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Monthly Archives: July 2024
Karola & I Have Hair Appointments
Mark came and finished his painting work upstairs in the homestead. Later in the day I saw that the carpets had been put down and furnoture moved into those bedrooms.
Marcus was here for several hours preparing for the move-in on Sunday.
Rosie took me to my physio session late morning and we went straight on from there to pick up Karola and go to Ahuriri for our appointments with Kim at Copper & Hues. Afterwards Karola and I shared an omelette at Miss Browns, just round the corner from Copper & Hues.
Oak Avenue Weather:__℃—__℃ no rain [?]
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Chooks Arrive From South Island
Off shopping for the week’s groceries after dropping off Bangle at Emma’s for her six-weekly groom. I have been brushing her every night so she’ll have been much less furry than usual this time. I get a handful of fur from Bangle every night.
After the shopping, including choosing and paying for my MYLK meals for the rest of the week, we nipped hope and took the Subaru back to Stortford Lodge where we met the Pet Bus just pulling in. Two boxes of chooks were decanted and, once home, we put them in the chook house and shut them in, with food and water, for the afternoon. Before dark I opened the trapdoor. After dark I paid them another visit and the older hens had evicted all five newcomers; they were roosting in a tight-knit bunch under the chook house, nice and dry.
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Wood Staining Really Finished Today
Pavla came and did couple of hours cleaning over at the homestead.
Mark came and did another coat of wood stain – I thought he’d finished that last week. He then went home as he felt unwell.
Walk with Bangle at dog park.
Marcus called tonight and said he’d fixed their moving in date, ordered removal team, next Sunday.
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Trip Up Taihape Road
In the morning I pruned the six fruit trees just outside the cottage bathroom window. I’d been waiting for winter to do this and it’s finished just in time.
Later Rosie came and we hitched up the Landrover to the big trailer then put the two furniture items in the trailer. These were the chaise longue and matching chair as seen below. Rosie then drove us, including Bangle, up to 3370 Taihape Road where Graham Harvey and Tracey Craig live. Tracey has wanted that chaise longue for ages; they were grateful we’d brought it up for them.
Bangle was pretty unhappy that her Landrover space smelt of Mark’s large, young, boisterous male dog, Heathcliffe. We had to put the back seats down so she didn’t have to lie in his dust. Anyway, using tractor and trailer I could get up high enough and cut back the unruly or shading cuttings.
Karola’s Micro-Orchard Winter Pruning
Chaise Longue & Chair Used As Props For The Film Utu
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Beautiful Day
All set up for chooks to get on the Pet Bus in the south island tomorrow and arrive in Hastings on Tuesday.
Also plan is to take a chaise longue and matching chair up to Tracey & Graham at 3370 Taihape Road, RD9, Hastings tomorrow afternoon – Rosie driving the Landrover and big trailer.
Bangle and I walked the long walk at the Regional Dog Park.
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Four Australorp Pullets & One Australorp White Cockerel
Took Bangle for a long walk at Clive, along the estuary stop bank and then along the wetlands up to where the brown chooks live and there’s a path down to the sea.
Arranged for Rosie to be on the Landrover drivers list for the next few months so she can drive us and some furniture over to Chloe’s in Bulls and to Tracey up the Taihape road. Waiting for soem clear weather for the Bulls trip; taking Tracey’s gift up on Sunday – that’s the plan. No rain here forecast until mid week.
Mark did a bit more wood staining upstairs in the homestead but I am worried he’ll barley have finished by the time Marcus and Chrissie are due to take possession.
The kitset shelving Mark assembled in the linen cupboard is very sturdy and has four shelves – it’s two metres long. Intention is to use it for linen ie sheets and blankets etc.
Arranged to buy four more hens and a cockerel to replace/replenish my small flock of five Black Orpington hens and one Orpington/Light Sussex cross. Replaceing the cockerel who died, adding to the six hens currently in residence. They’re from Marian Weber in the South Island – same person I bought half dozen fertile eggs from last year – the sight of which instantly changed the mind of my broody hen who refused to sit on them. New chooks arrive on Pet Bus on Tuesday.
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Calender Error – No Eye Appointment Today
Mark unpacked the shelving that I ordered from Trade-Tested and assembled one of the two units. They are very sturdy and rather larger than I’d anticipated so only one will go in the “linen cupboard” in the homestead and I’ll need to find space for the other in one of the garages. Mark also ran out of wood stain so has a short bit to go in the homestead ’tween room’ before the first coat there is finished.
