Tag Archives: Living and loving

Almost DIY, Almost Done, Almost April 2025

Two winters work has turned this house into a beautiful home. Looking at it makes all the hours Daryl spent on his knees to make the floor spectacular, and the hours I spent sanding, grinding and staining to make a functional coffee table out of a stump and a raw slab of wood, all worthwhile.Continue reading “Almost DIY, Almost Done, Almost April 2025”

House Reno – our quest for running water

During the house renovation, getting water hook-up has been a strange and long process. When we finally heard from the water company, we were told we had already been hooked up. Daryl went on a quest to find out if this was reality as he had previously found a pipe (lots of digging and inputContinue reading “House Reno – our quest for running water”

Floors and Walls, Pedasi Reno

This house has terra cotta tile floors which have never been sealed. It was dirty and had lots of gouges. It was quite a job to clean each tile by hand, some stains were so ingrained you had to use a power brush. However, there was a fine line between getting the dirt out andContinue reading “Floors and Walls, Pedasi Reno”

DIY: A Corotu Coffee Table

A year ago, March 2024, Daryl and I had the opportunity to purchase an old Corotu wood stump with a slab that could be used as a coffee table. We got the wood cut to height and brought it to our totally unliveable house. Once the bark was removed from the base it showed tonsContinue reading “DIY: A Corotu Coffee Table”

Windows and Doors Needed Love, More DIY

Spring of 2024 when this place was brand new to us, but not lived in for 10 years, it needed a whole lot of work. A lot of the ‘big stuff’ has been done: fencing, roof replaced, the wood ceiling has been stripped and stained, and electricity installed. All the woodwork including counters, windows andContinue reading “Windows and Doors Needed Love, More DIY”

Aerial Tree trimming

We have this massive tree in the back yard. Branches had been hanging over the house, filling the gutters with leaves. This tree sheds all year round and it is a lot of leaves. Daryl decided to trim the overhanging branches. The tree has relatively soft wood, if you cut it half way through itContinue reading “Aerial Tree trimming”

Time for more DIY: Solar panel storage and little tables

When Daryl’s ‘mishap’ happened this summer, I learned way more than I wanted to. At the trailer we have no electricity and depend on solar panels (and a generator if we are really stuck). Normally Daryl would take the four solar panels and the wiring off the trolly before storing it all in a shed.Continue reading “Time for more DIY: Solar panel storage and little tables”

DIY Tables….and more tables.

We have a friend who had a very very large corotu tree fall down in his back yard. It damaged part of his fence and workshop. That’s a lot of wood to use up. It took a while to get a guy with a six foot chain saw blade to come and cut the tree intoContinue reading “DIY Tables….and more tables.”

DIY: Making a Mandala

There might actually be something artistic in me! Making the mandala was fun and not difficult, as long as you followed the pattern. The instructor suggested I take the beginner lesson first as I had no idea of the process involved. I did (me and a nine year old with his mom). Basically we wereContinue reading “DIY: Making a Mandala”