A month and a day has passed since my previous IMK post; the boxes have been packed, shifted to Taylors Arm, stacked in the shed, sorted, unpacked into the house, some re-packed & re-stacked in the shed for another day.
Four years ago we shifted between similar city apartments but last month’s packing up and moving to our holiday-furnished house in the Nambucca Valley was quite a different experience, one we hadn’t fully considered the extent of. We had pre-shifted and cleared furniture in the house to make room for our city apartment furniture but hadn’t given enough thought to the contents of cupboards and drawers. On day 2 after making less progress than I’d hoped and realising I was simply moving things from one place to another, creating piles & avalanches, resorting to crying while doing so, I emptied out into the shed what we weren’t immediately using and unpacked only what we would.
While I was doing this, the G.O. -whose heretofore hidden talents courtesy of a stint packing up deceased estates for a second-hand dealer wrapping crockery also were a marvel- was working his handyman magic on the kitchen boxes, installing components to make the kitchen everyday functional. Despite his progress being impeded by missing or questionable quality bits n’ pieces, and every job taking longer than it should’ve he would not be beaten. The kitchen is now complete with shelves, drawers, useful hooks, magnetic knife rack, hanging racks, smoke alarm and the long-awaited tap. The practical expertise behind my creative ideas, the G.O. also lined my very old Newling’s cordial boxes with lino, and created a new kitchen stool seat from a cheeseboard.
But the kitchen is what saved me. In the midst of the chaos I found myself at the bench chopping several bagsful of tomatoes from my step-FiL along with onions & garlic from the neighbours and basil from the garden for slow cooker sauce, as well as making pineapple icy-poles, ginger biccies, icecream and Christmas food. Familiar tasks which centred me.
I managed to hook up our wi-fi internet on the first Sunday while the G.O. was having a well deserved snooze but the combined influence of an unfortunately timed Windows 10 upgrade-familiarisation along with ongoing homemaking, gardening, an impromptu 4 day visit from my youngest sister & 8 month old niece delayed our return to real day-to-day life.
I wasn’t sure if I’d manage but I’ve just scraped in before the 10th of the month IMK cut-off for my first post from Taylors Arm. Thanks to Maureen at The Orgasmic Chef for taking over hosting of the monthly In My Kitchen and the blogging community for the inspiration & virtual company they provide. Special thanks to Mary, Kate & Celia for the lovely cards & housewarming gifts.
I’m looking forward to upcoming weeks of more holidaying & less house-work, and catching up with the blog world which during the past month I’ve missed and popped into far less than I’d have liked, in far too few spare moments.
For glimpses of our new life you can see my Instagram snapshots on the right and if you are an Instagrammer, you can find me at dalelee011, and the G.O. at welshy055.
daleleelife101.blog 
Lovely to think of you settling into that warm and welcoming house for good. I look forward to hearing all about it in a month’s time!
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Had we just been on holiday we would have been heading back to Sydney today, but -lovely thought- we’re staying on… By early Feb all the memories and reminiscences should be happy tales 🙂
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So glad to see you settling in. That cheese board stool seat is very clever! It all looks so homely and practical, but I’d love to put my camera to work with still life set ups! Glad you got signed onto the Internet too! There’s always so much to do when you move, even in one planned as well as yours. Enjoy, enjoy! Am loving the Instagram photos too!
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The stool is great because we have another stepping-stool which means we can now eat quick lunches at the bench together. I’m happy to be settled enough to spend incrementally more time in the blog world, and potter around the house rather than work at it… things are looking up 🙂
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I missed your posts EllaDee and I was thinking about you. I’m glad you’re settling in and finding solice in the kitchen. Good luck and a happy New Year.
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Thank you. I’m so happy to be moved but I’ve missed the company of the blogging community. I see a couple of your posts, which I’m looking forward to catching up with 🙂
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Love your personal touches, the stool and the lino drawers. You have loads of gadgets and things. Your pan rack is not dissimilar to my kitchen where we have pans (and colander and sieve) hanging on the walls.
One of my pals is looking for slow cooker recipes, I hate them, but do you have any top recipe tips?
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Thank you. Our stuff has found us over the years -only a few items are really new- so the feel is very lived in. I love kitchenalia & gadgets but try very hard to balance it with usefulness & available space. I really love the slow cooker for veges. If they have enough freezer space they can make tomatoes (in lieu of buying tinned), pumpkin etc soup, stock, caramelised onions and so on. I use the same ingredients as for stovetop/oven but add less/no additional liquid.