I thought I had an eye doctor appointment this afternoon and this was further complicated by Rosie being unavailable today. I resolved that if my eyesight was too blurry after the appointment – they use drops to see more easily the structure of your eye and these do make everything blurry – I’d leave the car there and walk home, with Bangle. The plan was to take Bangle for a wlak and pick up the MYLK meals before the appointment.
I thought Id just check that my appointment was on because I usually get a confirming TXT the day before. I rang and apparently my next appointment isn’t until 8th August.
So, plan change, I drove myself today and:
- Got more stain and polyurethane for Mark
- Took the broken occasional table in to furniture repairers
- Picked up MYLK meals
Furniture repairers was fine, they’ll stick the table top back on the occasional table and re-cover it, replacing the torn silk covering with more of the blue fabric matching the six dining chairs. I went to the Resene paint shop but they didn’t have any litre tins of the untinted base needed to make up the stain so they arranged for me to get that from Mitre-10 and then they, Resene, would tint it for me.
Afterwards I went with Landrover and trailer to GoldPine and got three rounded quarter posts and three 50×150 railings so Mark can mend the lemon tree enclosure. He also needs three 50×75 6-metre rails but I’d forgotten that GoldPine discontinued them years ago. Mark will either make do with what he can find here or we’ll try Carters for them later.
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Margery Cobb’s Friendship Club Lunch
Kitset shelving came today in two big cardboard boxes and one smaller one. These are two strong wide shelves for the homestead upstairs linen cupboard and, a free gift, assorted hooks for hanging things on eg the garage wall.
As a precaution I’ve taken photos of the packaging with some big gouges in it but I’m not expecting the steel shelving will have been damaged.
Went to the Friendship Club lunch at Jarks in Stortford Lodge. Lots of very ancient old ladies and a couple of blokes. Meal tasted all right but my steak was incredibly tough.
Rosie picked me up afterwards and we went straight over to Summerset Palms. Karola had been out for a sight-seeing trip in a small bus with several of the other residents so she said she was too tired to go out again today. Karola and I, and another resident called David, sat out in one of the lounges and chatted. After a cup of excruciatingly bad coffee and some monosyllabic attempts at conversation with David, I talked to Karola about what I’d been up to recently then departed. As I left Karola said she was so pleased I’d come and hoped I’d come again soon.
On the way home I stopped at Mitre-10 and Briscoes and bought six rubber door stops, wedges to make the three Cudby & Mead book cases tilt backwards. I’m strapping them to the wall at the top and hope that’ll avoid them spilling their books onto the floor next time there’s a decent earth shake.
Put final coat of paint on the cottage living room wall where we’d GIBbed over the hole in the wall left by removing the old wood burner chimney.
Shelving Flat Packs Arrived Today
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Fixup Cottage Livingroom Wall
Saw a couple of cars outside the homestead, Marcus and Chrissie Ormond starting to make it their own nest. TXTed Rosie and through her alerted them that mark would need access to continue his painting so to leave the door unlocked.
Late morning I asked Mark to sand round the edges of the GIB insert where the cottage woodburner used to go out through the wall. I then painted the rectangle of GIB and the several marks left when we disassembled the woodburner and its surround.
Rosie drove me and Bangle into town for the usual weekly shopping. Lunch was half a BLT sandwich in the Tainui Reserve while Bangle fossicked contentedly. On way back we dropped in at the Little Red Bookshop and the Lion’s Book Store but both were closed. I’m going to see what they recommend as a suitable home for the books here that we have no use for.
Pavla came and gave the cottage a good clean; she couldn’t come last week because of the school holidays. She plans to come next wek and clean what she can of the homestead, just a couple of days before Marcus and Chrissie take up their lease.
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Rain In The Morning, Overcast the Remainder Of The Day
Mark came and did more floor staining. He expects to stain the little middle bedroom floor before doing the polyeurathene in both of the bedrooms.
I took another pass at labelling the few pieces of furniture not to remain in the homestead – either for Bridget or the cottage or to be stored.
Long walk with Bangle at the dog park. MYLK sweet & sour pork meal. Pavela TXTed to say she’ll come tomorrow for cottage and next week for the homestead.
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Slumbering Day
Marcus & Chrissie came again today with some furniture. I took Bangle for a short walk at Clive. Otherwise very quiet. Bridget has landed safely in London.
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Marcus & Chrissie & Rosie Drop By
Quiet day; no Bridget to take dogs for morning walk round the orchard and raining lightly all day and night so very wet and muddy everywhere.
Marcus and Chrissie and Rosie came round at lunchtime to, as I’d suggested, start arranging things to suit them when they move in in August. Marcus also dropped off the signed lease so we’re all ready to go, starting 1st August.
