Finished our New Year DIY project to get the messy laundry tidied up. Got tradies in for the tricky stuff, just doing the painting and tiling mi’sen. Quite happy with the result, just waiting on a floor covering to hide the terracotta tiles.

The Duchess had another brush with fame** this week when she was interviewed for an article on Nu Zild’s premier/only news website, discussing the pros and cons of increased property prices in our little corner of Upper Hutt.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/housing-affordability/127518159/the-upper-hutt-suburb-that-went-from-ugly-duckling-to-the-biggest-housing-price-jump-in-wellington

The journo did take references to “we” to mean that we’re married, otherwise it’s a fair piece. And don’t be getting carried away by the values given – most of that still belongs to the bank!

** Previous brushes with fame include appearing on a British TV dating show (not Blind Date), danced in the background of a music video on MTV and was the focus of an article in The Sun (not Page 3, Dad)

Needing to water the garden every other evening to make up for the lack of rain.

Not easy when Penny decides she wants a drink from the hose – for about half an hour.

Almost halfway through January and not missing the booze too much, even after a frustrating work day.

Helps that the alcohol-free beers are much nicer these days …

Ouch. Rogue line breaks do it for me.

Six months after ordering it (and tbh forgetting what it looked like) our new new sofa has been delivered.

Spent most of the morning moving furniture around to make room. Old Old (dog bed) sofa went to the kitchen for a while before we put it on Trademe on February when the student flats need kitting out.

Old New sofa went to the dining area as a makeshift sitting room until we decide what to do with it.

Batshit Crazy Coloured sofa stayed in the hallway.

I took a punt on spending $20 on a set of Super Slider thingies – shiny plastic pads you put under heavy furniture legs so they glide easily across the floor. Money well spent! The Duchess was pushing Old Old sofa around with one hand!

So nice to be rid of 2021, even if nothing has really changed. Fresh starts and all that. I hope you have all had a relaxing and low-stress Christmas and that we are all heading out of the gloom and back to a degree of normality and hope.

While Christmas dinners in the NZ sun remain jarring to a Brit I am enjoying the New Year break with the Summery weather we are currently experiencing. Here’s the New Year’s Day dog walk, for example.