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Congratulations Ella Dee- breath out now, you are home and judging by the lovely pics, you are where you should be. It all looks so lovely and lush up your way too. What a beautiful kitchen.
My email is morgana3761@gmail.com. I need to know your address as I have a small thing to send. I am aware of all those things in your shed so I will be careful not to add to your clutter. xx
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Thank you. We’re starting to relax & enjoy the move now. I’m loving the functionality of the kitchen after planning it for so long. Some of the shed stuff will go into a caravan, other will be kept for spares, and the rest will go to new homes via the local charity shop… but sorting it is a job for another day. It is amazingly green up here, even my eyes are still becoming accustomed to life in the sub-tropics. I’ll be in touch 🙂
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Isn’t it wonderful to be able to get in the kitchen and almost instantly, worries drift away as we begin to chop something. I’m the same way. Your place sounds comfortable and very cheerful and that’s what a home should be. Thanks so much for being part of In My Kitchen!
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Thank you. It was good the kitchen was able to offer me that respite… usually moving house has meant far too many take-away meals. I think chopping is very therapeutic.
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The kitchen and a comfy bed are the two most important parts of any house so you should be good to go from now on. -hugs- And welcome back to the digital world!
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The G.O. put our bed together before he did anything else, then the kitchen table. It’s always been the way 🙂
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Smart man. 🙂
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The hard work and frustration must have been worth it. It looks stunning now. I love the instagram pictures at the side too, you live in a tranquil spot, beautifully rural. You’re going to be very happy there.
xxx Huge Hugs and Happy New Year Both xxx
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Thank you. It’s so nice to be both here unpacked & sorted, and back in the blog world again. I saw your news, and I’ll be popping into to comment soon, but for now… Congratulations 🙂
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Hooray – she’s back! Happy new year and happy new domestic environment and everything. Looking forward to reading all abaht it as a newspaper vendor might or might not say. I love the cheesy (sic) stool and the lino lined boxes. Possibly just a little envious …
Did I say yet it’s still raining here? Will be in touch soon – just recovering from 5 hours in a cold former bin lorry depot sorting out bin bags of clothes, brrr. x
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Thank you. It’s nice to be here but I’ve missed my normalcy of the blog world… if I’d had time it would have been a lovely balm… I love old things and can’t resist upcycling but there’s really not much room for more unless it’s useful. How awful that the UK and US have had horrendous weather, and other parts of Australia bushfires. Ours locally has been on the cool side of summery but perfectly acceptable.
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I am completely in love with that stainless steel counter. I am still saving for mine and now i want it NOW! love the look! Well done you!! c
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The stainless counter was one of the first things were bought for the kitchen, as it had not much in the way of & very narrow countertops. The counter & the deep double sink came from a commercial kitchen wholesaler… which made them much more affordable than retail.
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And a better weight I bet!
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Oh yes, the G.O. had a hell of a time driling the holes into it for the towel rack!
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Thrilled you made the deadline, been wondering how it all has been going. There are some very clever and creative solutions taking place in your kitchen , love seeing how people respond with solutions to ‘problems’. Very sensible prioritising ‘stuff’, I think when we get our kitchen what I have stored as important might just be decidedly not to be. Congrats and enjoy! Cheers, Maree.
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Thank you. The kitchen ideas are one of the upsides of 3 am wakefulness, annoying to be awake but productive. For long term storage, we’re fortunate the shed is close to the house and spare-lesser used stuff stored in tubs easily accessible.
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Ella, it all looks fab. Congratulations on getting it all settled. I especially like your boxes, they looks so cool.
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Thank you. The boxes were luck… I bought them on Ebay with no plans but now they’re really useful. It’s good to be home. If we hadn’t moved we’d have been going back to work today… terrible thought 😉
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Ella, every morning for at least one year after I retired I would think, “How lucky am I? I don’t have to go to work. Yippee.” Will you and the GO look for work in your new home? The GO is in the construction industry, he should be able to find something, shouldn’t he?
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I think we’ll be the same way for a while… our plan is to have some time off and a holiday and then look for work… or let it find us. We’ve both always worked so aim to continue to do so but in scaled back fashion from our city lifestyle.
