Yesterday started beautifully, sharing a coffee with DD on the Avalon headland. Confession: DD took the sunrise pic a few days earlier, as we slept in until 7am and missed it. Damn! No matter, it’s still the most lovely spot, wherever the sun is in the sky.
I was meant to leave DD in peace after sipping my strong, flat white to give him some recovery time from my endless chatter, but he had unexpected business to attend to in the city, so he popped over on his way back to help me paint my deck.
It looks ah-mazing, like a totally different house. He was so happy with his handiwork that he posted some before and after pics on his Facebook page with the caption “the world’s longest renovation finally complete”.
Here they are:
Cool huh?
He has an ulterior motive for getting the deck finished – he wants to host soirees for his friends, to save them trekking all the way to the Northern Beaches to see him.
Before the paint was even dry he’d booked our first guests.
Painting the deck was a bit exhausting – I felt like a zombie when my friend Mel came over for a walk at 7pm prior to doing my roots.
While Mel painted my greys, I got her to taste test a bottle of Plantation Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple Rum I was sent a few weeks ago. It’s one of the booze deliveries I mentioned in Drinks with Al. Stiggins’ is unique in the flavoured rum category, as it is made with fresh chunks of tropical pineapple – rather than syrup – macerated in the Plantation Original Dark rum, while pineapple rinds are infused in Plantation 3 Stars White Rum and then further distilled. Finally, both are blended together to create the potent spirit.
We tried it straight to start, just a sip. But it was waaaay too strong for both of us, so we added a little can of Cascade Lime & Soda to our nips and that was quite deliciously refreshing. I also sent Mel home with a bottle of Naturalis wine to try, as she’s discovered she’s less likely to get a migraine if she drinks organic wine.
Speaking of wine, I also got super excited yesterday about the news that McWilliams Wines had finally found a buyer. I was worried that it would be sold off in bits and pieces after going into liquidation last year, but Griffith’s Calabria Family Wines has bought it. Bless them!
It was also very exciting to get the youngest back in one piece from her camping trip to Dunn’s Swamp. Going four days without a word from her – due to lack of mobile phone reception was a bit freaky – but also pretty awesome that she spent all that time without her phone. She had a fabulous time aside from almost freezing to death at night due to the summer weight Kmart sleeping bag I packed for her. Ooooops.
Between painting the deck and getting my hair coloured and feeding the youngest dinner and trying pineapple rum, yesterday passed in a blur.
It’s very hectic being an unemployed single mum with roots and a deck that both need doing.
I need another relaxing sunset ferry ride. Stat! Yikes, I look enormous in that photo. Hopefully it’s just a bad angle – it’s a good thing I’m going to a Pump class at 9.30am this morning.
Song of the day: Olivia Newton John “Physical”
housegoeshome 
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