Painted downpipe

Just one more thing I got done this weekend...

Seeing as it was fine weather, I put a couple of coats of paint on the downpipe I had not finished last time I was painting the eaves. The wall behind is now a bit splattered, but I will overpaint that when I repaint the wall.

Not a huge amount of work, but that much less that I need to do to finish the house.

New bookshelves

I had some old, falling apart bookshelves against the back wall of the living room that I wanted to replace. I wanted shelves with glass doors to cut down the dust, but I was on a budget, so I couldn't get anything too fancy. My family had kindly given me some Ikea vouchers for my birthday, so I went with the Ikea Billy bookcase option.

First I dragged dad down to Ikea with the station wagon, and he helped me pick up the shelves. Then I assembled the shelves and drilled holes to fix them to the wall.

Once the shelves were attached to the wall, I put the doors on, then put the adjustable shelves in position.

It was all pretty straight forward, but a lot of work, especially putting the hinges onto the doors. I am happy with the result though.

Bathroom cabinet

Now that the bathroom is painted, I have been wanting a new mirror cabinet, to replace the old mirror I took down. I did a lot of looking around, and found that most of the bathroom supply shops didn't have anything I liked the look of. Then I stopped by Bunnings and found something I thought would work well. So I bought it. Now I just needed to install it!

I started by removing the doors, to make the cabinet as light and easy to work with as possible. The cabinet came with four fixing points, and I was a bit uncomfortable with that, as I wasn't confident that they would support the weight. So I added another hole in the middle of the top of the cabinet, using a power drill. I then held the cabinet up to the wall, worked out where I wanted it, then marked the top right hole.

How to drill a hole in a concrete wall:
1. Mark where you want the hole to go, using a sharp ended object, such as a small screw driver.

2. Use a nail punch and a hammer to put a small dent in the wall where you want the hole. The dent will guide the drill and make it less likely to slip.

3. *Wear a dust mask for this step. There will be lots of dust. * If the hole diameter needed is large, drill a small diameter pilot hole (using a masonry bit and a hammer drill). Then enlarge the hole using the correct diameter masonry bit (and drill). If the hole diameter needed is small, just use the right diameter drill bit to start with.

4. Use a small brush , with a handle diameter smaller than the hole (a cheap water colour brush works well), to clean the dust out of the hole. Use a cheap brush, because this will destroy the brush.

5. Use a vacuum cleaner to clean up all the loose dust.

6. Insert the wall plugs into the holes.

Next came drilling out the hole I had marked. Then I held the cabinet in place and put the first screw in loosly. Using a spirit level I held the cabinet level and used a small screwdriver to mark the locations of the remaining holes, including the extra hole I was adding.

I used the provided wall plugs, plus one extra, in the holes, then held the cabinet in place and screwed it onto the wall.

Next step was to wipe off all the dust, then reattach the doors.

Finally, I inserted the shelves. Job done!

New fence

I keep forgetting to blog about the new fence. So here it is, with the before, half way, and after shots.

They did a good job, I'm happy with it.

Tasmania 5

The day after the Gordon River Cruise, we were booked on a trip on the West Coast Wilderness (ABT) railway. The railway was originally built to transport ore from the mines at Queenstown to the port at Strahan. It was left unused for many years, until a recent venture to restore the track and the rolling stock as a tourist venture. We took the option of travelling by train from Strahan to Queenstown, then taking the connecting bus back. I don't seem to have a picture of the station at strahan, but this is a view of the river over the tracks near the station. Also, here is a view of the train stopped at Strahan station.

The carriages are old fashioned, with wooden seats and panelling. The track runs through some very dense rain forrest, next to three rivers, the Gordon, King and Queen rivers. In places the trees are so close that they brush against the sides of the carriage.

The King River was badly polluted by mining in the past. It is hard to see just how badly, until you reach one of the places where another river or stream flows into it. The water in the area is usually a dark "tea" colour, from Tannins in local plants leaching into the water. This shot shows the dark tanin rich fresh water mixing into the milky polluted water of the King river. The hope is that over time the pollutants will be washed down to the sea, and that the river will run clear again.

There were four stops along the way, with a chance to walk and see some of the rainforest up close.

The second stop was for lunch, which was provided as part of the fare. The food was basic but good. The other stops were just for chance to walk around and see the area near the track.