Having moved a bookcase into the cottage living room and repositioned the table I decided I’d patch up the wall where the woodburner flue used to go out into the sun porch. I have plastered up the main cracks where new gib board covered the flue hole and once it’s dry I shall paint over.
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Bridget Sets Off For Europe Today
Mid morning Bridget set off with Tux for Wellington. She then has to drop Tux off at a boutique dog minder in Wainuiomata, drop on on her house at 7 Cockayne Road, Khandallah to see how her builders are getting on (making good progress, she says), and then drive to a friend who’s going to take her to her 8:00pm flight up to Auckland.
Mark has completed first coat of dark rimu wood stain around the perimeter of the Bee Room. He then helped me lug some furniture around. We took the chest of drawers, stool, and book-case from upstairs in the cottage into the homestead garage store-room where it can stay, along with the matching Chapman-Taylor bed, until Bridget organises for them and the piano to be transported down to Wellington.
Mark also helped move Bridget’s special adjustable desk from the homestead over to the cottage. We then moved one of the Cudby & Mead book cases over to the cottage, Now I can move the books upstairs in the cottage to permanent homes in the living room.
Bridget’s Adjustable Desk – Now Upstairs In The Cottage
Cottage Living Room – One Of The Three Homestead Bookcases In New Position
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Bridget Packs For Trip To UK Tomorrow
Rosie drove me to pick up the weekend MYLK meals and give Bangle a short walk,
When we got home we found Rosie’s mum, Chrissie, doing something with the sheep.
Later Bridget took us and the dogs for a walk in the Regional Dog Park.
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Karola Joins Us For A Late Lunch
As planned Rosie drove me over to pick up Karola and then we went to Maina in Havelock North again for a late lunch. I forgot to order half portions so they were way too filling but delicious never the less. Again I ahd a mushroom, bacon, and hash brown dish while Karola tucked into a salmon salad with lettuce, potato, and a few sprouts and grapes.
After the outing with Karola, Rosie helped me move the single bed out of the tween bedroom into the big bedroom and then upstairs in the cottage, moved the little Chapman Tailor bed and matching chair over to the homestead garage store room where it’ll be out of the way until Bridget arranges for it and the piano to be transported to her house in Cockayne Road, Khandallah.
Rosie took back home with her two copies of the homestead lease signed by me and Bridget. Marcus will sign them as tenant and return one copy to us.
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Ruth Vincent Drops In
Oh ho, another weekly shopping trip, already. Bridget is leaving for Wellington on Friday and then onwards to UK via Singapore.
Mark did a final polyurethane coat on the floor of the room at the top of the stairs,
Ruth Vincent dropped in to see how we were getting on and we had a long chat about how things are panning out. Ruth’s mother had Altzeimers and so we talked a bit about that.
Bridget took us all to the dog park for walk. I took a hacksaw and cut the ends off two log screws that I’d used to hold the two halves of a split handrail. Bridget spotted that they’d projected half an inch out at the back of the handrail. Now they won’t hurt anyone grasping the rail from behind.
I sent the final draft of the homestead lease agreement to Marcus late this evening.
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Working Towards Marcus Family Taking Residence
Quiet day with Bridget taking me to get coffees mid-day then just working through the several videos and emails that have been building up.
Mark was here but left around 1:00pm because he only worked for an hour on Friday due to the rain and combined they made a whole four-hour day which is his usual. He put the first polyurethane coat on the floor of the room at the top of the stairs.
Bridget kindly worked hard helping me put back the large furniture in the big bedroom and then moving all but the bed out of the Bee room so that Mark can begin on that next.
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Free Thinkers
Peter Offenberger again kindly ferried me to and from Free Thinkers which todaymostly talked about the emergence of the BRICS and associated countries that intend to establish an alternative power base in the world, breaking the hegemony of the USA and partners in Europe, namely “The West”. The central question was whether NZ had to take sides, it being firmly on the USA side at the moment for defence and military protection but having China as our largest trading partner. My hope is that we can be steadfastly independent; we shall see.
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Blustery At Ocean Beech – Heavy Rain & Spray
A wet day the showers being intermittent but heavy. Bridget took the dogs round the orchard just before 8:00am and they all got soaked. We all went to Ocean Beech via the Red River Coffee Café soon after mid day and, as luck would have it, the sun shone brightly as we drove over to the beech but then once we were on the sand yhe heavens opened. By the time we were back in the car of course it stopped raining. We refilled with more coffee at Red Bridge on the way home.
