August 2015

 August 2015
I have been in the house now for over a year - and what a joy it has been. I am relieved to say I haven't found many things I regret or wish I had done differently. Mostly I have experienced very positive discoveries. The wall of bamboos creates a such a cool green screen making the terrace so private. In the summer the trees at the front form a canopy giving welcomed shade from the heat and in the winter the lack of leaves permits the low sun to warm the sun loung and house.

I will never be in competition with Choukri in rendering - but my work on the planters and BBQ turned out fine!   I had long put off this job dreading all the edges to deal with. But - in the end it wasn't that bad - and only took about 4 or 5 days.  Once trailing plants are established no one will see the differend in quality or work to the house.

The BBQ with shed hidden behind is set 2m from the bamboos for obvious reasons! I'd looked at different ways of protecting the wall from the flames and blackening then decided to use some tiles left from the grey shower room, cut into thin strips to give a fire image. The tiles wash fine, don't crack and make the BBQ an attractive feature even when not in use.

The water treatment beds are now 'mature' and at this time of the year particularly attractive.  No smells, no blockages, no problems. The only thing I find I have to do in late spring is weed the first reed bed to ensure only reeds grow and not tomatoes, mellons and weeds!

 Looking across the a bit of a dry area of  lawn near the reed beds towards the field which was reclaimed 8 months ago. Regular cutting has almost killed off the reeds and permitted grass to take over. The bushes I planted in spring are still small - but will look great in another year or 2. The pampas grass are looking great.
The little hut is the well now fed by a spring ensuring a constant supply of water to pump for the garden.

Looking up from the bottom of the garden (near the little brook) towards the house.  It is starting to look 'right' cosy in the green!

And from a little further around. I like this view, it makes the house look pretty big and more interesting.

All the fish are still doing well and the pond plants too. 

My bedroom is pretty much finished now (but not the tiling in my shower room - that will have to wait until winter).  Very happy with the size of the room and that from the bed I can see the sunshine on the trees across the valley in the morning. 
I love the quilt Pat Seguare made me more than 10 years ago - around which I chose the colours of the room.xx


And the guest bedroom is also finished.  Again I am happy with the feeling of space and light. 

The quilted wall hanging here is also stunning. I actually won it in a raffle !  

Little has changed in the living room - the log burner was a joy last winter!

Volumes and lighting in the living area has also worked out beautifully. 

I still need to put up some curtains but my work area upstairs is ideal.  Ideal for extra guests on mattresses.

Not too hot either - shows how good the insulation in the ceiling is. 










And the attic room. 3m bby 4.5m and just tall enough for me to stand - on one side anyway. Very handy to have walk in access.









Finally - the too shed, built on the corner with the back on the limit of the grounds. Nice to get all my tools out of the house and organised again!  Still can't find my hammer though.

As soon as I finish the fencing I will organise my log storage in this area.