Just not quite enough

Debby and Tim have finished laying their timber floor at the new home to be, with only just enough flooring timber. It was a long time ago but I'll repeat the tale about when we tiled the kitchen floor at our cute little Victorian (period) cottage in Balaclava.

The gas stove had fixed piping and I think we disconnected the gas pipe to tile under the stove, but we ran out of tiles and so left it untiled aside from around the edges.

You may be able to see, but if not the fridge was to the left down a single step to a carpeted area where the small dining table sat along with a computer desk with a tower, keyboard, printer and CRT screen. 

Goodness knows why, but the buyer of the house had our carefully selected two tones of green trim, not really visible, and cream painted over with all white. We were horrified. The paintwork was in a fine condition. Mr Zeal next door made our mail box and fitted it for us. 

The lounge suite which fitted the area perfectly was ridiculously small when we moved here. Above the fire place is my grandparents' clock on the mantle and we had a cozy gas fire installed, along with a hearth. The chimney was raw brick and had significant lean. My second brother, the tradie, made it look straight just with plaster board. The chimney baffle for the fire place had to be kept open, otherwise the rising heat was immense. Once, unnoticed by us, the baffle fell forward and the mantle was scorched. To the left is an Ikea Billy shelving unit, now at my sister's, and held the small tv. One of two mounted speakers is in the corner. The mirror above the mantle came from my grandmother's dressing table. 

I don't take pride in much of what I've done in life, but I do of our rear courtyard. The basics were there. This is a winter photo, so allow for that. In the foreground were two pots of New Zealand Christmas bushes. From the distant left was an ivy covered fence, leading to a bougainvillea, dormant in winter, then a weeping birch tree with a terracotta bird bath and a stag fern on the tree, then along the back fence, propped up with metal stakes in the lane way behind, and the gate to the lane, more ivy with an overhanging of a wisteria vine. Out of sight to the right was next doors garage wall, covered by creeping ficus. I had to trim some of the ficus from the roof of next door's garage. I had an electric hedge cutter by then. There were garden beds too, but I can only remember the one to the far right, with winter roses, or Christmas roses, if you like. I think the pot to right contained a nandina.

My goodness, did our courtyard see some great gatherings over the years we were there. Out of sight was a gas barbeque, used frequently. Ray and I used to sit out at the table on warm summer nights, with a glass of Scotch and play backgammon. There were outside speakers that the cd player could be switched to. I've only just remembered the speaker switching box inside. 

Weeds and baby tears would grow in the brick paving, and I began with using weed killer, but ended up using boiling water, and that worked. 

My bedroom at the very front of the house. Out of sight was a bookcase in front of a boarded up fireplace and behind that was my exercise bike sitting in the fireplace which has been or will be a surprise for someone one day. 

The glass coffee table came with us to our apartment, along with the glass hall table to the left. One day Ray slammed down his glass  on the coffee table in anger, and the table shattered. I can't remember what happened to the glass hall table, but it was here for a while. Under the air con unit is a cheap print of something, covering over a rough part of the wall where an old style cooling only air con was installed by us. I remember we sold the aircon unit for a decent amount. To the left was a gas wall heating unit, that stopped working. We called a gasfitter and he said it was old and unsafe, and disconnected the gas supply to it. That was when we bought the reverse cycle air con unit, for heating and cooling. 

It is amazing how I have waffled on, inspired by the post by Debby about just having enough flooring timber to complete a job.