The Christmas break list

This Christmas I've got grand plans.

Not so much for the day itself, but for the days that follow.  You see I've made a list (checked it twice) of things I want to get done around the home this Christmas break.

Some of these things have been sitting on the list for a while now (years even), but sometimes it feels the only time you actually have the time to get things done is the period after Christmas before heading back to work for the new year.

Will my home look like this by the end of the Christmas break? Probably not.

I'm off to a strong start and have already repainted two set of stairs at my unit block.   It's something that I've been wanting to do for a while to help protect the wooden stairs.   Surprisingly it didn't take long to do at all.  

Though I think seeing me slave away with a paint brush this weekend made the other owners and tenants feel uncomfortable... so they all got in their cars and headed out for the two days.

I'm also tackling the common gardens.   This has been a work-in-progress for about five years but it feels like it's finally getting some momentum.  

Taming / poisoning the garden is also on the list

When I bought my unit here the gardens were heavily overgrown and there were parts out the back that I'm pretty sure hadn't seen a human since the first European settlers.  

So with a trusty pruning saw and heaps of tree poison, it's starting to take shape.   I'm not ashamed to admit this has taken a bit of a toll on me.  I've got a fair few scratches and I seem to have a unique knack of dropping things on my feet - from tools to tree trunks and most things in between.

A water feature perhaps?

When other owners see me fell large branches and labouriously chop them up into small pieces to fit into the green wheelie bin, they sometimes say I should leave all this gardening business to the gardener.  

That sounds like a great idea!  Except we don't have a gardener.  I'm not sure who else they've seen pottering around the garden but I'm pretty sure it's just been me, my saw and poison for the past five years.

Should I put a moat in? It would certainly help keep people away

But it isn't just outside areas that are on the to-do list this Christmas (and yes, there is a daily list).  I've decided (foolishly?) to repaint my interior walls.   It's only a two-bedroom unit so how hard could it be? 

Yes.  Well.   Let's say it's taking longer than I expected.  Probably because I'm trying to still live in the unit while this happens.   I've almost done one coat of my bedroom walls and the end result is not looking too bad.  

To be honest I'm a bit like Mr Bean painting - a clumsy comedy of errors where I often step on the paint tin lid, lean on painted walls, drip paint on the carpet etc.

Picking the right colour.   Always hard to find the right shade for you.

The real winner from all these endeavours is my local Bunnings store, which I now seem to visit more than I do the supermarket.  I'm now on "knowing smile" terms with the checkout lady.  She's used to seeing me pop in several times a day picking up something else I had forgotten to pick up earlier.  And thanks to the lovely lady at the paint counter I confirmed that Lexicon Quarter, not White on White or Peplin, was the right white for me.

I'm guessing I may be spilling a bit of paint and a few tears during the next two weeks, but with a bit of luck and co-ordination my home will be looking refreshed... even if I don't.