A little less clinical

A bit of fun adds some quirkiness and character to the new bathroom which I find quite clinical after the warmth of the wood panelling in the old bathroom. These two, Maurice and Mabel, were bought at a Wellington market years ago and needed a bit of refreshing with my paints before I hung them on the wall. Mabel’s leg broke in one of the earthquakes and is rather roughly glued on as bits of plaster had crumbled away. She’s looking a little sunburnt after the paint repair, but her nail polish has been refreshed!

And there’s the sweet little cupie doll in an old-fashioned bathing suit on top of the wall cabinet. They all sort of go with the art deco look of the bathroom (which is finished, by the way).

Max is free-standing and I’m afraid he’ll fall on the unforgiving tiles and damage something, so he remains on the threshold.

Then there’s the swimming dog and the tiny bear in a bath the size of a walnut shell… Hmm, bear in, dog out. That’ll do.

Flowers in the house

The garden is full of spring flowers – and now the house is too. I picked some hyacinths which were falling over in their pot outside. Then I picked some forsythia, ‘snowball’ blossoms, grape hyacinths, little irises, and forget-me-nots for the kitchen window sill. I knew Mum would enjoy them as she made her breakfast.

Outside the window, hebe and kōwhai are in full flower

Mum was given flowers at church on Sunday morning – “celebrating the senses through which we engage with Creation”.

And on the front porch this morning I found a gift of flowers from the marvellous woman who managed the bathroom renovation. I think she’s the one who deserves the flowers. Perhaps it’s an apology for the last-minute delays? The tiler finishes tomorrow (fingers crossed).

Two firsts

The first lime from the little lime tree, a warm nor’ west day and the first mojito for the season.

Not quite celebrating the finishing of the bathroom however. One more day has turned into a few more days after delays with the last of the painting and tiling.

One more day…

The electrical work is finished. We have lights, fan, heated towel rail, heater, and…underfloor heating. This morning the wall cabinet went in. I’m getting used to the new look, particularly when I noticed that Felix matches the colour scheme!

Tomorrow, there’s the last of the tiling and sealing to be done and the last coat of paint. Then, will life go back to normal? What’s normal? I’ve forgotten.

Anzac biscuits

I am not sure how many trades people will turn up today and I’ve made another batch of Anzac biscuits to supplement the rhubarb muffins, just in case.

The recipe says, in bold type: ‘Makes 18’ but somehow I always get 21. It’s a good idea to run a knife under the biscuits soon after removing them from the oven otherwise they stick to the tray. They are delicious while still warm…now there are only 19.

Almost there…

It’s 25 days since the bathroom renovation began. Today, we have an operational toilet and the painting has been completed.

Waiting for the cabinet to fill the wall space to the right of the window
The shower niche!

For some reason (I seem to have lost the ability to hold details in my mind) the rimu door and roof access architraves could not be reused and were replaced with pine. The painter and I decided, on the hoof, to paint them the same colour as the walls and ceiling rather than staining them to look like rimu. I’m happy with that choice – and there is an example of it in the kitchen.

Painted architraves
The kitchen example

The door and the ceiling access cover will be the original rimu.

Mum and I are at home for one night, but at least we have a toilet! The hotel was fully booked when I tried to extend our stay – maybe people are in town for the Word Festival. Then we will be back at the hotel for a few days, after which, if everything goes to plan, the bathroom will be ready.

A mad wind

It’s a good day to stay inside, away from the draining hot nor’ west wind. I was blown backwards and sideways on my bike going to and from singing this morning, and after fitful sleep (I wake and feel the fell of dark), the lyrics of the songs we sang seemed weighted with strange significance.

Goin’ faster than a roller coaster…

Imagine all the people, sharing all the world… (Yeah, right.)

I see friends shaking hands, saying, ‘how do you do’, they’re really saying, ‘I love you’…

Look at me now, will I ever learn…

You’re still glowin’, you’re still crowin’, you’re still goin’ strong…

Take this sinking ship and point it home…

Only you know how much I have lost…

Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket…

Dark and dusty, painted on the sky…

Soon you’ll be sailing far across the sea…

Hit the road, Jack, and don’t you come back…

Hoki mai ra…

There’s the sound of Tane the tiler’s saw in the driveway and the occasional sharp clatter of tiles from the bathroom. Slow but steady progress; Mum and I have booked another week in the hotel.

Today’s progress. Waiting for a wall cabinet beside the window.
The asterisked grout colours are the ones we’ve chosen for the floor tiles and subway tiles.

Out in the garden, the peach tree continues to blossom and the wind has eased.

Could it be Spring?

After two warm days this weekend and feeling inspired to get out into the garden at last, I think it might be Spring. The tiny daffodils are out, the clematis is turning green, the camelias are in full bloom, the roses are sprouting, the viburnum flowers are beginning to show – and the tiny peach tree has the cutest little pink flowers.

There’s also a fine coating of pollen on the car and on the outdoor furniture. Achoo! Bless you.

Warm toes

On this cold, frosty morning, the tiler arrived and installed the underfloor heating. Everyone tells me I will not regret having this little bit of luxury!

The tiling begins at the end of the week. In the photo below is the combination we have, collectively, chosen. Thank you to bathroom advisor el supremo (you know who you are!) for collecting up paint cards to choose from.

Floor tile, subway tile, dado tile and paint colour.

Bathroom Work – Day 6

A week ago today, the builders began work on the bathroom. A well-coordinated team of plumbers and electricians have visited when required. Today, the builders finished lining the walls ready for the plasterers tomorrow.

Plumbers put the pipes in
Felix went under the floor and came out wearing a cobweb hat – I just caught him here as he shook it off.
The walls were strengthened for fixings and the niche made
The exterior walls have been insulated
The electrician put the wiring in
The builders lined the walls ready for plastering

In the meantime, Mum and I are enjoying the large accessible bathroom (i.e. for a wheelchair) at our hotel. We prefer to be at home during the day despite being ‘inconvenienced’ there. The BP conveniences were out of order today, but Baileys Pub across the road was obliging. It’s good to make a fuss of Felix while we’re home, and I’ve enjoyed feeding the workers with Anzac biscuits, savouries, minestrone, scones and bacon and egg pie.

This morning there was a view from our hotel window across the Salvation Army Citadel to the snowy Southern Alps.

Wet floor shower with fold-down seat and grab rails
A comfortable, sunny room
A room with a view