We all put in a good days work yesterday, and now we can't go any further till we get another tin of paint.  It was so annoying to run out, but there was no more in the shop on Thursday, so it wasn't our fault.  I'll be tearing in there on Tuesday to buy that final can, which we were assured would be there by then.  There is one wall left to put the final coat on, and some filling of gaps and tidying up, and then the real work can begin.

Mereth painted for a few hours and then went back to the candlewick quilt on the Statler, while Doug and I slogged on.  He made putting the second coat on the ceiling look so easy, whereas Mereth and I laboured for hours to get that first coat done.  The second coat is always easier, when the paint is going on over more paint, but he was able to reach higher than us too.  Mereth threatened to take a picture of me using the roller on the ceiling, she said I looked ridiculously short; well I AM ridiculously short!

With Doug weilding the roller on the walls I chose to do all the touching up and cutting in, and climbed the 4m ladder about a hundred times.  I was weary at the end of the day.  I recently read all through the archives of Becky Goldsmith's blog , and while I greatly admire her applique, I admire her skill with a paintbrush even more.  My gosh that woman can work!  I don't really like painting, and I hate rollers with a passion, so I really respect someone who does a good job painting.  It's so not me.

This latex paint doesn't want to come off either, I'll have to attack my hands with some orange oil later, to get rid of the yellow-green drips.  Don't  you love choosing a colour from the colour cards, like a nice pale ochre-green, and when you take the lid off the tin it's like 'Wow!  Citrus screaming yellow green!!'  I keep saying it will be cheerful in winter.  The photos look nothing like the reality, it's more like this, but much, much greener. Sigh.

What to do with myself today?  The garden was watered by the gentle rain last night, and it's too muddy to work out there.  I think I will sew some strips for my Road to California quilt, and tidy up some things, and do some cooking.  I hope Mereth is enjoying her day off too, she's been working very hard on the workshop and helping me move, and she deserves some time off.  I just hope she shows up when the next round of work is set to begin.......

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My goodness we've been busy here.  The move has been accomplished, and it went smoothly enough. Mereth and I were pretty tired after all that frantic activity, so we tried to take it easy for the last few days, but work seems to pop up out of nowhere.  The garden can't be neglected and there is quilting work to attend to, and furniture and boxes of stuff to find homes for.  It will be lovely when a whole day goes past where I don't have to lift anything heavier than a coffee cup.

THe other night I actually cleared enough space to put up my sewing machine, and sewed several seams just to say I'd done it.  It's not ideal, but it will do for now.  And I got to watch Bonnie on Quilt Cam too.

The power is connected to the shed, which I'm really thrilled about, and we've started the painting.   Mereth and I will do as much as we can, and then holler for help from the Dear Brother.  I know he would do the whole lot for me, but it's truly exhausting when he comes around.  He does things at the speed of light, with no breaks for coffee, and I feel compelled to match his speed and work alongside him.  Plus if you turn your back on him for a moment he'll paint something you didn't want touched, or throw out something you wanted.  It's a constant chorus of  'No, not that, not there, but I don't want it like that, it needs to be like this, just leave that please, STOP!!!'  Those of you with retired husbands can probably sympathise; the DSIL just rolls her eyes and says, 'You know what he's like....'

It will probably be another whole week before we've done everything that needs to be done so that we can move the Statler, so it's not time to rest just yet.

The cooler weather is lovely, makes my thoughts turn to spinning and knitting.  And hand quilting.  And cooking soup.All of which I will be able to do once the work is finished and the workshop is functional. 

Well actually, the soup can go in the crockpot this morning, and will be done by lunchtime.  Mmm, butternut pumpkin soup.....

Best get onto that.

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I realised a while ago that I was in danger of turning into a grumpy, crusty old lady who never had a nice word to say about anything.  I know someone like that, and I didn't want to be like Her!  My instant reaction to everything was to complain, or feel hard done by, or depressed.  So I've made a conscious decision to try and see the good in every situation, and accept things that happen, and to work through them with good grace.  Mereth finds that pretty tiring, and calls me Pollyanna, but I'm much happier with my new attitude.  Sometimes, Pollyanna leaves the building, but for the most part I still try and be cheerful and just do what must be done.

My Postie bike conked out yesterday, about the furtherest from the PO that it's possible to be on my run, but that meant I had a nice walk  back in beautiful autumn weather.  I finished my run on Mereth's bike, so that was good.  My bike is not fixed today, but we've decided that she'll sort all the mail and I will deliver it all, so that's good too.  I get to stay home an extra hour, which is a bit special; I love early mornings here, and I only get to experience them on weekends and public holidays.

So I'm enjoying the luxury of a second cup of coffee, time to tend to my early morning email, and a chance to make a plan for my living quarters.  It will all be temporary, because we have yet to pull the Statler down and move it to the shed, but I can cope with that.  I just need to be able to find what I need, and not trip over anything as I go looking for what I need.

