Preparing to move

Hello folks! I know it has been a while since I updated the blog - all I can say is BUSY! While I was away in Cambodia for a few days the house was completed, inspected and locked. We get the keys tomorrow and the house officially becomes ours. We are moving this Friday, so, as you can imagine, our house now is in complete chaos! Although I started cleaning our cupboards, chucking stuff and packing a few weeks ago, the real work began over the last few days. Now I am dutifully procrastinating on finishing the task ahead of me today, which is to finish packing up my study. This photo might aptly describe why better than words ever could...

Boxed chaos. This is the room I have set myself the task of finishing today. I have only to pack what's inside the two cupboards. Easy peasy. er hem.

The dining/kitchen. No cooking happening in there this week!

They have started on the landscaping part of the house now (and when I say 'landscaping' I mean the driveway, front stairs, etc - there won't be much greenery involved - in fact, only 3 trees!).

Car port. This was part of the bargain my mother-in-law struck when we negotiated the house. I had a bigger deck up my sleeve, but actually, we do need this in Beppu. Cars end up quite manky without a cover because of the onsen steam. I plan on planting citrus trees along the left hand side. Food AND cover : )

Front steps, from the front.

Front steps, from the side.

I asked them to use the existing rocks, of which we have many, to make stairs going from the front sliding doors, down into the garden.

These will look cool with loads of fresh herbs growing all around them, I think!

Our friend the rock.

The back of the house gets its concrete. This will mean we don't have weed out the back as well as everywhere else, plus will help stop the dirt coming into the house. It also gives us a place to put the garbage bins at one end and the washing line at the other.

This side of the house (north side) will have the gravel you can see on the right, but needed extra concrete to join the wall, so the dirt doesn't come down in the rain from the wall.

The front of he house. This will eventually be a herb garden, but I think (!) will also have grass.

The deck.

There are stairs in the far corner that are being filled in, and the rock wall at the front is being extended to cover them.

The front door.

Outside light.

Containment!

These next pictures were taken up at the house yesterday while the open house was on. Quite a few people cam while we were there and asked us questions about the builder and the house. It was nice to see people coming in and enjoying the house!

Well, I guess that's all the procrastination I'm allowed this morning! Time to get packing.