GRAND DESIGNS EAGLEMONT: THE TWO HOUSE PROJECT_BACK HOUSE_EARLY SEPTEMBER UPDATE

Yesterday I promised new house pictures, so here they are! Since my last post in mid-June, so much has changed - I think that you will be quite surprised and hopefully quite impressed, too!

Now, just for those who are wondering what on earth I am talking about with my Grand Designs, here is some background:

As I have mentioned to you all previously, TraderVic are embarking upon a major building project - we are building two brand new homes on our very large block here in Eaglemont.  This will eventually necessitate pulling down our family home and replacing it with a brand new "dream" home for TraderVic and I.  This will be the Front House.  As our block is so large, we are also building another home in the back yard whilst still living in the original house.  This is called the Back House and is being built first.  I am hoping to document this grand adventure every week fairly regularly. I hope that you enjoy sharing this journey with me.

If you want to read previous posts (track the building progress in pics) on Grand Designs Eaglemont: The Two House Project, please click on the link/s below:

 BACK HOUSE_WEEK ONE....

Back House_Week Two ....

Back House_Week Three....

Back House_Week Four

Back House_Weeks Five and Six

Back House_May update

Back House - mid-June update

So, here are the latest pics in chronological order from mid-June to now.

Warning: lots and lots of pics!  You had better grab a cuppa and a bikkie or two as you scroll through - I hope that you enjoy them!

Below is a pic of our old house through one of the windows of the new house.

Phew! Well done for making it this far - as you can see there has been lots of progress over the past few months.  TraderVic and I are starting to get very excited!

Thanks for visiting.

hugs, 

Summer Postcard Blog Hop ....

Hello lovely bloggers - long time no post!

That is because I am even crazier busy than my last post - hence no posting for weeks.

Aaagghh!  Please take all apologies and explanations for not posting sooner as given in this last post here.

Life seems to picking up an even quicker pace with freelance writing deadlines (well and truly met - phew!), the house building is hotting up (very exciting) and two trips to Sydney for extended weekends in the space of five weeks! 

As well, that fall I wrote about in my last post seems to have had a worse effect on my body than I had first thought as I bruised the ligaments in the top of my right foot and this makes it very painful to walk (and even drive the car!) plus my adductor injury keeps flaring up - so still feeling a bit depressed about all of that!

But ... as I said, the house is coming along beautifully (pics to come soon) and there has been lots of stitching happening (more pics to come soon!).

However, today, we are here to celebrate the wonderful Summer Postcard Blog Hop organised by my gorgeous stitchy, bloggy online friend Jo from Serendipitous Stitching.  Jo is truly an inspirational stitcher and blogger - she certainly keeps us all on our toes with her great ideas for online blog hops and challenges plus the wonderful, wonderful stitching that she showcases on her blog each and every post - love you, Jo.

For the Summer Postcard Blog Hop, each of the participants sent Jo a photo of a stitched piece that screamed "Summer" and then Jo would randomly send these out to one of the other participants.

Here is the digital postcard which I received:

This postcard was stitched by the gorgeous Astrid of Dragon Stitches and Stuff and her note to me is below:

Hi Hon! 

From the beautiful mountains in the west, to the boardwalks and beaches in the east, there's plenty to see and do here! 

Known for blue crabs, Old Bay spice, square pizza from Ledo's, the Baltimore Orioles ⚾️, the Baltimore Ravens 🏈(although not my team!), and those stunning fall colours at Deep Creek Lake, you can't go wrong visiting here. And hey, we've got The Stitching Post in Catonsville, come shop with me! 

Hugs & stitches,

Astrid

This is a great choice of postcard for me, thank you Jo and Astrid, for as you all know I am crazy for Americana stitching and I really love this stitched map of Maryland - Astrid, who is the designer?  This is really lovely my dear, thank you so much!

Here are the links again for visiting:

Jo @ Serendipitous Stitching

Astrid @ Dragon Stitches and Stuff

I am hoping to get back into regular posting again now - wish me luck!

lots of love to you all and hugs, 

P.S. I have sent all of the gifts to the recipients of my last giveaway - a few have been received already - yay!

Crazy Busy + The Shortest Lunch in the Yarra Valley

Oh dear, I thought that I was pretty busy but oh dear again - I am now officially CRAZY BUSY!

This building a house business in the backyard is certainly stressful and time consuming!  

So yet again, I am starting a blog post with apologies:

1. Sorry for not posting for days
2. So sorry to my last Giveaway Winners - I am busy organising all of your prizes to be sent to you - it may still be another week, I am afraid to say.
3. This post was meant to be posted on Monday, 25th June - the day after the event!    

So, here we go - Sunday, 24th June,TraderVic and I set off with our dear friends, Marie and Tony for the Shortest Lunch held by the Smaller Wineries of the Yarra Valley.  I think that actually it may have been the Longest Shortest Lunch ever - we left home at 10.30am and didn't get back until about 6pm!

We had the best time, trying wines and having a progressive lunch as we moved from one winery to the next.  Altogether we visited seven wineries (the bottom seven on the map, below), missing out on only five.

This is some of the delicious food that was on offer.

Here are some more pics of the glorious Yarra Valley....

We had such a lovely day but do you want to hear a not-so-funny story?

Well, Tony and Marie have a Ford Everest - a beast of a car, which to get into it you have to grab onto a handle in the ceiling of the car and hoist yourself up.  Well, as we were in and out of the car all day I found that the next day I had strained the adductor muscle in my left groin and by mid-week, I could barely walk and I was in so much pain - it was awful!

So, off to see my marvellous Osteopath, Melanie, who did a wonderful job alleviating the problem.

Fast forward to mid last week, adductor just twinging a bit if I walk too far or go up and down too many steps but otherwise feeling good.  I go out to lunch with friends in a cafe in an old building, nick out the back to use the loo (ladies' facilities for those of you who aren't Aussie) and manage to slip and trip at the same time (water on the bricks - overflow from the gulley trap, I think - and a jutting out low brick step the same colour as the bricks in the courtyard), fall onto jutting up brickwork, a stainless steel sink on the outside of the building and sundry other jutting out things, manage to do a commando roll somehow and end up on my back!

The consequence of all of this is that I am now battered and bruised - big bruises and scrapes on my left knee, left forearm and my left elbow (and from the pain when it is touched I think that I may have chipped the very end of the elbow), huge bruise on my right chest and you should see the bruises on my right upper arm - I did a proper job, I did - lol!

So, feeling very sad and sorry for myself and rather overwhelmed at the moment - I have rather stupidly opted to take on some extra freelance work  to make a bit of money on the side - bad timing, somewhat! - and we are off to Sydney to see DS2 later this week and I am just not sure how to fit it all in! .....

Okay, deep breath - thanks for "listening".

All will be good.

hugs,