backyard renos

our backyard was in need of a bit of TLC and considering it's not a big space, we decided we'd do it ourselves.  i mean, how hard could it possibly be?!  we started with covering the space with black plastic to "solarise" the soil which effectively involves getting the earth so hot underneath that it kills the weeds, etc...  super easy! 

we left it covered for 3-4 months before uncovering it to till with a rotary hoe, jackhammering a small concrete pad and moving 10 cubic meters of top soil into the backyard.  we installed custom made garden boxes along the sides, laid a path to the back-back where we have the veggie patch and laid the turf.  it was a lot of work but i think the turf laying surprised me the most - i didn't have an appreciation of how heavy a roll of turf actually is!!  in the back-back, we pulled out a plum tree, laid a weed mat and covered the space in recycled wood chips.  it's not quite finished but we're definitely on the home stretch! 

no surprises but the backyard renos took up a lot of time on multiple weekends so, to celebrate the completion, hubby and i went down the coast to have a bit of R&R a couple of weekends ago.  we had a lovely time away, including some delightful treatments at a spa as belated birthday presents to ourselves :) 

i put the plants and shrubs in last weekend so we're all ready for the warm weather and longer days so we can sit on the patio and enjoy the ambience. the veggie seedlings will go in the back-back in due course - they're all too little right now. 

we've also been busy with the usual social activities, including an xmas in july dinner party which was awesome!!  hubby's finished his contract and starts a full-time job tomorrow which is most exciting - it's a stone's throw from my office!  i've readjusted my work schedule and am now working 10 days in 9 days (so longer days with one day off a fortnight). it's tiring but i'm loving my days off and it's a sneaky way to try and get a bit more of my life back.  we'll see how effective it is :)  when i'm back from holidays, i'm going to look to volunteer somewhere nearby! 

i had a chat with an old colleague the other night - he was drunk in canada and i was on my way home from work in melbourne.  it was fun to catch up - i miss canadians - we're a great bunch of people! 

i hope you're all enjoying life!

hugs,

s

p.s.  fingers crossed the pictures load in the right order :)

p.s.  i'm off to malaysia for a holiday in a couple of weeks so i might be better at keeping the blog updated while i'm away :D

where does the time go?!

i'm a bit shock and awed that i have written a post in almost 5 months - where does the time go?!

in june, i celebrated my 40th birthday at a small bar restaurant in the city.  i had a gorgeous three layer cake in the shape of a maple leaf custom made for me by sophie, one of hannah's friends who wants to get into cake decorating when she finishes school. it was gorgeous and delicious however unfortunately, i don't have a single picture of the cake nor of me!  the irony is i dyed my hair back to blond for my birthday so i'd love like "me" for the pictures and then we didn't take one...  very odd in this day and age! 

july arrived and with it came some house guests from queensland.  shannon's brother and his family stayed with us for a couple of days and we spent a bit of time touring around melbourne with them.  the adults even had a night out on the town however it was cut short because someone didn't have any I.D.  i can assure you, none of us could've been mistaken for under 18 :) 

may, june and july were otherwise filled with the usual smattering of activities including a hike or two, some exciting events with the kids (like hannah's musical and the circus with isaac and brooke) and a couple of special catch ups. 

it's officially winter but the days have just started getting longer and i'm quietly awaiting the warmth :)

hugs,

s