Part of the trip is a fairly standard railway, but the half of the trip nearest Queenstown is on an unusually steep grade for a train. To enable the train to climb the slope a special rack system is used, with a rack between the rails interlocking with a notched wheel on the train engine.

Here is picture of the rails, with the notched "rack" in the center.

It is hard to describe just how lovely the contryside is. The rainforest is thick and full of diversity, with something new to marvel at around each corner. The track crosses rail bridges and climbs steep grades through dense forest.

Then the train pulls in at Queenstown, and you can see the devistation that mining has made of the local hillsides.

Finally, there is the bus trip back to Strahan, which takes a lot less time than the train trip, but is also a lot less fun!

All in all, this train ride was the highlight of the trip for me. I highly recommend it.

More painting!

After using the bathroom for a couple of weeks, I started to notice places where I hadn't gotten full coverage with the paint. Eventually I decided I needed a third coat of paint. So that was Saturday's job. While I was painting, I decided to have another go at the "cutting-in" where the wall colour met the ceiling colour. I got a first coat around the whole perimeter of the room, and a second coat half way around.

Initially I had the plan of using a stiff piece of plastic to hide the wall area below where I was painting, then paint above the plastic. Sounded good in theory, didn't work in practice. The paint kept seeping below the line of the plastic and making a mess. It was no more effective than the masking tape I tried last time. So in the end, I had to use the very slow and carefull method of painting with a small brush and using a damp sponge to clean up any overpainting. It was a very slow process, but I am much happier with the result.

Here is what one corner looked like after the first two coats of paint.

And here is how it looks now.

Much better!

Fence cleanup and wheelbarrow

The fences along the sides of my property are in pretty poor shape, and one of my neighbors has finally decided to get quotes for replacing the fence between my property and hers. When I read the quotes they made it clear that the fence line needed to be clear of obstructions (which is fair enough). So my wonderful parents came to my rescue, and on the ANZAC day public holiday, they came over and helped me move a large pile of compost (badly overgrown with Kikuyu), and a falling apart barbecue. After about an hour of pulling grass off the compost heap, dad decided that we needed a mattock, so we went to the Bunnings Notting Hill hardware store in search of one. Dad had also seen wheelbarrows at a different Bunnings for a good price, but they didn't have them at the Notting Hill store. So we swung by the South Oakleigh store, which did, and picked up a $40 wheelbarrow. I now realise that the South Oakleigh Bunnings is much larger and has a better range than the Notting Hill store, so I think I will be going straight to South Oakleigh from now on.

It turned out that the wheelbarrow came in parts and needed to be assembled. There were no instructions, so that made for a pretty interesting afternoon! With a bit of help from dad, I got it put together in the end. It is pretty light weight, but for moving around piles of compost, weeds and mulch (which is pretty much all I need it for), it is perfect.

Here are some before and after shots of the fence line:

Before

After

Bathroom wall painted

Last weekend I painted my bathroom wall. The wall only took 2 coats of paint, probably because I was using a much stronger color than for the ceiling.

I didn't do a very good job of the "cutting in" (where the wall color meets the ceiling color),

and when I took the masking tape off the power point it pulled some of the paint off the wall,

so I still have some touching up to do.

However, it was my first time painting an interior wall, so I am pretty happy with the overall result.

I had a go at using a roller for part of the first coat, but I wasn't getting very good coverage, and the area I was covering was fairly small, so I used a brush for the whole of the second coat.

Bathroom Ceiling

I painted my bathroom ceiling last weekend. It turned out to be a lot easier than I was expecting. Painting inside is SO much easier than painting the outside of the house!

I have a problem with paint fumes making me sick, so I used one of the new low VOC paints. I was very happy with the results, the fume levels were so low that with a bit of airing out I have had no problems.

The bathroom ceiling needed to be painted, as the paint had flaked off in a few spots, leaving bare plaster. Plus, I am just so sick of BEIGE.

Step 1: Remove all loose items from room, including curtains.
Step 2: Remove cover over hole in ceiling where old fan used to be, and remove cover from "bathroom buddy" heater/fan unit. My god, what a lot of dust I discovered! I'm glad I was wearing a dust mask.
Step 3: Scrub ceiling with scrubbing brush and sugar soap solution.
Step 4: Lightly sand ceiling to break surface on existing gloss paint (so that new paint will adhere). (Tools used: sanding block, sand paper, dust mask).
Step 5: Put down drop sheets kindly lent to me by mum. Two old worn out sheets, and a worn out heavy weight quilted theatre curtain.
Step 6: Apply first coat of paint. Allow 2 hours to dry.
Step 7: Apply second coat of paint. It is now getting dark, so wait until next morning to review job.

