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    Moving back inside…


    2011 - 03.26

    Most of the last 24 hours’ waking moments have been spent in rearranging the Study around a new desk (courteousy of Dusty) to replace the 2 old ones I’ve been carting about since 1990.

    Study full view

    Study full view with bookcase moved to the left


    At the moment it’s cost me the second PC in the Study but I’ve gained much desk space compared to the old arrangement. Not only does it look better, tidier and more organised, but the snake pit of cables has been vanquished!
    Desk wide view

    View showing luxurious desk space to the left and lack of cables underneath compared to previous arrangement


    And just to remind those who’ve not seen how it was for a while.
    Old version

    Old version complete with the ubiquitous snake pit... Admittedly this isn't the most recent of photos, but it hadn't changed all that much in the last two years.

    Facelift…


    2011 - 03.06

    First coat is done and if you look carefully, you can see the couple of areas that got a second coat with the last of the paint at about 20:30 in the evening. It was bigger job than I thought. I did however get a second coat on the rear support posts and cross bar, so that’s done now.

    First coat

    Even though I finished this at 20:30 last night, this morning wildlife was returning.

    After a second coat all over, it should be good for some years. I’ll be putting some mesh along the back of it (out of sight in these) to train the Honey Suckle & Jasmine up for next summer.

    Year 3 time to improve…


    2011 - 03.05

    It’s now my third year in this house, and I’ve started to get the urge to change or improve things that I’ve decided aren’t quite how I’d like them now. When I bought this house one of the criteria was that I didn’t need to do any serious maintenance for at least 2 years. This idea was partially based on suggestions from a couple of friends who said “…take some time to decide what works for you and what doesn’t work for you.”

    Well Last weekend I started on the Pergola.

    Painting the Pergola

    I’ve also got to complete the staining of the windows on the far side of the house. Last summer I started, but since I wasn’t sure how it was going to look, I didn’t buy a large quantity of stain. I’ve since bought more and will hopefully finish this by next weekend.

    Partial corner showing difference

    And the bigger view

    How it's shaping up

    As you can see it lifts the old wood up quite a bit.

    There’s also a few other tasks on the list at this stage. For most I’m hoping they’ll be finished before the Equinox.

    30 Days & 30 Nights…


    2011 - 02.14

    Well with a slight “blip”, I’ve made 30 days without a JB purchase, which is a significant landmark for me.

    Not since the store first opened here have I gone a month without a purchase! Can’t say I’ve really saved any money yet, but have spent it on more “productive” things with regard to working on the house.

    There will begin changes ever so slowly…

    Echoes from a Not So Distant Past…


    2011 - 02.14

    It would seem that I’d not dealt with the dregs of a previous relationship as well as I’d thought: apparently there’s more to resolve within myself! Despite no contact for several years now, there’s apparently still some anger and pain. Work to be done for sure…

    And Then There Were Two…


    2011 - 02.13

    It’s Two Years today that I settled on this house, so it’s a day of reflection and fun. I’m just starting to make a few changes now, as I didn’t want to do anything drastic until I’d been in the house for at least a year. I’d also not wanted or needed to do anything major to the house for these two years, but now I’ve got the “bug” to start.

    Upcoming tasks:

    • Paint the facia boards, and pergola.
    • Finish staining the spare bedroom, bathroom and study windows.
    • Try and get some new trees in to replace the ones that are dying due to the extended drought.
    • There’s also a need to cut down a few dead trees too.
    • Get a kitten!

    *sigh* money…

    Cruisin’ Year’s End…


    2010 - 11.07

    Not that far to go and another year will be over, and another to begin! Thing’s been quiet lately; work, exercise, sexercise, and slipping in a bit of non institutional study.

    I’ve had a friend staying with me the last week, and possibly for another few weeks. He’s in a transitional period and needs a base to springboard from while seeking some change. Good to be of help to someone in such a situation, nothing worse than finding out someone needed help and didn’t ask. I’m sure the Cosmos and he will fall back into line soon.

    Went for a trip to Apollo Bay with couple of friends yesterday, it was nice to get back down that way when not doing it for work. It’s always lovely down there, slipping through the Otway Ranges is always good for the soul.

    The Netgear Stora got “forcibly retired”, it’s been replaced with a WD Sharespace, which at least provides more expandability and better management. I’ll add a picture to the blog soon. Other additions to the household lately: new dining table and chairs to match the bar stools (thanks Kingy), and finally a bed in the spare room for those guests not engaging in carnal celebrations while here!

    20 is a Gross…


    2010 - 10.09

    I just realised it’s been exactly 20 years to the day for my first day “clean”. It’s pretty amazing that I’m here, sane, and physically intact. I’ve much to be grateful for today. The only negative for the day is that I feel sad Sammy and I can’t chat about it, she’d have been coming up for 15 soon.

    Early Spring cleaning…


    2010 - 07.29

    Runes and a Tarot reading by a friend resonate with my guts, tough choices ahead, moving on from certain things and August is around the corner. Dreams scarier than normal.

    I’m hoping that with the roller coaster year I’ve had, August will be less difficult that it often is for me. Starting the month with some visits from friends: some will earn their breakfast the hard way and some the easy way! 🙂

    A different sort of Pillow Talk…


    2010 - 07.18

    There are some old friends where you just don’t have to say anything, they understand perfectly, there’s a connection that transcends the spoken word. You can discuss anything freely without fear or prejudice. Just being with them creates tangible changes in the Cosmos around you both and creates that sort of Microcosm where the rest of the world just doesn’t matter for 12 hours, or a day. Total Freedom to be!

    Helen and I were having a post breakfast chat in bed this morning, and it’s amazing how interesting morning after conversations get when there’s no “romantic” emotional content to clear from the air. The conversation turned to people who had left their mark on us, where that had left us, and how people all too many times seem determined to drag relationships through the wringer so far that they end up despising those that once they claimed to love.

    I was struck this morning with the idea that in some part this is an unconscious attempt to subvert the old feelings that can arise when you see this person again later. Yet the rewards for those who can extricate themselves before descending into the never-ending spiral of the blame game are potentially great. To have someone that you’ve been through much with, and agreed that you’ve run your course without needing to blame each other for something that no longer worked is worth more than money can buy. Helen and I’ve both enjoyed the benefits of such including with each other.

    A slightly different case in point was yesterday, where despite my best efforts to feel nothing, I just don’t seem to have surgically removed all. What’s left is harmless, but a humbling experience, because I realise I just cannot exorcise it all no matter how much I would like to, without losing what I’ve worked so hard to achieve over all these years. I was intrigued because it doesn’t seem to matter how well you think you burn certain feelings out of you, and cauterise the area, you can’t seem to cut it all out. It seems a bit like cancer. There’s always the potential for it all to come undone when you see that person face to face again. You realise then that unless you’ve perverted that old love to hate, you’re always going to be doomed to feel something no matter how little is left.

    Just seeing them is enough to remind you of what attraction there was once before. And then we spooned, and there we lay, 2 drifters in the Cosmos, both alone but not lonely…