The nest prior to nesting

Taken during the initial inventory inspection, these images show the living area. Essentially, I live in one big room: a studio if you will. The stairs are very steep and do not have a balaustrade. The main doors open to the south making the interior a little dark.



The first shot was taken on WB=cloudy and the rest on WB=Fluoro which explains the difference in warmth. Next I will show shots of the garden and then come back inside and show you the nest after it has been twigged up!

Hope springs eternal

Both my olive trees - planted on my return from Italy in October 2006 - are awash with these small buds. Now the same thing occurred this time last year: only for them to shrivel in-situ. I gather from a friend that there is a massive rigmarole required to take olive fruit from tree to martini-glass ...

A dacha

Somewhere through the years, I have seen a grainy film shot in 1901 which shows Tolstoy walking along, stick in hand, near his country estate outside Moscow. The landed gentry in those pre-revolution days, had a dacha to escape the madness of urban life.


This is my newly acquired dacha.

Long handled duster

In the mail today arrived a package of "Thou shalt do's" from the exiting real-estate agent. The missive is 7 pages in length. I could be a shit tenant; I could be a good tenant. All are treated equally: we will scarper leaving the place looking like a pig-sty.

Here be an example:

Window furnishings
Curtains to be washed/cry cleaned and re-hung
Venetian blinds to be properly cleaned, preferably professionally. They may be carefully taken down and washed outside. Particular attention should be paid to the area behind the tapes.
Holland blinds to be cleaned professionally and rehung.
Venetian blinds wiped clean and rehung.
If you have removed any curtains or blinds belonging to the premises, please ensure they are re-hung prior to vacating.

Now my problem is this. The curtain in the front room was hanging from a piece of electrical wiring that was poking through a hole punched through the plaster and suspended from a ceiling strutt. When I had the place repainted upon moving in - from grecian-urn blue to antique white - I requested they plaster the hole and I would reassemble the rod from a stay that I would assemble and attach above the window jambe. I wonder if this should be rehung as was?

It could be arranged ...

Glebe

My cottage is out the back of this terrace in Glebe. I will move my household goodies next Wednesday and my garden goodies next Saturday which will leave me a week to return my current terrace to the condition it was when I moved in three years ago.

On the move

This photo was taken in November 2006 six months after having moved into the street. I move out next Wednesday.

It is not easy finding an alternative given these criteria:

must have dirt
must have light
must have sun
must be old
must have an open plan living area
must be allowed to have cats
must not be too expensive.

But I found a one-bedroom cottage out the back of a two storey terrace in Glebe, about 12 minutes walk from my work and 200m from a great coffee shop. I met the owner today and got a big tick. I like the RE agent whom I will liaise with. More photos later.

Give me your answer do ...

Daisy, daisy give me your answer do I'm half crazy all for the love of you. It won't be a stylish marriage I can't afford a carriage. But you'll look sweet Upon the seat Of a bicycle built for two.

Springing early