Renovation Update

Things are happening out the back. Last week the asbestos was removed over a period of three days. It started the day after the visitors arrived – Tony reckons it’ll be ok because mesothelioma takes about 40 years to develop, and figured we’ll all beyond the age that it will matter to us!

It was handy to have visitors to help me move all those plants that I haven’t been able to resist buying way before the courtyard is ready for them…...

The eucalypt and the olive tree are now in heavy cement pots and weigh a tonne, but they’re both growing like weeds.

The contractors who removed the asbestos were dressed in white suits and wore masks and did bag all the small bits, but I still believe there was more dust flying around that can be good for you. Mind you, we all grew up in Australia in asbestos houses and I have no doubt we’ve been exposed to it being cut and removed in the days before it was discovered to be so harmful.

So, the courtyard already looks decidedly different, with the complete roof gone from the barn, and also a lean-to at the side, and the roof off the upstairs balcony. And so much brighter.

This is the first time I’ve ventured to the second level of the barn – a lot of the floorboards are rotten. But there are some interesting pieces on both levels – old bicycles,

a cross saw, scales, an old plane and this three-pronged pitchfork, made out of one piece of branched tree.

Next week, the builder comes in and demolition starts, so I’ll be posting quite a few before and after pictures as it progresses. Exciting times.