Rain Sleet, Or Spray, The Dogs Love It
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Dogs Walk Under Trees At Regional Park Amidst Showers
Intermittent rain showers led Mark to stop work at lunchtime. I had a quiet day; Bridget and I went out for coffee at lunchtime and took the dogs for a walk at the regional dog park late afternoon.
Got an email confirming that insurance will pay out over $10,000 of which I’ve already received $7000. The work to repair the end of the ha-ha wall is included although the work has yet to begin.
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Temporary Solution For Homestead Domestic Water
Just the usual Thursday tootle into town to pick up the MYLK meals for the rest of the week.
Mark has finished the painting in the middle bedroom, the large one adjoining the main bedroom on the east side. He has now finished putting on the dark rimu stain round the edges of the room at the top of the stairs.
Bridget and I took the recycling to the Henderson Transfer Station. We then took the dogs to the regional dog park.
Marcus has set the homestead water supply to be essentially bore water – at least until there’s a decent rain to refill the #1 rainwater tank. Mark said the water tasted good and was quite clear.
Refixing Split Handrail – Top Bridge In The Regional Dog Park
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Physio & Lunch With Karola
Rosie drove me in to Stortford Lodge for my late morning appointment with Tony Snell, physio. Later Bridget drove me over to Summerset and we picked up Karola and took her to Milk & Honey in Ahuriri, next door to Kim the hairdresser. Bridget had her hair cut, as planned, and Karola and I shared quite a good omelette.
Sent off Karola’s GST that was overdue but as we didn’t owe the IRD anything this time, they owe us $1500, I doubt they’ll be concerned it’s over a week late. Also sent off the quote we’ve accepted for the wood burner and the deposit.
Walked the dogs round the orchard; Bridget had already walked them round this morning, before 8:00am.
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Marcus Addresses The Smelly Rainwater Problem
Iain quietly breakfasted and was on his way back to Wellington soon after 9:00am.
Finished my bottle of dandelion supplements today. No obvious change in my mood or brain fog or general health. Still have Morenga and Lion’s Mane supplements so will carry on until the run out as well.
Marcus came round at lunchtime and spent the afternoon tracking down the source of the smelly rainwater in the homestead supply. He cleaned out the primary rainwater tank himself having inspected he other two and believing that neither of them were smelly. The primary tank did have quite a few bucket’s full of sludge on the bottom so Marchus got rid of that and sluiced down the walls and we’re hoping that this combined with refilling the primary tank from the cottage bore will solve the smell problem.
Shopping driven by Rosie; the usual Tuesday rounds. Another walk with the dogs and Bridet as darkness drew near. Two eggs today from my chooks. Thye were looking very bedraggled for the last few weeks as the moulted but are perking up considerably now. I haven’t had two eggs in one day for months.
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Eye Check
Iain Middleton went to his day of meetings with his forestry people, 25 investors who have shares in one of a score or more forests managed by the Forestry holding company
As I suspected, the Eye Institute lost my records in the change over from retiring Dr John Beaumont and Dr Baswati Sahoo so I haven’t had a checkup for over a year. It was my first appointment with Dr Baswati Sahoo today. Expensive tests before I saw her and her analysis was that both eyes had worsened. However when I look at the diagrams it seems that the left eye is still pretty normal and the right eye is quite a lot worse.
Baswati suggested surgery and why not do the cataracts at the same time. I said no thank you but accepted a change in eye drops. I expect to see her again in four weeks time.
Cottage Dining Room Chair Seats Recovered
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Iain Middleton Arrives
Knowing Iain Middleton, driving up from Wellington, would not arrive till late afternoon, we took advantage of the sunshine and gentle breezes to go again to Ocean Beach and walk the dogs. Again we stopped at the pop-up coffee shop near the road branching away from the TukiTuki river and red bridge, on to the Ocean and Waimārama beaches. There were lots of people at the Ocean beach but widely spaced so it was by no means crowded. There were animal tracks in the wet sand of many dogs and several horses.
We got back a while before Iain arrived. It took longer than he’d hoped because he says, his car has a broken head gasket and quickly overheats. Iain had to refill wiht water several times on his way up.
As planned, we met up with Peter and Charlotte at Allessandro’s, the pizza place in Joll Road, Havelock North. Got a good table inside and it wasn’t too noisy and the food adorable. I have meat balls rather than a pizza, this dish is as close to Gluten Free as their menu goes. As usual I finished with a chocolate brownie dessert, with ice-cream which ihas way too much sugar for a Type II diabetic; but we only go to Allessandro’s very infrequently.
Not only is the homestead upstairs cold and has a lingering smell of drying wood stain and polyurathane but we’ve now got a pronounced bad smell in the water supply so we set up a bed for Iain upstairs in the cottage.