Step 8: Now that I can tell which cracks haven't been covered over by paint, use "builder's bog" to fill cracks. Allow to dry for 30 minutes, then sand.
Step 9: Paint still looks patchy in daylight, so apply third coat of paint. Wait 2 hours.

Step 10: Apply second coat over areas filled with "builder's bog". Looks good now! Wait 48 hours before using room again.
Step 11: (48 hours later). Put cover back over hole where old fan used to be. Replace cover over "Bathroom buddy". Replace loose items. Job Done!

Next task: paint walls.

Before (and yes, the spots are stains on the ceiling):

After:

Tasmania 4

So, back to the Tassie trip.

The drive to Strahan was long, winding and very very steep in places. On one hill, I had to pull over near the bottom, because the brakes on the hire car were smoking! By the time I got to Strahan, it was dark and raining.

I was staying with my parents and their friends in the cottage they had booked. We all had the same list of things we wanted to see in Strahan, so it worked out well.

The next day (first day in Strahan), we were booked onto a Gordon river cruise. We were a bit concerned that the cruise might not run, as the weather was very wet and windy, but apparently that is not unusual for Strahan (annual rainfall of approx 3 meters!). The cruise took us down the Gordon river to Sarah Island. Sarah Island was a convict settlement for "re-offenders", or convicts who committed further crimes after arriving in Australia. The island is very small, and fairly bleak. There is not much of the settlement left, just the foundations. The tour guide told us about the history of the settlement, including the mutiny. The settlement was eventually closed down and a new settlement opened up at Port Arthur. It was pouring rain while we were there (I was very glad of my rain coat and umbrella) so I didn't take any photos.

The next stop was Heritage landing. This is a loop track/boardwalk, through native rain forest, including stands of Huon pines. Apparently Huon pine is very prized by shipbuilders and other wood workers for it's natural ability to repel pests. As a consequence, after massive amounts of logging, there is not a lot of Huon pine left, and logging of Huon pine is now illegal, except for removal of deadfall. At Heritage landing the rain eased off a bit, so here are some photos.

Boardwalk

A section of a Huon Pine

A stand of Huon Pine

Views from the Boardwalk

Here are some views of the Gordon River. The wake from the boat looks very brown because of tannin which seeps into the water from native plants.

I get fairly sea sick, and the water was fairly rough, due the weather. I had taken some seasickness tablets, but by the end of the trip I was starting to feel pretty exhausted. Once we got back to the cabin, I lay down and was asleep for the rest of the day.

Mirror mirror on the dresser

To make up for the gloom of my last post, I thought I would post about a successful DIY project.

The task, remove the mirror from the old and falling apart dresser I was replacing, and attach it to the new chest of drawers I had purchased.

Step 1. Remove mirror from backing (easy, just take the clips off and lift the mirror off).
Step 2. Remove the backing board from the dresser. A bit harder as the backing board was attached to the dresser with two pieces of wood and nails.
Old Dresser

Step 3. Remove the two lengths of wood from the backing board without breaking the backing board (tool employed, claw hammer).
Step 4. Purchase two new, longer, lengths of wood. The length to allow the backing board to sit on top of the chest of drawers, while the pieces of wood were touching the ground (to provide good support).
Step 5. Nail the two new pieces of wood to the backing board.
Step 6. Attach the backing board (and pieces of wood) to the back of the chest of drawers. The method I used was to purchase some metal strips, designed to be bent into brackets, and then bend them into brackets. I carefully measured where I wanted the backing board to sit on the chest of drawers. I used gaffer tape to hold the backing board and lengths of wood in place temporarily. I drilled holes for screws in the sold wood at the top and base of the chest of drawers, then used self tapping screws to attach the brackets (and the strips of wood), to the back of the chest of drawers.

Step 7. Put the mirror back onto the backing. Job done!

Sewage outflow - in my backyard!

