Rubbish table refurb

A bargain garden furniture restoration. I rescued this table from the street on rubbish collection day. Using the leftover paint from the garden chairs it hasn't cost me anything to restore other than my time.

I started with sanding it down but stopped because in some parts it was only the rust holding it altogether and had many holes.

I would've preferred to separate the top from the legs but the nuts and bolts were too rusted to move. It did make it a bit messy when I was painting. 

I was inspired by the tiles around the pool area so introduced little squares as decoration. Using masking tape to try and get straight lines. Some worked, some didn't - the paint seeped through, but overall does add a good splash of colour

The glass top was a mess, as was my trying to paint the top of the legs, so I decided to paint the underneath of the table. 

Equipment used:
Wire brush; sander; soap and water; outdoor paint; paintbrush; masking tape

Garden Bench & Chair Restoration

My big winter purchase of a set of secondhand benches and chairs has led to my first big restoration project and a timeframe of finishing before the summer sun comes.

I hope I have everything I need. I had to buy a lot of tools but if I deduct the cost of these (as I'll be using them in the future), then the expenditure wasn't too much. 

Prep work: Santity check with my design guru Gorgeous David. I searched Pinterest for similar projects, decided on which elements I was going to try from those. Wrote a list of supplies I needed. I went to Bunnings DIY store with a long list. The staff were really helpful and showed me alternatives to cut out some of the layers/process. Then back home and waited for a dry and child free day to get started. 

Step 1: Wash down the chairs

Step 2: Christen the wire brush with a lot of muscle, scrubbing the rust off the wrought iron framework. Using wire wool to get inbetween the curvy bits. Finish with electric sander to make it nice and smooth. 

Step 3: Wash wrought iron framework with soapy water and hose off

Step 4: Disassemble the wood slates from the frame. I thought this would be the easy bit but it turned out to be the most frustrating and time consuming as the rusty screws weren't moving a notch and eventual the screw head rubbed away. First I tried WD40 then more muscle power. In the end I had to saw through the screws with a hacksaw. 


Step 5: Sand the wooden slates then give up after deciding the wood wasn't good enough so I added Step 5A.

Step 5A: Buy replacement wood. A good decision as the wood was cheap and had a lovely natural pattern to it. I got it cut to size to save me time. 

Step 6: Paint the frames, let them dry over night before turning over to do the other side. 

Step 7: Paint wooden planks.

Step 8: Wash down frame to remove any stickiness from the iron paint.

Step 9: Put it all back together.

Step 10: Sit back with a glass and enjoy the newly renovated seat.

Top Tips I picked up from Pinterest and from my own mistakes:

- Ask for advice in your DIY store, I got some great help from mine, including free help fixing my jammed electric screwdriver.
- Take photos of every stage as you take the chair apart. Even if it only has a few parts it's easy to get it wrong when you put it back together.
- Put an elastic band cross your paint can to take the drops, helps keep the rim of the can clear of paint
- Take a photo of your paint can before you get it covered in paint so you can read the instructions and have the full details should you need more of the same paint.
- Wrap your paint brushes in clingfilm between coats
- If you get rusty nails that aren't budging you can screw through them with an electric screwdriver, or just cut right through them.
- Paint the underneath first so that when you turn it over to paint the top, the final drips will be on the bottom.
- I don't have a proper workshop so used empty plastic milk bottles to prop the frame up while I painted it so i could reach all the curves. 

And the first bench is finished, inspired by Sydney beaches with sand, green spaces and clear blue water 

The second bench is finished. I managed to save most of the original wood and decided on a tree design On one side.

AFL football game

Our first footy game was a Sydney derby. The GWS Giants V Sydney Swans. I quickly Wikipedia'd the rules to get a little understanding but it didn't help that much.

We went as a family, knowing that we may have to come home in pairs if one of the kids got too bored but it was the opposite on the day. After 3 hours we dragged the kids away.

You get free train travel included with the AFL ticket but it's only a half hour drive for us and parking was easy, plus we had to collect our tickets on the door so didn't have them in advance.

Once inside the stadium our 'eyes through a family lense' widened as the ease of bringing a family to a sports game became clear. There were families with kids of all ages; Designated areas for buggy parking; long queues for the ice cream & milkshake stand; lots of toilet blocks and a huge kids play area plus lots of open space behind the food booths where there was a lot of ball throwing/catching going on.

The general attitude was relaxed. Fans were mixed throughout the seating area and I only heard good natured cheering. I don't know if that's normal but I didn't get a sense of the bitter rivalry I'm used to, but then i've only got UK Premier Football League to compare it to. Anyway, the whole atmosphere made me feel happy to bring the kids, but it did miss out a bit of raw emotion and chanting. 

Our kids were so keen to explore the play area that they couldn't sit 5 minutes in their seats before begging to go and play. We made them watch for 15 minutes before giving in to their demands. 

At the entrance to the play area we were offered a free apple and cup of milk. There was a bouncy castle, and various free games to play including inflatable target skills games; a line of iPads (we didn't investigate what was on them because we didn't want to be there all game); large mascot characters and kids could get team name tattoos (the face painting variety obviously). 

At half time a band played on the Virgin Live stage while little kids came out to demonstrate their skills. There was more than 1 half time so I guess it's not actually called half time but I'm still on UK football terms!!

Altogether a good family afternoon, even without fully understanding the rules of the game. 

