Easter road trip

Easter time. Holidays - well a long weekend anyway.

My husband is on his way to pick up the kids at the moment and I am counting down the hours till I get to leave work. Tonight is going to be family night and general catch up (haven't seen them since January). Tomorrow we will head off on road trip. It will probably involve a few nights at the lakes and a few nights in Queenstown.

I have attached a few old photos from previous road trips heading in such a direction. I love the road from Derwent Bridge to Queenstown - full on majestic panoramic mountain views and lush green rainforrest. The last photo is a personal favorite of mine. It is my dad sitting, watching and waiting for a trout to rise. We have spent many hours sitting on this bench...waiting and talking (usually with a red wine in hand). Oh how I love that spot....

Renovations thus far...

A quick snapshot of where we are at with the house renovations. We have been going steady with it since late January (seems like forever). Currently we have no kitchen, dining area or laundry. Luckily we have a toilet & shower in ensuite. I am getting a bit sick of washing up in a plastic bucket and not having an oven to cook in, but apart from that life in our somewhat reduced house is going well.....considering!

Fire places removed (bricks to be recycled as paving). Laundry & toilet demolished

The laundry slab removed 

Footing trench & pier holes  being dug

Kitchen joinery about to be removed & kitchen demolished

Plasterboard walls demolished - i love the look of exposed weatherboards (except for the 100 year old spider webs & dust)

Roof & walls coming off...

Apparently it is much quicker with the chainsaw!

Walls down

New brick foundation wall and pad footings

Brick retaining wall (with bricks recycled from chimneys that took me hours & hours to clean) Garage in background that we built last year

The framing begins...finally

We have walls!

and the start of a roof

Rafters & ridgeboard in place

Ariel view

This weekend we will hopefully have roof sheeting on and perhaps even some weatherboards!

Island Highland - Hello

First blog... probably a little premature and definately a bit nerve racking!

Only recently I have become obsessed with the world of blogging. I have my best friend Catherine from little glowinging lights to blame for this. Most mornings at work I find myself checking her blog to see what exciting and fun things she has been doing without me! So now it is my turn to take the bull by its horns and give it a go....

I love islands and I love the highlands. Especially those in Tasmania.

10 quick things to tell you about myself to begin with:

1. I live in Electrona, south of Hobart, in a smallish timber weatherboard cottage that is currently being gutted & renovated.
2. My husband is a builder which helps with the above.
3. I love fly fishing - in fact all types of fishing.
4. I drive a Troopcarrier. Have had it since I got my learner's licence. Its name in Bacchus and I will never sell it.
5. I am an Architect.
6. I like to go to antique shops & tip shops on the weekends (when not renovating which is very rare these days).
7. I don't read many books but devour design magazines within seconds.
8. I inherited 4 new step-children when I got married in March last year. I love it when they come to stay because I can act like a kid again.
9. I mostly wear black but love chunky brightly coloured jewellery.
10. I want to travel around Australia in Bacchus for 6 months.

view from our shack at the Lakes

 camping trip to north-east coast Tassie with kids

I hope this is the start of many (hopefully interesting!) blogs to follow. I am sure they will be full of renovating stories & photos plus plenty of Tasmanian camping trips thrown in for good measure.

Rose