The fragrance of petunias is one of my favourites and so I have planted them in my front garden. On warm summer evenings the scent fills the air. I can think of nothing better than sitting on the front veranda on a warm evening listening to the birds with a cold drink in my hand.

The garden is doing well after less than one year. The roses are amazing and I have had vases of full red blooms that you would pay enormously from a florist. Our two baby cherry tree sticks have produced a bumper crop of 14 edible cherries in their first half year of life. The local bird life have not yet discovered them yet.

There is still work to do; a carport planned, stair handrails, back door porch, canopy over the front bedroom window, and a vegetable garden. Plus more roses I think wherever they will fit.

Home sweet home…

The laundy too has room for all our needs.

The other bedrooms are fitted out with the bare essentials.

And the other.

We eventually found the red tiles we wanted for the kitchen and Michael laid these last week.

Look nice don’t you think?

I added some roses and other plants to the front garden yesterday for the beginning of what I hope to be a lovely cottage garden.

After some problems with our water tank it is now functioning properly and we can switch between the town water supply (which tastes awful) to rain water.

The house in the next block is underway and that is good because we will be able to build a fence and plant the garden along that boundry.

We squeezed into the front sitting room where the Christmas tree was placed to share our Kris Kringle present giving.

The kitchen became the hub for all of the weekend’s conversations, food preparation, meals, cups of tea and games.

Games were played. (Notice the handy shelf under the glass table top? Perfect for iphone placement whilst playing cards apparently!)

And more games…

And much food was prepared

and eaten of course.

Time spent with family is precious.

And my breakfast the morning after.

Because many things in this new house were found via Ebay.

The front door with frame and side windows with bevelled glass (yet to be painted) was the first purchase by chance at a second-hand dealership at Mailors Flat. This required the redesign of the front entry and hall.

Light fittings were also located via Ebay. Some are second hand whilst others are new. Although the bedside lamps we found at a garage sale in Heywood. The second light we found at the Portland Recycle shop (the tip). The third light is a pair of two that we collected from a private seller in Ballarat. The red ones are new but also found via Ebay.

The bathroom fittings were also found via Ebay.

As well as the kitchen fittings. The applicances, sink and tap are all new but have tiny flaws. The dining setting we found at a second-hand dealership at Smythesdale.

Our cat Muffin has settled in really well loving the place after being very scared and unsettled in the rental property at Portland. From the veranda it is possible to look far up the Moyne River inlet to Tower Hill.

I have to admit my concerns about buying things via Ebay, but Michael did all the searching and sourcing, with excellent results and no problems.

The pantry is fitted with shelves but needs some tweaking to fit things properly.

I have managed to sort out the two bedrooms at the back of the house so that family and friends have somewhere to sleep when they stay.

This one I finished yesterday. They both will get carpet laid on the floor eventually.

The decking is finished on the veranda and al fresco areas and now those areas are being fitted with the ceiling lining boards.

 The timber floor had four coats because Michael is very fussy about the finish. But the deep red of the jarrah looks amazing now.

Most of the front of the house is almost finished. The ensuite is probably the room with least left to do – it just needs a mirror on the wall above the basin.

We need to choose carpet for the bedrooms.

We need to fit out the cupboards and pantry.

And the back rooms need tiling and fitout.

The second toilet is not quite operational yet.

The kitchen looks fantastic I think. We just need the tiles behind the stove. We want red tiles but so far have not found the right tile for the right price. We did see one we loved but at $46 per tile it was no surprise it was made in Murano Italy.

And of course the dishwasher is still in it’s box sitting in the lounge room. We need to pick up the gas heater that we have bought and get it fitted.

So with much still to do and the end of the budget in sight Michael has returned to full time paid employment so we can continue to spend on the unfinished project, but now with little time to do the work himself.

The kitchen benchtops are fitted and the electrical work is almost done.

The verandah is underway.