Friday, July 1st (Part 3) …..

No, your eyes do not deceive you; here is a third episode on the first day of the new financial year. Is it a New Year’s Resolution? Not likely!

We now have the house the way we want it: comfortable and with many of our ‘treasures’ around us. The kitchen is nicely designed and we have brought in a new fridge and microwave. There is a dishwasher but it isn’t working and we’re now considering whether we will bother getting it fixed. Marilyn has bought some new utensils and I have a new set of knives, so there’s a real feeling of a fresh beginning about the place. We are sorely in need of a pantry; there is a space for it but Graeme and Patsy didn’t bother going to that expense. However, this is on the top of our list.

The lounge room is the heart of the house. It’s a big room with plenty of space for our 3-piece suite and a nice oval dining table. I’ve set up my desk on one wall and there’s still room to spare. Marilyn decided that we needed a bit more desk space so we checked the Officeworks catalogue and bought a simple 1400mm desk with a filing cabinet pedestal underneath. Of course, it came in a flat pack with pages of instructions. I’ve made quite a few similar pieces of furniture in the past so this one wasn’t too daunting and looks quite professional. I can’t imagine how anyone can make a profit out of selling two pieces of furniture for $99, packed carefully with bags of screws, dowels, casters, etc and even a little bottle of wood glue, and then shipped from Malaysia. How much do they pay their workers?

Yesterday, I brought all our collection of pottery up from the shed. Every piece has a story to tell and reminds us of a particular stage in our lives. There are pieces we brought from Chakola, and even a cheese dish made by Jim Dorrington many years ago. Jamie, at Chakola when he was young, made a cup with an over-size handle, which we keep on display. When we moved to Hobart, we met a potter called Helen Palmer who made us a dinner set, Unfortunately, most of it has been broken but there are still a few bits left, including a nice vase and a jug and sugar bowl. There are also some other nice functional pots bought during that period, including an ocarina shaped like an echidna.

In Townsville we bought a jug from a Dutch potter who was influenced by the Delft tradition so her jug has a blue glaze. There’s a spikey fish also from Townsville and several pieces by a potter called Len who worked at Paluma. He was a truck-driver who was introduced to pottery by his girl-friend and all his stuff was wood-fired. He visited the local farmers, offering to pull down their old fences if he could keep the wood, so he had a good supply of old, dry hardwood, excellent for firing.

From Townsville we moved to Mittagong and had access to the fabulous Sturt Gallery and among the pieces we bought there is a stunning rectangular bowl by Andy Barrett-Hegan. As well, we have a couple of sake jugs my father bought in Japan and a nice little Kaga vase from Kanazawa. Our friend, Kit, gave us a very interesting little pot made in Laguna, Philippines. These familiar things are a delight to have around.

It’s also a delight to have our favourite paintings on the walls. We bought some lithographs on a cruise once, very large and dramatic, and they look terrific in this house. A painting by Sue Wilmot who was my Art Teacher at Gib Gate hangs over our bed, and a print of Helen Wiltshire’s Çlowns and Clams’ in the kitchen reminds us of our time on the barrier reef. I have a poster of Streeton’s ‘From McMahon’s Point, fare one penny’ but we can’t find space for a couple of water colours by Edward Warner, who painted from the 1930’s to the 1950’s. Our friend Jim was given several paintings by his widow, and shared them among his friends. We were lucky enough to receive two.

We bought a new bed to furnish our bedroom and, with the wine tables we have had for years acting as bedside tables, it is very comfortable. Marilyn had a hall table for her bits and pieces but today we replaced it with a tea trolley made by an old friend, Bill Middleton, whom we used to visit at Waddamana. It’s a really good example of bush carpentry and we treasure it, even though it’s been re-glued a number of times.

There’s one other little room which Graeme and Patsy intended as a study but we have made it into a single-bed sleeping nook for the occasional visitor. All-in-all, the house meets our needs very well and we hope to have lots of dinner parties and other gatherings in years to come.