New House. The art of making do.

So we moved into the new house on Tuesday.

We have a kitchen unpacked and meal-cookery-capable, a habitable bedroom with a new bed, and most of our clothes unpacked. We are no longer tripping over boxes (much).

We are really enjoying the new place. The proximity to the pool (where I had a swim just a few hours ago). The house has a nice feel to it - it is very much a home. We know the history of it, and we have added our own touch to it already. It is also warm, courtesy of the ducted heating!

And check out this light fitting in the lounge. They are not made like this anymore.

Thankfully we have a shed, because inside the house we are a bit short on storage space.

And think! Last generation, this house was home to 5 or 6 people! We are two! Why is it that we have so much stuff? We probably only use a third of it regularly.

With this in mind, this morning we made our trips to Bunnings and Ikea.

What would a trip to Bunnings be without one of these?

Food of the Gods, I tell you. It matters not how recently the last meal was eaten, this never fails to stir up the appetite.

We got some little bits and bobs - brackets to put the spare bed together, little claspy things to put the telly cables over the doorway rather than on the floor, a new dunny roll spool, and a new shower head.

We then made the long journey to Ikea. It is easy to go berserk there. But we were jumping the gun a little; we had not done a lot of the measuring required to fit the genius storage solutions sold there.
We came out with only a few little things - a new dish drying rack and a rug to stop the pale carpet from getting too dirty.

We will live in the place and see how we get along before we spend any substantial amount of cash or start putting holes in walls. To see what we need, but, perhaps more importantly, what we can do without (or what we can sell at a garage sale).


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I've been trying to get my head around the MH17 disaster. Perhaps appropriately, I can't.

I dread hearing the news now. How the insurgents won't allow the proper investigations to be undertaken. The mortal coils of the deceased not given due dignity.

I've dealt with quite a lot of death in my time. It is hard for everyone, but it is usually at the end of a long illness.

It's quite another thing to see photos of people who, up until 48 hours ago, were living full and vital lives - even the littlies.

And those who are left - their friends and loved ones. My heart breaks for them.

This, the losses in Gaza, Allison Baden-Clay. Other atrocities.

It's easy to switch off the news, not becasue I want to be ignorant, but because I fear I will be desensitised.

I hope that we, collectively (but particularly the powers that be) can continue make decisions based on compassion, doing good and being our best, rather than out of fear or hatred. 

I hope that this disaster in Ukraine does not escalate into a broader conflict.



But more simply - I hope you all had a good weekend, and focussed on the small joys. I did.