Mermaid Beach, Gold Coast
Little visitors on our Balcony each morning
Last year we bought an Apartment in Mermaid Beach, Gold Coast and for the past two weeks have been renovating it here in Australia. Originally it had quite an ’80′s look to it and we wanted to make it a beach theme – lots of blue and white.
Jesse successfully finished his first EIT level 2 Automotives course in June and is on holiday so we took him with us (prior to him starting his Level 3 course end July)
Shaun, Jesse and I have now, since 27 June, been in the Gold Coast working on our Apartment No 28 which is part of Spindrift Apartment Complex. We have travelled around many furniture and home decor places…and bought blue and white themed stuff – new mattresses for the beds, new bedside lamps, coffee table, small table for beside the sofa, new gray sofa, TV cabinet, cushions, mirror for bedroom, beach scenes for the wall, blue and white crockery and some artificial plants. We have had the tiles cleaned and the grouting re-done. The electrician has installed a new fan and another one has moved the power points. The blinds have been taken down to be washed, paintwork repaired on the walls (currently in progress)
Various tradespeople have been in and out, and a professional photographer will come tomorrow to re-take some new unit photos. We also have new table and chairs now. The aim of course is to bring the apartment up to scratch so people will want to rent it and stay in it. The funds we gained from the rent already is what we used to re-do up this place.
So the entire apartment has been redone (or almost!). It will be in few days time anyway.
On another angle, I have been writing a book (it will be a magic realism book for young teens with an element of adult fairytale mixed in….along the lines of Alice Hoffman but different to her style somewhat also – similar genre though and young adult target audience). Writing a book is a new adventure for me and exciting as I have always loved reading and have an interest in the magic and mythical since my childhood fairytale reading days…. I always admittedly admired the life of Beatrix Potter and her propensity to be able to draw, write, paint and live rurally with an interest in farming and conservation of nature. I have somewhat modelled my life around this woman to an extent over the years and it seems I am mirroring her in more than one way these days – from my rabbits, to my drawing and writing and countryside farming/living.
Since finishing my animal science cert I am also considering doing some pet-sitting for people, predominantly owners of rabbits and small companion animals and will put out some flyers for this upon our return to New Zealand
Shaun is busy busy both handling work stuff as well as renovations on this apartment. Jesse has a new girlfriend for some months now which is exciting for him. My goals include continuing strala yoga, and my new Dr Gundry approved diet (low lectin low gluten eating) which is always healthy, continuing light exercise and walks up Te Mata Peak and then of course my mum’s 80th birthday bash in August. It’s all go and exciting times ahead.
So I write this here in Australia today (we have been here almost two weeks and leave for home on Wed morning)…2018 has been an exciting year with new goals, both personal and work and writing goals etc. Lots happening, an exciting year overall.
EIT has been great for Jesse, he completed his Steiner School Cert Level 1 at the beginning of the year and could leave school for good, and going into Automotives was the best thing for him this year and now he has achieved a scholarship for Level 3 Automotives year long course ahead. A downer for Jesse will be the dreaded braces on his teeth year’s end….but as its not cosmetic but simply a necessary thing for him due to impacted teeth problems and the like, its merely unavoidable.
I continue on with my gardening, animals, my new writing project, I’ve started a bit of drawing/sketching, and my new pet sitting project soon, strala yoga, Gundry eating plan etc …. this year has been a little different for sure. Roll on the second half of 2018 