There are still two days of cleaning and tidying up to get through, and I know we'll both be exhausted by the end of it, but it will be such a nice feeling to have it all done.  I don't know what our reward will be; a trip out in the country, a meal at a country hotel, running away to another town, or maybe a splurge online at a favourite quilt shop.  I'm looking forward to that, but I'd better go earn it.

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I always knew March was going to be a tough month with all the extra work, but my gosh, it's been even harder than I imagined.  There were so many things going on anyway, but toss in the loss of a family member and it became that much harder.  It's been an emotional hard slog, as well as physical.  However, (I hesitate to say the end is in sight, not wanting to jinx it and bring on another calamity) Doug and Bev are back after extending their trip by two weeks, Mereth is back and doing her job again, and I don't need to look after their gardens.  The weather is so much kinder on us all, and I have accomplished most of the move back to the hall.  All that's left is the mopping up of remnants left in the house, and the cleaning.  I hand the keys back on Wednesday, so I'm looking forward to Thursday, knowing that I have done what I had to do.

My place looks like a crowded secondhand furniture store.  But I have internet again, and that is truly wonderful.

My shed is fully lined, but not quite finished yet.  The electrician has been working, and promises that the power will be hooked up tomorrow.  I think the first time I put on the lights and turn on the airconditioner I just might have a little cry.  It's been such a long wait to have a workspace that is bright and comfortable and efficient.  Even the bank building had it's drawbacks, it was a freezing pit in winter and too hot in summer, and it leaked catastrophically.  It was beautiful though....

So after the power is connected it will be time to move the Statler, which is daunting, but I've done it once before so I'm not as apprehensive this time.  Doug will help paint the walls and floor, what a good brother he is!  So there is still plenty of work to do, but the results will be well worth it.

Will I fall in a heap then and just rest?  I hope I don't.  I hope I take all the energy that I have and throw myself into setting up my new living space.  And my sewing room.  I haven't sewn a stitch in two weeks, I'm itching to get back to my projects.  My deconstructed sewing room is scattered throughout the big room of the hall, tucked into corners where I can't get to it until we move the Statler down into the shed. That's an incentive to get moving.

Every year we choose a word for the year; this year it's Connect.  I'll let you know how that goes.  A couple of years ago my word was Onward, and I found that such an encouraging thing to say that it has become my second mantra. My number one mantra is  I Can Do This.  I'll bear both of them in mind as I tackle the next few weeks of work.

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Yesterday John, Liz and I took the dogs to Telowie Beach.  It's very flat and shallow, not a beach for swimming.  You have to fall over to get your knees wet.

 Meet Digby, the dog that John and Liz are fostering (I think he's part of the family now though).  He's an odd mix of breeds, Kelpie and maybe Chihauhau?  Very slight and lithe, unlike our little armoured tanks.

I don't know that Pippi is really at ease with him yet, he gets excited and yips and yelps and she doesn't know what to make of him.

We  walked out to the water's edge, and when we got there realised the tide was on it's way in.  Because the beach is so flat the water comes in quickly, without a sound, which is quite un-nerving.  It travelled at walking pace, we had to keep moving as we took photos, or it would noiselessly overtake our feet.

That little speck in the distance is someone's 4WD.  In under a minute the water came in this far; shortly after I took this photo someone came hurrying down the beach to move the truck.

I love this action shot of Dolly in pursuit of a seagull.  She's never going to catch one, but that doesn't stop her trying.

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When life gets so busy with work and chores (like moving house) there is only one way to get any sewing done.  I wait till it's time for a coffee break, then head into the sewing room on a mission.

 This cute little timer was a gift from DD,and he keeps me honest.  Half an hour's sewing, and no more.

I'm certainly focussed while I can hear him ticking away, and this morning I made the units for one block, and sewed and cut the strips  for another.  Next time I sit down to sew it will all be set up and waiting.

It's so tempting to keep on going, but Mr Pig says NO!  Times Up.

I've managed to complete one more block in my stolen minutes, and it's a lovely thing not to be dealing with triangles.

 I love them, but my gosh I've sewn a heap of them just lately.  Squares and rectangles are so relaxing.  They might be the plain vanilla of sewing, but even that can be satsifying.  Not everything has to be triple choc honeycomb caramel crunch!

In gardening news, there is a harvest to report.  A single tomato from Mereth's garden. There are more on the vines, but who knows if they will ripen.

This year has been terrible for tomatoes.  In spring a friend spent a lot of money on self-watering pots, tomato stakes and fertiliser, potting mix and 4 heirloom tomato plants.  To date the yield has been one small tomato.  She picked it and unselfishly gave it to her husband to eat.
'How was it?' she asked eagerly, 'was it nice?'
'Yeah' he said, then seeing the look on her face, amended that to 'It was great, fantastic!  Much better than store bought.'
Should be' she muttered, 'it cost $80'.

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