He had decided it was too difficult to strip so he would reline the room instead. Needless to say, it was still being built when they were six months old!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing big room...so much space. How does it compare to your last place?
Very nice, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI have a rug that is old and needs to be ripped up and hopefully replaced with hardwood floors one day. I am so so excited I really really wanted the book, I love books and anything from Australia. I think where you live is a very beautiful place. My email is Leelee624@aol.com
ReplyDeleteMy address is
Lisa Williams
416 Eltingville Blvd.
Staten Island, New York 10312
PS yours is the first give away I have won. I am so excited THANK YOU!!!
Oh poor whippet. How on earth did he do that? Very excited about my win I will send you my details.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness Mel, whatta weekend! Your pianoman sounds like a bit of a superman actually. Fancy ripping up the carpet himself and setting to laying the floor boards, WOW! My hubby is NOT a DIY'er by any stretch, so this seems rather amazing to me. Love the pics, kids just love chaos and mess. And the poor old whippet, that is sad he had to have stitches... and very sad on the wallet too, vets are often more expensive than dr's it seems. Hope the week ahead calms down a little for you Mel xoxo
ReplyDeleteWell, that's an eventful few days!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the floors will look stunning when they are complete.
Your poor Whippet - nasty gash - but nastier price tag!
:-) x
Poor Pup. Laying floating floors is a pain in the bum. We did some in our old house and it was slow going. Looked fantastic at the end though, so all worth it!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see my Hubby isn't the only one to underestimate DIY activities. Hope the whippet feels better soon
ReplyDeleteHi Mel..you've had a few upheavals haven't you...even more of a wrench for whippet! I'm looking forward to seeing more progress on your new floor.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, what a weekend you had! Poor Remy. I hope he's feeling better now. And I am absolutely floored that I won the Christmas Heart Crochet Holder. Doing my happy dance!!!!!! I'll get my address to you right away.
ReplyDeleteI hope your floor gets done soon. I think it will look quite nice. I love hardwood floors. We have bamboo all through the house except for the baths and kitchen.
Hugs,
Sharon
I cannot believe that I have won that gorgeous wooden teddy! I am absolutely thrilled and delighted. Thank you so much. Are you sure you are happy to post to the uk? I will happily pay.
ReplyDeleteThat floor is going to be wonderful. Imagine that gorgeous baby of yours crawling and learning to walk on it next year. The size of that room is fantastic. Perfect for a big family. And that view.... We desperately need more space but there not much we can do, or afford to do! And I do envy your outside space. Heaven for the children.
Lastly poor poor remy! What happened to him? I took one of our cats to the vet the other day with a very upset stomach. I had to take a sample, not nice, to be tested and then was advised to give him a special diet. Over £100. He is much better but the sample showed up nothing so I probably over reacted. Oh dear. I wouldn't be without them but they're costly when they go wrong.
I have made contact with a recommended whippet breeder and she's hoping to have a litter in the spring. Still a bit of convincing to do but I think I'm making progress there. It has helped that I've got my youngest Toby trotting out some fairly persuasive lines. I found you through searching for a whippet blog!
Many thanks again for the teddy and for sharing your blog. I love it.
Sarah x I'll email my details x
Your floor is going to look fabulous when it's done (I must say, your tale of the Pianoman's time estimate to get the job done made me smile) Ripping up our tiles and getting floorboards put down was one of the best things we've done to our place.
ReplyDeletePoor little whippet :( Hope he's recovered okay x
How did I miss this! Thank you so much for my giveaway win Mel :D And poor 'ol Remy, I hope he's on the mend
ReplyDeleteOh that's me....me!!! Thank you Mel! Now that's a bit darn exciting.
ReplyDeleteAs for poor Remy, poor old whippet. Give him a soft scratch around the ears for me.