March 24, 2007

tools tools tools

We're feeling a lot more set up - getting little things to make life easier, unpacking things we already had, and moving more of Nick's tools over. It's been a very industrious weekend so far too - the wheelbarrow we got has been built!


I should have taken a picture of it finished too! But I promise it's up and going now, and looks just like every other wheelbarrow out there.

And the garage is taking shape - Nick put together his engine stand today (his Valentine's day present from me) and then we also got some additional lighting for the garage which should be good for working on engine bays or something I assume? I don't really know, but I'm told they're going to be useful, so this must be a good thing.


Thinking I'd do something nice I put together the lights tonight. Now you can tell by the photo that I got them operational and pieced together... but it wasn't without difficulty - you see, I opened the packaging and there weren't any instructions! Not even a diagram! I put them together wrong several times before working it out, and I got a cold bum sitting on the garage floor too.

New flatmate moved in today too (Libby) which is cool. Her parents are also looking at dropping off a load of firewood for winter which is great! Along with the load from Nick's parents we should be set for the cold nights coming. People keep telling us we're going to freeze here in winter. I'm trying to block my ears and not hear them.

moved

Silvi has finally moved into the new place! Went really well actually, Nick came in the truck with me (but the drive was really quite good, and no worries keeping up with motorway speed). Silvi plodded straight on the truck and travelled really well.

Took her a few minutes to settle in the raceway at home, and then I let her in with Odette and Zak. She was going to have her own paddock, but there had been a scrap at the grazing and she's got a puffy leg now so I wanted her in the dry paddock for that and for that old healing absess. Anyway, there were a few squeals but everyone was fine by about 15 minutes.

Zak is really excited to have another horse around (he's only been paddocked with Odette before) and Odette, after initial anoyance, has decided that it's nice to have someone older and more sensible to talk to as well.

So now all 3 horses can get right up to the house (their paddock meets up with the edge of the garden - so I can see them from my bedroom window). I've also made a semi-permanent electric fence up there so that horses on either side of that paddock can come up to the house to get snacks and attention.


I also picked up a heap of poo, trying to catch up on my lazy days. And I cut out some gorse so that the paddock is a bit more tidy - still heaps to go though!

March 23, 2007

garden monsters

I forgot to post a few weeks back when I was doing that gardening... I found garden monsters. They're where the big red arrow is pointing. You may not be able to see them, but I'm sure I did (why else would I look so confused?):

neglect

I promise I haven't been neglecting Silvi! She just hasn't been getting ridden much.

Physio came out the other day and she's feeling much better (she'd just put some stress on her hind quarters when she had a huge absess in front). I'm looking to move her over to the new place this weekend.

Zak and Odette are quite happy and settled, so hopefully Silvi will be happy to just chill out beside them.

shopping

Have been doing some shopping lately, getting things that we need for the place. I have somehow turned from the master consumer able to impulse purchase in a split second, into a boring old price-obsessed matron.

Last weekend I headed up to Otaki to get some electric fencing equipment, and I've started to make a semi-permanent fence running up towards the house so that horses in either half of that paddock can come up for apples in the morning.

Yesterday I loaded the car up with a huge wheelbarrow and and even bigger shovel (I will be able to pick up an entire poo with this shovel), and a mop for the kitchen floor (as the last one died a horrible death in Johnsonville). Also got some lightbulbs for the garage so that Nick can actually see what he's doing in there. The other day we also got a whiteboard for the garage. Exciting. Oh, and a nossle for the hose ($2!).

Still on the shopping list (read: trademe watchlist!) we have:
fire tools so we don't have to stick bare hands in the logburner
  • a couch that seats more than 2
  • a lawnmower (2 stroke mowers are expensive it seems)
  • a dining table
I've found quite a few things that look good, just wanting to look around a bit more before getting brave and hitting 'buy now' on anything. Lawns seriously need mowing though.

