Time for the inside of the kitchen wall to be clad with gyprock (bought off the 'Damaged Pile' at bargain price), and for the last sheets of plywood to be fitted on the front face of the house. Both were done on the same day, Beth and I working with the gyprock (not a job I enjoy - somehow gyprock and I don't mix) and Dad outside with the plywood.



Me, looking like Mlick.





Starting with bottom piece... I wonder how many times we had to adjust the fit? I can't remember.



And then the top.



Our scaffolding has been upgraded since, thank goodness. This lot worked, but had its limitations. I guess you could say it was good for getting the heart rate up, though at uneven intervals.





Hurrah! What a relief! What a sense of closure and accomplishment!

Judging by most of these photos, we spent the day standing around. This was the most difficult part - and besides, we didn't start till half-way through the afternoon!

Next day we spent cladding the front of the house, starting with the kitchen end.





First we lined the closed in veranda area with black plastic, and then, oh, the joys of insulating ...

Twenty Ninth of August, 2006, and we were finally round to the kitchen window. Corrugated plastic is definitely a good temporary fix.






Of course, the kitchen being the heart of the home and all that, we had interesting obstacles. Come what may, the bread making Must Go On! (Or else, no lunch.)



Can you see why we were eager to renovate our kitchen?



Wow - there's actually a view out that window? Somehow corrugated plastic seems to limit visibility slightly.




And ... a couple hours later the window was installed and the gyprock gone. Very airy!




These photos are almost like looking at our own version of a Brambly Hedge dwelling! (I love those books.)





Black plastic protected us from the elements that night (remember, it was still winter) and gave us some privacy.

Gradually the stone walls began to grow, carving order out of the wilderness . Mounds of earth, stone and concrete began to resolve into pleasing lines and useful spaces.









Of course none of this would have happened without Dad's landscaping genius and sheer hard work! I assure you, the clay Dad had to struggle with was No Joke.

A small house + a large family + one (non-cordless) phone = desperation!


This corner cupboard wasn't useful for much, but it worked in a pinch.