Look Closely

We're less than one week away from saying goodbye to Richmond. We won't quite be able to call Ruislip home yet, but all of our things will be there--jammed into a couple of rooms, hopefully they won't get too dusty...

The house needs about 3 more weeks of work before it's inhabitable. We have managed to secure 2 weeks in a corporate apartment in Windsor. So, that's where we'll be temporarily until the house is ready for us.

Here are a few pictures of some of the "noticeable" progress...look closely, do you see the changes?






Nah, I didn't think so. One major change that is visually small, but will make the house more cozy is changing the windows. We've replaced all of the windows that were left. Only the large sliding glass door in the dining room stays as is. The budget just wouldn't bear changing that one out, and the dining room is not going to be in it's final state for a while...

The electrical outlets are marked and wired, some of the pipes are in place in the bathroom, the drainage has passed the building inspection. Plastering will begin (and hopefully end) this coming week. Then the bathroom will be ready for the fittings and tile. And the following week, the kitchen will be put in and viola, we'll be living in our new house full time!

So, that's the plan. Wish us luck!

Oh, an update on the garden. Paul mowed the back garden [yard] this evening. This time, the frog managed to hop out of the way of the mower this time! (We're going to be optimistic and say that it was the same frog).

And, if my allergy symptoms weren't a big enough clue, summer's here and stuff's still blooming in London. Thanks to the new house, I'm a proud owner of a cooking apple tree and a regular apple tree. What's the difference you ask? For the uneducated (as I was until recently), cooking apples are not good to eat straight from the tree, but are great when cooked...that's the basic difference.

I'm not sure which tree is which, but here's a picture of my first apples! Apple cake, apple sauce, apple juice, apple cobbler/crumble--all on the menu coming right up! When they're ripe, of course.