Deborah’s vision for redecorating Kaz’s house is rapidly being realized. I can’t give too many details because Kaz may be reading this blog and I don’t want to spoil the surprise. But suffice it to say that there is beautiful color on several walls which were once plain jane off-white. Paint, for some reason, is very expensive here. The 4 liter (1 gallon) can of paint we bought cost AU$70 (US$48); about twice what you’d pay in the US. Even the 1 liter (1 quart) cans of paint and primer were AU$30 (US$20). We used every last drop. It helps that Kaz had some spare paint lying around and that Lorraine brought some extra paint as well, much of which was mixed together to create new colors. Deborah has been painting and distressing many of the furniture pieces as well to give the once incongruent collection a more cohesive style. She has also been changing the placement of furniture and wall hangings, addressing the bedding, and digging for treasures in the closets, the yard and even the rubbish. She’s going for a contemporary cottage (shabby chic) look, based on Kaz’s existing furniture/belongings and her stated preferences. And it’s all looking good.
Once the interior changes are completed we’ll work on a plan for the exterior. There are a lot of great plants in the yard but some are hidden or in awkward locations and need to be pruned or moved. And drainage is a big issue. The big grassy back yard is a bit of a swamp right now with all the rain we’ve been having. Even though the last couple of days have been quite warm and sunny there are still sizeable puddles in the yard. The group of Ibises splashing around out back is happy, but it doesn’t serve the humans quite so well. Kaz doesn’t expect us to do any work on the yard, but I know Deborah can never be fully restrained. We do at least want to come up with a plan for regrading, planting areas, dry creeks, paths, etc. to make better use of this ½ acre lot. Hopefully this great weather will hold out.
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Kaz's house._
Back of the house. Note the solar hot water heater on the roof.
The swamp.
While Deborah works on refinishing furniture, her husband works on his vitamin D intake.