Save the Date

As promised, 2006 is going to be a bumper year. With renovating the house, working, socialising and planning THE wedding our work is definately cut out for us. This weekend, Chris & I went down to Ficksburg to try make headway with the latter (being the wedding of course) We left JHB mid-afternoon on friday and went via Reitz where all the equipment will be hired from. In true "farming community" hospitality a stop we anticipated to be no more than 45mins took 1.5hr and left us arriving in Ficksburg close to 9pm. On Saturday morning we drove out to Moolmanshoek,approx 40 kms from town, where the reception will be held. Here's a sneak preveiw:














After a few hours of discussing menus,cakes,drinks etc the deposit was paid and we headed back to Ficksburg to check out alternative accomodation as well as the church. We decided to get married at All Saints partly because my parents have been members of the congregation for +30 years and the fact that I was Christened there. And so the 16th December 2006 will be the day I change my name and another new chapter in our lives will begin. (for all you sinics out there "you can't stay happy for the rest of your life" you gotta get married some time!)

and so the "FUN" begins???

With our house plans just about done, bar a few minor changes and the "colouring up" of the drawings (which we expect complete by Monday), yesterday I met with our project manager - Xego, as well as our builder - Peter.We decided that we would start the salvaging process on Monday. We also agreed that over the weekend, Peter and his crew would move the necessary equipment on site to facilitate a good start on Monday morning. HOWEVER, today (being Friday) I arrived to get some internal photos of the house without the previous owners furniture inside to find that the chaps had already started the salvaging process and all the internal doors were off. This is all fine and well as they are as eager as we are to get going! BUT as they were lifting the floorboards - which we intend to relay after the all walls have been bashed down and the messy stuff completed - I was horrified to see that this was being done so badly and that the boards were getting damaged AND Peter was out! Needless to say I told them to "hold their horses" and promtly called Chris who arrived to investigate as I was leaving for an appointment .....and ......... so the "fun" begins?

Generation Renovation

As you all know we bought an old house in Parktown North last year with the intention of totally renovating it to a modern style home we can live in for the forseable future! Transfer went through in early Jan and while I was in London Chris spent a lot of time sourcing builders and getting quotes etc. It now looks like we have found a builder,prodject manager and some fittings but yet have the plans to be approved. We met with Clive (our architect) last night and the plans are just about ready for submission so there is light at the end of the tunnel and we hope to start our 6-8 month prodject in the next week or two. It may take a bit of time to get the council approval but we can start with non-structural/internal things in the interim. Once things get rolling I will try keep you up to date on the progress. So 2006 looks like it will be THE year - building/wedding - what more can one take on?