Now that this has been 'bumped' up, just a little follow up ...
We were all still there, working under lights laying pavers in the courtyard the night before, when I discovered that the venetian blind, so carefully cleaned, wouldn't fit back in place because the new windows had timber reveals which narrowed the gap!
So rushed off to Spotlight to buy a rod, fittings, and metres of terylene to bunch up for some privacy from the windows next door. Mike (husband) staggered off home about 10.30pm, bent double with an aching back, to cut the rod to size, and I stayed to finish the painting and load stuff into the trailer.
Back by 7.30am on moving-in day, to find the property manager doing the inspection report (devotion to duty). Did the rod fit? No, Mike hadn't left enough space to lift it past the thickness of the plastic fittings. Thank heavens for mobile phones - he arrived looking decidedly worse for wear about twenty minutes later to saw 5mm off the rod, meanwhile I've emptied everything out of the house into the courtyard and am frantically vacuuming.
Tenants' relatives arrive with first load of things about 9am, are blown away by the new kitchen, new carpets etc, tenants arrive 'Do you mind if we look around?' they say 'You live here!' replies me, and shows them everything, including (fanfare) the new toilet seat!
By 12.30pm I've washed windows, cleared and hosed the courtyard, and rang the doorbell to say 'I've finished, but don't talk about me, 'cos I haven't gone yet', go back out to wash dirt off garden equipment, load and secure trailer (this trailer is my nemesis), then mix mortar and go and squat in front garden to plug hole in wall made when new kitchen waste was punched through.
Tenants' first visitors arrive to find me kneeling in the dirt, leaning against the wall, trying to force sloppy mortar upwards into the hole 'Yes, I come with the place, I'm the garden gnome' says I, gratefully accepting coffee from neighbour (how come everybody is so nice to me?)
Finally, daughter phones 'Mum, what do you want me to do', and arrives shortly after with chocolate, movie tickets and 'Welcome' card for tenants.
1.15pm I finally do the last check, move the wheelie bin into position, say goodbye to everyone and go home for breakfast.
Next day, feel at a loose end.
From go to whoa in about four weeks, everything ran smoothly apart from a few exciting moments, the place is in first class condition and just beautiful (gorgeous ovum lightfitting in loungeroom [that's a girl joke], stylish courtyard [bought an axe and moved the tree fern], crack hot paint job, new carpet, kitchen, vanity, three new windows, hand scrubbed & polished floors etc).
Oh, well
Medical Centre goes to Auction 17th July
www.teskacarson.com.au search: Auctions
Myrtle Cottage goes to Auction 19th July
www.realestate.com.au Property: 1778052
Sub-division goes to Auction 19th July (not on web yet,
www.hoskins.com.au))
Have hired 30 cubic metre bin to clear medical centre house and yard, including weeding & pruning the whole 760msq block, demolishing outbuildings, miscellaneous fencing, numerous large (5m) shrubs, hedges, bushes and old wire fencing, battens to remove from outside walls, K'archering of whole building to do, carpets to clear out, mould to remove from bathroom, everything to wash and polish, plus some final weeding and finishing off at Myrtle ...
Great!
AND
I get to wear a check shirt and stomp about in long, wet grass and write out lots of cheques
What more could a girl want? This is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
cheers
Kristine
