Wednesday 17th August 2011
Today I was finally able to take the day off work and Long came over to help me complete the driveway paving. Long story short, the builders left a gap about 30cm from the end of the pavers to the concrete verge. My dad went out and bought more pavers for me and they've been sitting around waiting for me to get to it.
So, firstly we began by chiseling away the concrete that the builders had set around the pavers to keep them in place.
My neighbour lent me his diamond head cutter thing and Long got to work trimming about one centimetre off one of the edges of the pavers to make them fit.
After a few pavers, we realised that the amount of paver we had to trim off was going to be different as the pavers had been laid at a very slight angle to the verge. It was a matter of millimetres!
So, we had to place the pavers along the length of the driveway and individually mark out how much needed to be trimmed.
This worked really well.
Almost done!
Once all the pavers were in place, we went along and smacked them down with the rubber mallet to make sure they were all level.
Now all we needed to do was mix up a few bags of cement and pack this down at the sides of the driveway to hold the pavers in position. It'll be a few days before I will drive the car up onto it just to give the concrete plenty of time to set properly.
Voila! In no time at all, we had the driveway finished! Ok, it reality it took about two hours but I thought it would take longer.
I made lunch for us and we ate them while sitting in the garage, admiring our hard work, much to the amusement of some of my neighbours who drove past and saw us.
After a few days, I finally mounted the kerb, slowly eased up the driveway and into my garage for the first time. My car finally has a home!
Sunday 19th June 2011
Today my friends came over and we began the epic task of transporting my aquarium from my parents' place to my house.
We had to bag the fish up (poor things!), siphon most of the water out and scoop out as much gravel as we could to make the glass tank as light as we could for moving. Benoit borrowed his brother's car and we managed to fit the tank and the desk that it sits on in the back. Phew!
I also packed up my car, put my TV into Kong's car and drove to the house, where we had to set up the aquarium.
With such a big water change and having the fish in the bags for over an hour, I was worried that some might not survive the move, but they have all made it except for one baby guppy.
I can't wait to restock the tank with some plants and new fish. I've been holding off on making any new additions to the tank before the move...but nothing's gonna stop me now...
15 June 2011
I like to look around and do my homework when it comes to purchasing things for the house. Especially when it comes to something that's supposed to be a long term investment like a fridge or washing machine.
I have grown up with a top loader washing machine and have never used a front end loader. However, I have heard that front end loaders are more energy efficient and therefore are most cost effective to run and own. However, the cycles are generally longer on front end loaders but you can get some models that have a 'quick' cycle. They're also much more gentler on your clothes apparently.
So, with these points in mind, I started researching online to find out which model was better for me. Once I settled on the front end loader, I started comparing different models. It helped that David has a subscription to the Choice Review website so you can get very comprehensive reviews and comparison guides on there.
I quickly decided on the model I wanted and then it was a matter of hitting the stores to try to get a good price.
The Electrolux EWF1074 7.5kg Time Manager model.
I price-matched my way from over $900 down to only $600!
Dad helped me install it and tonight I took it for a test drive. I was careful to watch for any water leakages but all seemed well.
The clothes are spun really well so that when I hang the clothes on the air dryer, I don't have water dripping onto the floor, which is great since I'm drying the clothes indoors since I don't yet have an outdoors clothes line.
Sunday 15th June 2011
I had some unexpected helping hands to help me finish off most of the painting on Sunday. Thanks so much guys!
I have always wanted to create a little corner of the house with a vintage/shabby chic theme. I decided that I would dedicate the entrance of the house to this project.
I was a bit anxious when it came to choosing the colour of the paint for the wall. It needed to be a greenish blue. I did worry that the colour I chose would not turn out right or would just look awful. However, as I was painting the colour onto the wall, I squealed in delight. It looked gorgeous!
Wall - Dulux Wash & Wear low sheen - Mainstream
Console - from Corner Store on Stirling Highway.
I need to find an antique mirror (or one that I can revamp to look antique) to hang above the console and perhaps a coat stand or some hooks in the wall for hanging coats.
It's looking very pretty indeed!
