Tuesday, July 20, 2010

I must tell you about the kitchen

last weekend, after I had cleaned the kitchen benches - dutch husband decided that he would pull the kitchen out in readiness for the new one. And he is the expert on that - he has been designing and creating kitchens for nearly 30yrs..

[the plumber and the kitchen wiz - deep in thought]



luckily we have Chris the plumber pretty much on call for this - so he popped in to disconnect the kitchen taps and to give dutch husband a hand to pull the cupboards out.. and what a lovely thing we found..
remember the dishwasher flooding episode? We discovered the reason for the leaking dishwasher.. a rat had made its home under the washer and had decided that the plastic hose might make a good meal.. and had chewed the whole hose in half.. not only that but the electrical cable had been chewed as well, leaving live wires exposed to water.. not a good combination and it turns out that we could have been electrocuted.. thank Heavens for the angels at Villa Maria. so another hot water, sunlight soap and scrubbing brush task for me to do..

the new outlets for our taps.. whenever they go in.. a few weeks maybe.
during the week we went looking for a new stove & I was getting quite despondent about leaving my stove at Inglewood.. they are very expensive now and too big for our kitchen at Villa Maria.. after looking at a few places - and not so helpful salesmen.. at our last stop.. I just blurted out to the sales woman what i had & how I was going to miss it.. - funnily enough, she had one very similar - cast iron & enamel but only half the size. one and half ovens, 5 gas burners, separate grill. perfect. [took a woman to understand] so we ordered ours in black and it should be here in a week or so.
BUT
that does not mean I will have a fully functioning kitchen. no. the cupboards will be in but the granite tops will be a week or so. Plus, we don't have gas connected which could take weeks.. all of this equals: no sink/water/taps to wash up & no hotplates to cook on. will it be takeaway pizza? ... things will work out.

and this is how I spend most of my time at Villa Maria when I am inside.. socks and thongs.. a very attractive look, yes.. but easy to slip my thongs off when I want to walk on my scrubbed floor boards. you see, I don't wear shoes inside. so if you ever come to visit.. that is one thing I will ask you to do: remove shoes before entering. come inside, sit and be at peace.
leave your worries at the door

11 comments:

gma said...

That last photo is hilarious. It's about time you took a rest. 8)

Cheryl@Gingerbread Crafts said...

I'm glad that you found the perfect oven for you, all you needed was an understanding woman. I am sure you'll be able to cope with not having a functioning kitchen. It'll be hard but the final result is all yours and not some generic run of the mill mass produced kitchen.

It sounds like Dutch Husband is a real get it done kind of guy, he won't let you suffer and will have it done in no time.

Cheryl@Gingerbread Crafts said...

P.S. I'd love to come and visit, I'll wear clean socks and all. :)

Everydaythings said...

I wear socks and things too when ti gets too hot for slippers, just before summer...lol... not a great look is it? but oh so comfy and convenient!

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Those socks and thongs are TOO MUCH! Love them!

Anonymous said...

You lot amaze me!...and that last photo, what a keeper! Years down the track, when you are well and truly settled in, you must keep that wonderful last photo somewhere visible - it says so much about perspective,love,optimism, perserverence, exhaustion and humour.Such an amazing story about the rat and the wiring. I am so glad you were ultimately safe and protected Robyn. Well done team Villa Maria! I will be thinking of you and wishing you all the best for Friday's move.xxxx

Anonymous said...

Oh you are so very lucky you found out about the rat. That could have caused a lot of trouble !!!
Can't wait to see pictures of the stove !!
Have a great day.

amelia said...

You have steady progress and it's looking good. Think how great it will feel when you finally get to cook in your new kitchen!!
If it were me it would be a feeling I could wait for, too hot to think about cooking here!!!

Sheila said...

Love the socks and flip flops..!
We had mice eat through our wiring one time, fortunately it was in the bathroom, and the wire was on a GFI and didn't burn the house down.
In Canada most people remove their shoes when entering someone's home, and their own homes too.
We didn't do that in the UK, and I think it is a rather nice thing to do. And it cuts down on cleaning.
I know you do not like micro wave ovens, but it is amazing what can be cooked on a BBQ.
You will cope. Maybe it would be a good time to try a raw food diet..LOL
hugs
xx

Ruth said...

I will be at home then - I don't wear shoes inside either. It just doesn't feel right. What has happened to the homeless rat?

J C said...

We dont wear shoes in our home either, Robyn. I dont even need to explain why. If you dont, you know why. Ick what we have to walk through outside. I am loving Villa Maria already, even though it isnt finished. I know you will make it even more wonderful than Inglewood.

"She seemed to come suddenly upon happiness as if she had surprised a butterfly in the Winter woods"
(edith wharton)