Hi all,
I think
we are still in the same situation as we were last time I wrote; we have maybe
half our stuff still in the garage. However, the wiring in the office is still
unfinished which is holding up putting the rest of the furniture in place (so
there are still 20 cartons of office gear in the garage not yet unpacked), the
(so we can't get cars in), and some shelves in the linen cupboard (so the linen
remains packed in cartons), and Michael to get the bookshelf done - later this
month - so I can unpack the books. But the wardrobes now have rails in them, so
it is just now us having time to unpack our clothes from the cartons; and the
builders have now moved their gear out of the shed, so once we have a dry
weekend, we can move Jan's workshop gear out of the garage.
I have
sold a load of gear on TradeMe already - the old washing machine, microwave,
vacuum cleaner, and some other kitchen equipment and double-ups. I will
organise the rest of the gear slowly over winter, and anything that doesn't
sell will simply be donated to the Salvation Army.
Both
decks are finished, and look great. Our photo voltaic cells have all been
installed on the roof, but we are still waiting for our meter so we can feed
power back into the grid. Apparently there is a bit of a wait on this. Our
fireplace is now fully functional and we have had it on twice thus far. We
haven't really needed it, as it is not that cold yet, but we wanted to test it
out. It seems to be working as we would expect.
To get
our Code of Compliance from the Council, there are some tasks that have yet to
be completed; plastering and sealing the plaster on the blockwork, ducting the
range hood, installing the stainless steel backing for kitchen hob, installing
the stair tread covering, and permanently fixing the gas bottle for the hob.
Once we get those things done, we can apply to have the house signed off. Jan
doesn't have to install the string lights for the lounge to get our CoC, and we
won't do that until we are back from Europe.
We have
also had lots of visitors since our last update - Steph Jackson, Max &
Karen, Christian, Dawn & Martin. We also went to the Nelson Choir's concert
last Saturday at the Cathedral - we sat with Kathleen as Frits was singing.
While I am writing, Jan is practicing for the next NSO concert, which is
Saturday week. I am looking forward to hearing the whole orchestra play.
Jan
remains busy at work. NMIT & AUT teaching is still going well, and I am
currently working on a presentation for for my second-to-last CAT unit, which I
deliver to my chosen audience on 28 May.
We have
more or less finalised our plans for Europe, including 5 days in Freiburg,
three with Rainer & Regina, then to Ulm to see Uta and Oma Lieselotte, then
Andreas & Katrin, then Holger and family, then to the Edersee for the
Schütte family celebrations, Treysa, and lastly Simone & Michael before we
fly out. We will catch up with most of the German contingent at the Edersee,
which will be fantastic :-)
Take care
& alles liebe!
Jan & Sam