Woke up on Good Friday, still with a nasty head cold, and climbed into the shower. My parents, who had very sweetly decided to drop round to give me an Easter egg (but hadn't warned me they were coming, with the result that I was in the shower when they arrived), were unable to attract my attention by ringing the doorbell, so they went around the back to try knocking on the back door. At this point they noticed sewage running over the edge of the gulley trap. Once I got out of the shower and let them in, they informed me of this rather revolting fact :(.

They were able to reassure me that this was a not uncommon problem, and was often caused by tree roots growing into the sewage pipe. Given the recent drought, the local trees may well have been targeting any possible water source, with great energy, so tree roots could well be the cause.

Fortunately the sewage was not completely blocked, s0 I was still able to use small amounts of water, such as washing my hands, or flushing the toilet, without causing an overflow. Given the difficulty, not to mention expense, of getting a plumber out on a public holiday, I decided to put up with the problem until the following Tuesday. I did have motivation for very, VERY short showers tho! Given the water restrictions and drought this was probably not a bad thing :)

Well, the plumber came out on Wednesday morning and cleared the blockage. He wasn't sure if there was also a problem in the water company's main, so he told me to keep an eye on it.

My first experience with something like this. A definite downside to home owning :(.

Tasmania 3

The next day, my brother and Aunt were flying back home, and my parents and their friends were driving to Strahan. I was also driving to Strahan, but in a separate car.

I headed off mid-morning, and on my way to Deloraine, I stopped off in Westbury to have a look at the Westbury Maze.

I can't say I was very impressed. The maze corridors were very narrow, which was claustrophobic, and I picked up a few scratches on my arms from constantly brushing against the walls of the maze. It only took about 10 minutes to find my way to the center, and 5 minutes back, so it was a pretty easy maze.

After Westbury, I headed on for Deloraine. I randomly ran into my parents and their friends there, (we hadn't planned to meet up) so we had lunch together, and I went to see the Yarns (artwork in silk) exhibition with Mum and M. Dad and H went off to find a coffee shop while they waited. The Yarns exhibition is four large panels of Embroider and silk painting, representing images from around the area. As a (very amateur) embroiderer, it was fascinating to see the various styles used, from cross stitch, to tapestry, to ribbon embroidery and more. For anyone interested in needle crafts it is well worth a visit.

After Deloraine, my parents headed off directly to Strahan, while I decided to stop at Mole Creek on the way. I didn't have time left to visit the Mole Creek caves, but I did have time to stop at the Trowunna Wildlife Park. Trowunna specialises in rescuing injured wildlife and nursing the animals back to health. This means that the only animals permanently resident at the park are animals which were too badly injured to survive in the wild, and animals which are being kept as part of breeding programs to try to preserve species. They have a number of enclosures, including a nocturnal enclosure. While I was there they had spotted Quols, an Echidna, a couple of Bald Eagles (apparently they had been wounded by shotguns, and had trouble flying), and a number of different types of birds.

If you look at the photo above to the right, you can see a Tasmanian Devil lying in the sun. I was fascinated by the shape of the foot, which is almost human in shape.

After wandering around the park on my own for a while I joined a tour, and was shown a number of the animals. I was given the chance to pat a wombat, a koala, and a Tasmanian Devil.

The wombat was rescued when his mother was killed by a car, and was getting close to the time when he would be leaving. The picture shows him being held by the park ranger who was leading the tour.

The fur was very coarse, which makes sense for a burrowing animal.

The Koala I was able to pat was one of a colony kept at the park as part of a breeding program. Apparently Koala's are not found native to Tasmania. This colony came from Victoria, to be kept as a reserve population, during a period when the Koala's in Victoria were being hit hard by an illness.

The fur was a bit softer than the wombat's fur, but still fairly coarse. Definitely coarser than dog fur.

The last type of animal I was able to pat was a young Tasmanian Devil. In this case, the Ranger started by feeding the Devil's in the enclosure. They were fed with whole rat carcases, which a number of the tour group found too disturbing. Tassie Devils are messy eaters! In the end, only myself and one other man were still there (both of us obviously fascinated), when the ranger picked one of them up, and took it out to us to pat.

The fur was the softest of the three types of animal (koala, Wombat, tassie Devil), and was similar to dog fur.

By this time it was getting fairly late, and I still had a long drive ahead of me to reach Strahan by that evening. Trowunna was worth it though, definitely the highlight of my trip to date.