After a week of Victorian-type weather, today is still and sunny.  Our slow combustion wood heater has been fantastic.  Today we're letting it go out after having had it burning day and night for close to two weeks.  The ash needs removing.  We've been burning red gum which is incredibly dense and heavy.


Slowly but surely we are transforming our 'new' house into a home.  Yesterday I unpacked our books. Every book tells a story and I felt wonderfully grounded seeing the various covers and topics of our collection.  


Today I'll do a final clean of the caravan that we've been living in for the last few months, and also sort out 'stuff' stored in our smaller caravan.  Doug is building a second ramp which will go from the kitchen back door onto the new concrete back verandah.  The first ramp goes from the laundry door to the clothes line and has an unexpected advantage of being able to hang washing out while standing in an elevated position on the ramp.


Yesterday our local plumber installed a new instantaneous hot water service.  We've never had this type of water heater before, but it seemed sensible to heat the water we use, rather than a whole heap more.  And I can still have a long shower if I want to, which I do! 


The last few days have seen me back walking along the river with Major -- a major step forward after weeks of feeling too unwell to venture beyond home.


At present, lots of currawongs are feasting on the red berries growing on a tree in our front garden.  Some people call the tree a red pepper tree, or drunken parrot tree because parrots can get quite tipsy if they eat enough berries when they are very ripe.  This we have yet to see; however, we have seen tipsy Friar birds, drunk on the nectar from silky oak blooms.


Another touch in creating our home has been to plant a jade at our front and back  doors.  In theory this keeps the house free of bad energy. The plant from which I took the cuttings originates from a piece I took from a friend's plant over 40 years ago.  Pieces of this plant have been propagated in every new home we have lived in. 

I've included a photo of Katie Siamese in her bed in the sun room overlooking the river.  This is her favourite place.