Slow Progress

A couple of days ago the monthly “Reikorangi Group” calendar arrived by email, possibly one of the more visually exciting months of the year as Mother Nature starts waking up after a Winter nap. The cover picture is always a photo taken in the Reikorangi area, this time a grove of apple blossoms:

I have been promised a feast for the eyes soon, and it may be very similar to this September picture. Our readers will be the first to know when this happens.

Calendar:
The calendar itself is not very spectacular or different to any other calendar, with first, full, last and new moon being on Tuesday 2, 9,16 and Wednesday 24 respectively. The Spring Equinox has been booked for Tuesday 23 and Sunday 28 marks the evening when we advance our clocks an hour to once again adopt Daylight Saving Time. Other entries are NZ Father’s Day on Sun 7 and Saturday 27 when the kids’ school holidays start.

Weather:
Last night we had our first rain since the morning of August 24, only 3mm but at least it’s a start for September.

Inside Building Stuff:
Progress with the build slowed down completely, as everyone is waiting for the plasterers / skimmers, but it transpires that the guy(s) allocated to our contract are off ill, or something. Being a very small job, we were re-scheduled for Thursday/Friday 4/5th for plastering and painting over the weekend. The painter Brian is confident that he should be done by Monday evening (excluding illness…). Vaughn the flooring guy, who laid the floors in the existing house a few months ago, has arranged for his brother to come from Hawke’s Bay to help him, and they expect the flooring job to be done and dusted on Tuesday.

Finishing:
Once the painting has been finished, it remains for John the builder to fit the bathroom vanity and walk-in robe cupboards, a TV wall bracket, the tumble-dryer exhaust vent, door handles and a couple of small things. Then the plumber and the electrician must fit and connect their various appliances and test these for final inspection. I’m not sure at this stage when the sewage water treatment unit gets done (probably when all the sanitaryware is in place), or when the gas water-heater and gas installation gets fitted.

Rainwater Collection:
Today, the gutter is being fitted on the eastern side of the roof and the plumber is attending to the underground pipe from the downpipe in the water collection tank.

(Above): The first length of rainwater gutter fixed in place with the downspout junction in place, to which the Plumber will connect his water-collection pipe.

(Above): The rainwater collection pipe laid between the downspout from the roof to the 20 kilo-litre drinking water storage tank (behind the ladder).

Deck:
As with the previous three workdays, the carpenters are still working on the construction of the deck outside the bedroom, and today should be getting on with the side-cladding around the bottom of the deck space, and possibly the fitting of the seat/barrier along the edge. The steps down to lawn level also still need to be done. I will only be painting the deck in a few weeks’ time, to give the timber a good chance to dry out and shrink.

(Above): View of the partially-laid deck on Wednesday, looking towards the bedroom French doors

(Above): Looking westwards to the sunset from the bedroom side of the partially-laid deck.

(Above): All hands on Deck. The deckers responsible for this part of the job, carpenter Marcel (left) and apprentice Seamus.

(Above): The deck almost completely laid. Now for the steps, the base cladding and the safety rail along the outer edge.

Gardening:
The growth of the lawn grass slowed down dramatically over the last three months, resulting in only one cut, if memory serves. Which is good, as having to mow long wet grass is a pain in the neck, and generally very messy.

As the weather has markedly started warming, and we have had a couple of days when the overnight dew has started drying out by two-ish in the afternoon, I grabbed the lull in building progress to tackle the front (formal) lawn.

“Lawn” is probably too grand a term for this part of the garden, rather “grass” which we mow. I am mowing it in bite-sized “blocks” and then attacking the myriad of ugly little weedy-things, which are growing all over and making the lawn look most “unlawnish”. As Chartwell is built on a the top of the cliff-edge of a riverine environment, the ground is full of river stones of varying sizes. However, the larger stones are not the lawnmower blade’s friends, out they must come in tandem with the “weeding” process.

The holes generated by the removal of weeds and rocks get filled with sifted pebble-free soil, from the excavation for the extension. The sifting is not such a pleasant operations and is slowing down the lawn top-dressing. Perhaps we will have some marvellous lawn photos nearer summer…