Summer colour a great distraction from the build

Already mid way through January, so by now was hoping to have a build date for stage two of our renovation, our rear extension - but alas we don't. I was told yesterday by our Building Manager that he hasn't confirmed a carpenter yet, the first trade we need on the job. Others are lined up but can't do anything until the carpenter has started. I am assured though it will be sometime soon, whatever that means!

Good thing is every time I go to the fridge I get a glimpse of the calendar my kids gave me for Christmas and it instantly cheers me up. The picture for January is of a Provincial market in France, love the colour and the gorgeous terracotta houses that surround the market square.

A wander in the garden in its full Summer bloom also helps. These beautiful Saliva's greet me as I come in the front gate......

and this gorgeous fuchsia hangs over the iron railing on the front porch.......

a wander around the back garden and I smell and admire the Lavender.....

and love the tall Agapantha flowers against the green backdrop of the Canadian Maple and Jasmine.

Decoration distraction

'Mummy when are the builders coming' - this is a question my daughter has been asking a lot lately. I feel like responding, with 'good question, now that the contract is finally signed it depends on when the permits come through'.

But for my four year old we count the sleeps (hopefully only about 30 more at most). And depending on her mood she is either really excited about having new rooms built and can't wait to show her friends, or on other days she gets really upset about the idea - 'I love our house the way it is, I don't want it to change'.

So I am trying to get her excited explaining how she is going to get a new room that she can help decorate. She loves to draw, paint and strangely enough move furniture around. Maybe a designer in the making?

And so we have started with some art work for her new room. Luckily for me, her favourite colours are red and blue, though I might have had a bit of influence on that. Decorating with red or blue candles, cushions and pictures against our white walls is fitting in with the French theme I love.

A change back

A number of posts ago I mentioned that we were initially, with our build going to do the ensuite before Christmas and the back extension after so it was easier to live in the house. I then went on to say there was a change as thought the whole build could happen before Christmas, well this is not the case and so we are back to plan A.

One thing I have learnt from this is make sure you get your builder to explain time lines in detail and you understand them. There has been a misunderstanding in our case and so we have been busy packing up the house and getting organised. At least I have only packed things I don't need on a day to day basis!

The kid factor

Something I have to keep reminding myself (not sure why I keep forgetting) is that my to do list takes a lot longer to complete then it used to because of the kid factor.

Even knowing this we still requested the build to be brought forward and now we have realised it is really happening with Robert, our Designer coming around this week to sign final contracts and technical drawings. So the plan is to start the build in August (initially we were waiting until January next year), so we can be finished in time for Christmas which we may even host - I am starting to think we are mad!

We are now in full on rush mode of choosing fittings, not easy with kids in toe, the problem being one of us always has to watch them closely as they zip around the showrooms, so no discussion, just picking things then comparing notes.

At Reece the kids hopped in and out of baths (which the lovely staff actually suggested to keep them entertained) and they loved pressing buttons to check out the water flow on different shower heads. And then I don't know what came over me but I took my almost two year old to a tile place by myself. He whipped around at high speed and kept climbing on the displays. Lets just say we stayed for all of five minutes. Thank god for the Internet where we can check a lot of things out first and for friends and family who have looked after the kids at different points (my parents are coming over from Adelaide to do just that this weekend, oh and are here for my sons second birthday).

It is going to be an interesting, full on few months with some great stories I am sure: - seeing how my daughter goes with the portable toilet (at least my son is still in nappies), how we move from one area of the house to another so we can live in the house and how we keep my son in particular away from the builders or climbing things he is not meant too!