01 December 2009

News from Nelson - December 2009



Hi all,

We have foundations, the tray deck is done over the garage, and the framing arrives this week, so things are really moving on now.

Montrose Drive as all ready to rent - we have bookings for three weeks over Christmas thus far. Check it out at http://www.holidayhouses.co.nz/properties/15874.asp. I managed to get a chap in to bond the carpet where it needed it, did the painting and Jan replaced all the dodgy power sockets & light switches. We bought a second-hand washing machine from one of Jan's sparkies at Nelson Pine (with a warranty, what's more!). We have two borrowed beds in the house - one from Murray & Julie & the other from Magda, so that all four bedrooms can be used. The locksmith fitted new deadbolts to the garage so that our gear mountain is secure, and Richard Barry, Technical Manager at Nelson Pine, is going to store our wine for four months. Neil didn't have room in his garage for another dozen cases!

The weather has been good to us, and we have moved in to the shed - primitive but OK. We have no running water, and are surviving on hot water heated up on the gas cooker and cold from 20 litre containers, but it is only for a couple of weeks. Jan goes into work each day for a shower, and I am going back to Montrose Dr to use the shower and the washing machine while it is empty (we don't expect tenants for another couple of weeks).

I got all our personal belongings packed up before our moving team arrived on the 21st, with the extraordinary help of two very special people; Nick Rae and Kathleen Hofman. They were both great, and came for two big sessions each, as well as Kathleen coming on the day. The moving team of John Fitz, Gary Rae, Murray & Julie, Kathleen Hofman and my Dad came on Saturday avo, and had us all sorted in four hours. Gotta be the fastest move both of us have ever done; but it is really only a third of a move... as we still have all the cartons in the garage and the furniture to move in March when we move in to the new house and permanently rent Montrose Drive. Thank goodness I had done all the sorting and the decision-making during the week; it allowed us to get the house pretty much sorted, cleaned and laid out with beds made and presented nicely.

At Montrose Dr we still have the back yard to finish (putting in a path out the back & moving the clothes line), and to re-vinyl the laundry (and amazingly I found some matching vinyl when we were moving out, so we are merely waiting on a time for the vinyl layer to come and lay it). Jan has been very busy practicing for the NSO concert this past weekend - 28 November - but now that is done (and went very well) he has more time in the evenings for getting the shed done. So now we both have some time to work together on getting the water on and building some shelves in the shed, and getting Montrose Dr finished.

That's all for this time - back to you soon.


Jan & Sam

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