March 12, 2007

update on gardens

After purchasing gardening tools for $17 (yeah okay, so perhaps they're not of the highest quality - but they'll do to get us started!) we got stuck into getting rid of some of the long grass. You might not be able to tell, but I've hacked away at heaps in the first pic... and the 2nd pic is the outside of the house that I'll have to deal with once I can work out how to differentiate weed from plant:
Nick also chopped away some of the tree branches hanging over the driveway, while I hacked away at a bush that was trying to eat the clothesline. Just tonight Nick had a go at the long grass down by the shed, but it seems that was a lost cause. I, however, was able to put standards out in preparation for bringing the mare and foal over this week.

March 11, 2007

an update on inside

It's been a while since we've had any photos of inside the house, and seeing as I've nabbed Evoke's camera back I thought it'd be a good time to take some pictures of the slow job of unpacking that we're going through.
I've finally moved some of the junk off the ground in the laundry to make some space for the ironing board (no, I haven't used it - but at least it's there should I ever want to use it), and put all of my cleaning products out so I can find them:
And the computer room is starting to take shape - even enough room in it now for Nick to source a desk so that he can move his pc in at some stage. Just nobody open the wardrobe, it's sort of the hiding place for everything that I didn't know what else to do with:
The kitchen pantry got stocked up a bit tonight after the weekly grocery shop (I am absolutely never going back to Pak N Save on a Sunday afternoon ever for any reason). And Mum dropped off a TV for us to use in the bedroom so we can be ultra lazy. Awesome:
Oh yeah, and you can so totally tell it's a Perf-kitchen. Check out the Hello Kitty toaster, water dispenser, and the baby-blue pan and utensils. Pink knives to come!

battle hill ODE

Mum came down about midnight after finishing some work things, and then we got up around 6am to head out to the grazing and pick up Silvi, and then come back in to Battle Hill. The drive was good and Silvi was well behaved (except for peeing in the truck as soon as we loaded her!). She did a really tidy dressage test (mostly 7's) and was a total lamb, but we felt she wasn't quite right and perhaps could do with a session of physio to iron out any uncomfy bits from that big absess she had - so we headed home again. Maybe a waste of a day, but still nice to get out. Also, her tail is growing!!:



Coming home early also gave us the chance to spend some time with Odette and Zak who are both still looking very cute, but maybe a bit skinny - I really must get onto moving them onto the new property.

March 07, 2007

wood

So Nick's parents have given us some good firewood (brilliant), now we just need to go collect some more kindling and we'll be all set for any cold snaps or chilly nights that come along.

A flatmate (Libby) has been found, and will move in later this month (still probably before my horses do!). And I've unpacked a few more areas of the house... still got a bit to do, but I'm taking it rather slowly. Nick tells me the garage is all set up, but I barely venture in there as it is designated 'car area' and at the moment I do not have a car. No worries though, the undercover parking down the drive is designated 'horse transport area' - and I do have one of those!

This Sunday there is a horse event just 2km from the house - will be great when the horses are living here (and until then I guess it just means that I can come home for lunch if I get hungry midway through the day!).

zak

No real update - just a very cute photo of Zak. Hope to get a better quality one over the next few days so you can see just how grey he's going.


Rode Silvi yesterday and she was going nicely - might take her to Battle Hill ODE this weekend if I can get a late entry in.

March 05, 2007

onslow show

So I haven't ridden since the last update - but took Silvi to a show anyway, hoping to do ring2 practise rounds. Ended up riding bareback in the creek, and then going clear in the first class in ring1 (even the liverpool!)... crazy times.

first

So we've spent our first night in the house now, and it's really quite awesome. The fireplace works really well, and the dishwasher is on at the moment (noisy, but seems to go), and I reckon I got the biggest washing machine on earth through trademe for a steal - just did 7 towels... was only half a load!

So on the 24th Feb I had to be out of the old place - so I got some movers around and they stacked 90% of my stuff into the truck... then I nabbed Nick's parent's Isuzu bighorn and trailer and filled those up too... and proceeded to be homeless for a while.

Moving in was 28th Feb and went fairly smoothly. Swifty and I unpacked the car and trailer, then later Nick and I unpacked the truck using our big muscles (yes, even my big fridge and bed!). This was made easier by using the winch on the truck and pretty much backing into the lounge:


Yesterday (Sunday) we spent the day showing people around (prospective flatmates) and Mum came down with electric fence stuff and sorting out where she is going to lay claim to for building a MumHut.

So yeah, house is cool.