Daisies Above The High Tide Mark – Oean Beach
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Ocean Beach Walk Again
Late afternoon Bridget took me and the dogs to Ocean Beach again and again we stopped at the little pop-up coffee shop nearby where the Waimārama road forks with the Ocean Beach rood. Cold wind but bright sunshine at the beach and it just started to close in again when we finished.
Got back in time to give chooks their evening meal before they’d gone to roost.
There’s a small lamb that’s very ill in the Front Paddock down near the eucalypt grove. It is so light I do wonder if it starved to death, there were no other obvious causes.
Bangle & Tux Find Friends To Play With
Angry Sunset – Karamu Orchard
Cyclone Mangled Gate Next To Its Replacement
Frosty Fence Post
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Covid Jab Aftershocks?
My malaise which has haunted me for months is, possibly, a “long Covid” experience. I may have been affected with Covid earlier and been asymptomatic perhaps. Drugs and time are, possibly, gradually improving things. However I have another explanation for my restless nights this week and that is as the after effects of my Covid booster on Tuesday. I am sceptical that my supplements: Lions Mane, Dandelion, and Moringa, are making any difference and I will just finish the jars of capsules and stop.
Bridget is taking the dogs for a walk once or twice round the orchard before 8:00am every day – which is much appreciated. She and I then usually have at least half an hour’s walk with the dogs late afternoon.
Mark came early today and by lunchtime he’d applied the first coat of polyurethane to the perimeter stained floor; one more to go.
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Tainui Reserve Bush Walks Partially Reopened
Rosie not available today so I drove Bangle to get the MYLK meals and go for a walk in Tainui Reserve.
The reserve bush tracks were closed for month after the cyclone there being to many slips and fallen trees to make it safe. A few weeks ago they reopened a lot of the tracks so our usual walk up from the end of Keith Sands Road (at the end of Joll Road), along the Mangarau stream to where it meets Keirunga road was open for another ⅔km into the Tainui bush.
Mark has put stain on the perimeter of the second big bedroom. The fumes are rather overwhelming so he’s left windows open.
Regional Park walk with dogs. We went via Stortford Lodge so that I could correct the credit card error from yesterday where I was accidentally charged an extra $300 at ProActive, the physio’s.
Repairing Damage In Tainui Reserve From Cyclone Gabrielle
Fallen Trees Removed And Replanting Underway
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Lunch With Karola
In the morning I saw my physio, Tony Snell, again and with his counsel my minor back pain is slowly disappearing.
Rosie then took me home and we picked up the sixth chair seat and took it to the place ding all six cottage dining room chairs.
After that it was time to pick up Karola and go out for lunch. Last week we went to Miss Brown’s in Ahuriri. Today we went to Maina Café in Havelock MNorth – just opposite our accountant’s, BM Accounting. Karola had a “half” salmon salad and I had a “half” mushrooms on toast. Really good food. My real mushrooms in a bowl with bacon and a hash brown on the side was delicious.
Bridget took us all to the Regional Dog Park late evening.
From The Summerset Palms Notice Board – Karola On An Outing Earlier This Week
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Covid Booster Shot
Gosh it’s shopping day again, so soon. The usual – Seawater Seafoods then BP Wild Bean Café then Dry Cleaners. Extra stop at O’Connor Furniture Specialists to arrange for six upright wooden chairs have their seats reupholstered in linen French blue fabric. MYLK to lodge Thursday order, Tainui Reserve short walk along the bottom edge, with Bangle, and had our lunch sandwich. Then back to New World and to BNZ, final stop at Harris Pumps to discuss smelly homestead rainwater.
As part of our shopping trip I went to Bay Plaza Pharmacy, where Karola and I have been before. It does walk-in Covid injections and again today it was efficient and fuss-free.
Mark has put the first coat of wood stain on half the perimeter of the large bedroom.
Bangle and Tux had ther usual 7:30am walk round the orchard with Bridget. Bangle then had the short Tainui Reserve walk and Bridget took Tux a short walk downstream from the Ngaruroro Carrick Road access point. It was raining so Bangle and I stayed in the car.
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Homestead Bedroom Floors
Last evening Bridget and I set up the big bedroom (not the main bedroom) and the one at the top of the stairs ready for Mark to begin work today on re-staining the perimeters and polyurethane-coating them prior to putting down the new carpets. Mark sanded off the white paint drips and spills round the windows and doors and washed down ready for tomorrow when I hope he’ll begin the staining.
Quite chilly but we had a good long walk with the dogs at the regional park.
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