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I’ve only moved once! Twenty-three years ago when I left my parents and bought a house. We keep talking about moving, but never seem to manage it. I hope you settle in well. All sounds exciting to me 🙂
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Thank you. It’s exciting, lovely to be here and moving is a necessary evil but in the case of positive change not so bad. It’s a fine thing if you’re happy where you are 🙂
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OMG, I know how difficult it is to get settled. I felt like we weren’t getting anywhere. It just goes so slow, that we miss the tiny steps of progress we make. I shed a few tears during the disorganization myself. I dread having to move again when we buy something, as for now, we’re renting.
Sounds like things are coming along. Love the scenic photos on your widgets. May good tidings bless you in your new life there at the old homestead. 🙂
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Thank you. Our settling progresses in stages and fits & starts but we really are so very happy to be here 🙂
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It’s always a busy time moving in and I’m glad you’ve got the kitchen up and running. I love your new home and that stool is great! It’s so good to be handy and do a lot of things yourself 😀
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Everyone kept telling us “you’ve got all the time in the world now” but it’s impossible for us to settle amongst disorder. We’ve slowed down now, alternating projects & relaxation… and hopefully some blog visiting.
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The kitchen looks awesome. Maybe later on you can tag sale or donate your repeat kitchen items?
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Thank you. We’ll do just that, what we don’t keep for spares will go to a charity shop. We’ve already given to friends and neighbours quite a few items we no longer need.
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Your new kitchen looks very inviting. I’m looking forward to more posts as you settle in. Happy New Year and congratulations on the move.
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Thank you. It’s been very nice to catch up with the blog world, and enjoy life post-move 🙂
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I feel your unpacking frustration EllaDee. I have stuff crammed in cupboards from our unpack a few months ago. It’s a battle every time I cook, but cooking is essential for my well being as it is for yours. Sadly my other half isn’t quite as resourceful as the GO.
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I still have shelves of somewhat sorted but not unpacked stuff in the shed but I refuse to cram the house, or go through it again until we have a caravan for which some of it is designated. But when I’ve needed something I’ve been able to find it so it’s been fine for me as secondary storage… but not the G.O. who would love claim it fully except for my agreed space!
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EllaDee, I won’t keep you long… just wanted to say welcome HOME and Happy New Year! (Loved your Scrabble “D”, too!) Enjoy your lil’ slice of heaven… looks like a serene spot and a fabulous kitchen for you. Yay!
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Thank you. Much of the ‘stuff’ in my kitchen are footpath, discard pile, op-shop finds – the D and heart included. It’s amazing what people throw away. We’re slowly carving out more time for living, less for doing.
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It must have been nice to realize that you wouldn’t be returning home, that you were already there — unpacked boxes et al. Welcome home!
PS …Love that you made a sauce amidst the chaos. There may be a Bartolini connection in your bloodline somewhere. 🙂
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Thank you 🙂 I must have a Bartolini spirit… through it all I’ve been cooking, feeding us & stocking the freezer. Your family kept me good company the other day… while I was waiting -4 hours- for the G.O. in the motorcycle shop to take delivery of his new motorcycle I was reading Recipes From The Bartolini Kitchens on my phone, then came home and had meatballs & pasta for dinner!
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Yeah. You’re one of us, all right. Even the G.O. fits in. My cousin and a nephew … er … OUR cousin and a nephew each own cycles. All that’s left is a DNA test but why bother? We don’t need a fancy test to tell us what we already know.
I really do hope you’re enjoying the book, EllaDee. Zia gets such a thrill when I forward comments like yours here. 🙂
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The kitchen looks great! Love the stool. Sounds like you are enjoying the new surrounds – wonderful.
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Thank you 🙂 It’s good we’re finally here full time and settling in.
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Nice to see you are settling in well. I absolutely love the cheese board stool, handy to have a clever G.O. All I went through was the removal of a china cabinet and moving pantries, I can’t imagine moving an entire kitchen, let alone house right now.
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Thank you. The nicest thing I can say above moving, reshuffling interiors is if it’s for a good cause then it’s worth it… otherwise I plan to avoid it evermore!
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It all looks so comfortable. Growing up the old farm houses all seemed to have lace curtains like that. Can just imagine them gently blowing in a breeze. Somehow those just say “home”. Love the stainless. Sigh. Maybe the next house. I think we have identical dish racks. You really are home now.
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Not sure I’d choose lace curtains myself although they fit the style & age of house… but it is comfy & homey… influenced its and our nanna’s 🙂
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