A Fond Farewell

Today we bid a fond farewell to our friends Eric and Jackie who are leaving soon for life in New Zealand. We have been amazed at the friendships we've made since moving here two-and-a-half years ago. It has been one of the most rewarding and comforting aspects of starting a new life in another country. We haven't known Eric and Jackie long but we feel we have known them well almost from the start. It isn't just that we two couples get along swimmingly; it's that each of us individually clicks with each of them. Thanks to e-mail and the Internet, we'll be able to stay in touch in between visits. Meanwhile, we'll start saving our pennies for our first trip to New Zealand.

The quilt above is called "Walkabout" and is our going-away and house-warming gift to Eric and Jackie. It's a fairly small piece (small enough to fit in a suitcase) designed by following Annette Morgan's layering exercise in the fall issue of Quilting Arts Magazine. It was quick to make but took ages to bead, but all of it was fun.

Yesterday more progress was made on the renovations. The sparky was here nearly all day and got most of the wiring done. A few decisions remain to be made (by us) about where we'll want outlets in the sitting room extension, but otherwise, the new entryway, utility room, and kitchen extensions are ready to be finished. The plumber has also been and has gotten pipes and drains laid in the utility room. He'll need to return for a few other chores. Once I get the studio emptied, and the remaining roof tiles get put on, the joiners can break through into that room and start finishing the interior. Meanwhile, Ally has been here for 13 hours every day putting exterior cladding on the studio extension and the utility room as well as the side wall of the new entryway. The front wall of the new entryway will be finished with a white roughcast which should look wonderful with our new blue door. Ally says as long as it doesn't pour with rain, he'll work outside. If it gets really bad, he'll work inside the utility room.

We wish we could say the roofers are hard at work getting the sitting room extension roofed, but we haven't seen them, nor have the special tiles they've ordered so as to complete the studio and utility room roofs come in yet. All hands are to turn to getting the sitting room, kitchen, shower room, and studio finished while we're away from the house from 10 April through the end of the month. This means they have just a little over a week from now to get the sitting room extension roofed and watertight. We are beginning to fret about the absence of roofers. Tomorrow afternoon we'll have another meeting with our contractor and the head joiner to talk about the schedule (again).

Tomorrow we'll go into Perth to finalize decisions on flooring and get orders put in for all that plus additional carpet to match the existing one in the sitting room; select and order taps for the shower room basin and the new kitchen sink as well as a garbage disposal unit for the kitchen; and select and order wet wall for the shower enclosure.

Our weather has been fairly warm but also fairly wet although we're getting the occasional outbreak of sun this afternoon. We just get light showers but that coupled with the steady rain earlier in the week has rendered the golf course a bit mushy and slippy. Don has taken a couple of unplanned slides down hills both at the St Fillans and the Comrie courses. But he is enjoying at least being able to get out there and play after over a week's forced exile from the course while waiting for the snow to melt.

As for me, I have been a lady of leisure today, having coffee from 11 to 12:30 with my chorus friends and then lunching from 1 to 3. I must return to my packing.