Housewarming

Housewarming Note trellis in background. Not finished yet ...

Father Paul Blessing our new Home

Rainbow Lorikeet

Rita's Plate

I know. I know. We have been in the house for almost 5 weeks and have only just got around to our housewarming!! Well, get used to it - it is a slower pace here in Ballina, and we are loving it! We have one major addition yet to be added to our home to complete our settling in period; namely white plantation shutters made out of a lightweight, durable resin compound which come with a 20 year warranty. They should be in by the middle of April and will be fitted to the windows in all the bedrooms and our ensuite. But apart from those, we are pretty well done and dusted. In our opinion, this place is a real gem. From the front gate you would have no idea of the delights that lay beyond the brick frontage! The back patio is a popular area for us - we have a lot of our meals out there, as well as morning & afternoon tea. I was out there the other morning and took the photo of the pretty Rainbow Lorikeets feasting in the Lilly Pilly tree near the fence. We have added a lattice trellis to the existing fence so it is now 7.5' tall and in time we will have a flowering creeper growing along it to give us additional privacy and create a 'walled garden' effect. We will feel like we are in the garden of an old English cottage. Very tranquil.

For the housewarming we invited over about twenty people who we have met since we started coming to Ballina. They all knew we were looking for a house and often asked how our search was going. So now that we have found our home, we wanted them to come and celebrate with us. Most of the next door neighbours already had alternative engagements, so we will invite them over separately. One couple have already been over and spent several hours with us on the back patio. Our family and most of our friends from the Gold Coast have already visited, so we didn't include them in this get-together. We were also pleased to invite friends who have retired to the lovely county town of Alstonville about 10 mins away. He was in the Air Force with Murray and we bumped into them in Canberra a few years ago. Murray & Brendan had not seen each other for over 20 years. Another pleasant surprise was one of our guests bought along a Catholic Priest who we hadn't met before. Father Paul offered to bless our new home and so now we feel doubly blessed. Firs for finding this home in the first place, and second for the spiritual blessing bestowed on the house.

The last photo above I took of a plate of melba toast with smoked salmon to show my friend Rita in Canberra that I do use the beautiful plate she created, fired and gave me. Thanks Rita!

Ballina Breakfast

Big Brekky

Dining Room finished

Ret & Clairie: Carpet Angels

Almost fully settled into the new house now. The dining room is completed and our spare bedroom is fully set up and has been officially used as a guest room (apart from Benn sleeping there on the first night). We expect to get rid of all the packing boxes this week, then we can reclaim the full use of the back patio. I had a skype with daughter Kim (Copenhagen) and was able to walk her around and through the house with the laptop's webcam giving her a bird's eye view. Mind you she will get to see it in person when she comes home in April for a few weeks, in time to attend my nephew's wedding in Sydney in early May.

My sister Ret from the Gold Coast and my niece from Brisbane (and their families) provided us with wonderful company and more pleasant memories this weekend. Ret & Pete were the bearers of chilled champagne (among other appreciated house-warming gifts) and we duly christened the back patio before my other sister Gemma arrived with her daughter Claire with her 2 year old son Billy and step-daughter Jordan. Claire & co were staying with us for the night, as Gemma & Bill had a visiting priest, Father Joseph from Tanzania, staying with them for a few days. Yet another very enjoyable evening was spent at the RSL (we should get a frequent user discount for our family) where Father Joseph enjoyed his grilled barramundi, one of Australia's good eating fish. Back home for some shenanigans. Claire & Ret tried doing snow angels, only they were on carpet - NOT quite as much fun as doing it in the snow, but I don't think they cared!

This morning we walked to Church for the first time - only 1.5 blocks from our gate - how convenient. Afterwards everyone (10 of us in all) was invited back to our place for a big brekkie - orange juice, bacon, eggs, sausages & tomatoes, croissants, toast & coffee. Murray did a great job on the BBQ and Ret, Clairie & Jordan's clean-up job was appreciated by the hosts!

New Ballina Abode

Benn unloading in new garage
Front of New House - (yet to add letterbox and Lane number)

Benn Assembling Dining Chairs - My Hero

Presto - our New Lounge (disregard packing boxes!)

Unofficial House Warming on Back Patio

Finally! We have now moved into our very own house for the first time in 20 years. Mind you the military housing we lived in throughout our career was top notch for the most part, but nothing beats having your own home. Tomorrow will mark the one week anniversary of our first night here. A week filled with more cartons than you can imagine, lots of lifting, and finding the right spot for our goods and chattels that have been in storage for 3 years. We are one room short, so Murray and I are sharing a study...hmmmm. Lots of compromise ahead I daresay.

My son Benn spent 3 days with us helping us move and if it wasn't for him, I doubt whether our 8 new dining chairs would be assembled yet, nor our TV connected to all the other devices ie video, DVD player, speakers etc. We needed his extra pair of hands to help us manoevre the 5 piece modular lounge into its right spot - there is no way that Murray & I could have done that heavy job alone. By the time Benn left, the worst was behind us, and we were left to unpack cartons and work out where to fit all the contents. Phew! American friends of ours are also moving into their new house near Tampa, Florida, so we know just what they are going through. Heavy going, but very exciting at the same time isn't it Rainie & Tom? Waiting for your photos!

Our first weekend in the new home arrived yesterday and my brother Tony and wife Yudian were keen to drive 1.5hrs down from the Gold Coast to check it out. They offered to bring hot chickens and fresh bread rolls for lunch. My sister Gemma, her husband Bill & our Aunt Dympna live here in Ballina, so we invited them to join in and together we would 'christen' the back patio. To add to the enjoyment, I got a call from Jen, my partner in crime for 4 years of general nurse plus midwifery training. Jen, her husband Peter and her sister Leonie were keen to drive down from the Gold Coast to visit and see the new house, so they joined us all for lunch. It was like the loaves and fishes - food just seemed to materialise. Bill made a delicious pavlova topped with fresh cream and raspberries, and Jen & Co bought some fresh iced tea buns. Delicious. Yes Jan, I am still talking about food.

Although we have been engrossed with moving in, our proximity (1.5 blocks) to the CBD is already coming in handy. As we are in walking distance to Australia's best RSL Club which serves great meals and is located overlooking the beautiful Richmond River, we have already beaten a path from our door to the RSL. Once we went with Benn, once on our own, and again with Tony & Yudian. Well, the house is still in too much disarray to take any decent 'Home Beautiful' pictures for the blog, but I trust the ones above are a good start!

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