Blue Mountains

A bright, crisp morning saw us travelling to the Blue Mountains for the day. It had been over 10 years since our last visit but the sight that greeted us was the same.

Firstly we refuelled after the drive with a big brunch at one of the many cafes in Katoomba.

Took a quick look at the Street Art Walk. All the buildings along this short back street were brought to life with some very cool work.  I'm always amazed at the skill involved in producing large pieces of art. Boats drifting out to sea; birds taking off; wildlife gathering; cartoon characters; abstract pieces and a truck which you really had to take a double look at to know it wasn't real. It's such a shame it was off the main road. I'm sure it's in some guides but we only found it by accident and just before our parking ticket expired so didn't get to appreciate it as much as it deserved.
 

We headed towards a '3 sisters' viewing point and at the information centre we watched a short show on Aboriginal history with a focus on instruments, dance and costume. That's probably the wrong terminology but I only picked up the handout sheet in Dutch to send to friends so I can't check.



We had afternoon tea booked at the Hydro Magestic so only had time to take the 10 minute short stroll from the viewing point. There is a lot more to do than we did. Different trails and other points.

More information on the Blue Mountains.

For Art Deco lovers - visit the Hydro Magestic Hotel and Restaurant. Great views over the mountains. Options of different restaurants.


We took one of the last sittings for afternoon tea. We were given a great window table, just had to put up with people keep showing up beside us to take photos out of the window. Lucky we had the view and decor to talk about as the service was very slow. The sandwiches were quite plain but the dessert plate was tasty. Overall a disappointing, expensive option. We will go back but try one of the other restaurants.

The Big Unpack

Nearly 10 weeks after our container was driven out of Amsterdam it arrived back with us.  Into Sydney, then transported to Canberra for customs checks, then back to Sydney. Several boxes contained a note from Customs to say it had been opened for inspection but all that scrubbing and painting paid off as everything cleared customs without any issues. So another huge thank you to my amazing Amsterdam friends who helped in the final weeks of the big pack up.

We have been in our long term rental for 2 weeks and although the hallway and garage are still full of boxes, we have a home. It's amazing the sense of ease felt coming home to 'home' rather than a temporary house. The kids are noticeabley happier to be amongst their own belongings and sleeping in their own beds.

We have been very lucky to find a house that ticked nearly all our search criteria. With the bonus of a small pool to keep us cool over the 9 months of summer. Even luckier to have built an instant rapport with the lovely landlady. 

The arrival of our container was split into 2 deliveries, 2 days apart. Typically the bed and mattresses were on the second load. 

I thought the Dutch relocation company who packed everything had done a good job, until we started unpacking. 

I'd shared with my best friend and nephew the total number of boxes I had, which left them in tears of laughter given it was a couple hundred more than they guessed, but, in my defense, there were a lot of boxes that hardly had anything in them, or boxes that just had empty storage boxes in them with nothing in the boxes within the boxes. Same for the bins except for 1 bin that still had rubbish in it. We had 1 vase broken which had no tissue paper around it to protect it and a souvenir baseball that was wrapped in several sheets of paper. Our 1 antique piece came with 4 broken legs and the bed parts were spread over 3 different unmarked boxes. A lot of the contents didn't match the box label. The legs to the kitchen table were in a box marked pictures. We still haven't found the screws to the legs of the football table. 2 boxes have already gone to the charity shop and baby things given away. 

We ticked off the boxes 1-by-1 as they were unloaded. At least we tried to. You may think that language isn't a barrier when it comes to numbers i.e. 1=1, 2=2 in Dutch and English. Not when it came to our packers. There were 3 of us trying to decipher the numbers scribbled on boxes. It actually offered a light relief to the unloading and carrying but did add an additional task of 'find the box' when we finished unloading and not all boxes were ticked off the sheet. 

Setting up the TV took several people several attempts over a week. The house is wired for sound, delivering cable to every room, unfortunately we went with a company that doesn't support it. No matter, we have enough channels to keep us entertained. 

We have good friends who not only gave up a whole Saturday to help us unpack but brought along dinner too. 

The removal company only take the boxes that they unpack. They don't come back and collect. I put an ad on Gumtree offering free boxes and packaging and got over 10 responses. 

Next task is to complete the claim form for the damaged items. 

Another few weeks and we should be ready to entertain. Another few months and we should be ready for our first oversees visitor.

Curl Curl Beach

Straight into my top 3 of beaches because, in order of discovery:

- its near to a big shopping centre
- we managed to get free parking on the roadside

- a short, curved stretch of golden sand

- sand banks, good for scrambling up

- clear sea

- not the biggest waves so will be good for swimming when we build up the courage or it gets warmer, whichever is first

- cafes at one end

- proper toilet roll in the public toilets

- above the beach is a grass area with picnic tables and open showers 

- perfect rock pools for us as a family with a large lane swimming one and paddling pool with a long slope into it

- saving the best for last: I saw several Dolphins.  It looked like they were playing with the surfers, jumping over the surf just meters from them before swimming away. 

Kiama

We spent a morning in Kiama but we'll be back for longer next time. There is so much to see and do in the area.

During our flying visit we did walk around the lighthouse, manage to see ocean spray come through the Kiama Blowhole. Had coffee at The Table at Amys (the large cappuccino was served in a breakfast bowl, way too much liquid for us). Walked down to see the rock pools, quick play in the playground and brought a Doctor Who Tardis Yahtzee set from a cool toyshop.