Spent the day weatherproofing the house in preparation for the cold snap. With 13 degrees forecast tomorrow and 12 later in the week, I felt a bit of additional security would be desirable. So ... All the gaps between the new weatherboards and the door surrounds and window surrounds have been filled - the big ones got some expanding foam into them (they really mean expanding I discovered after scraping gallons of the stuff off the weatherboards...). The little ones have been polyfilla'd with silastic in a tube. This had the accidental side-effect of deterring next door from planting the new plants she has arranged in pots along her drive in positions that will effectively provide further obstacles to constructing the fence (and carrying the left-over wood to the designated place of delivery).

Next came the hole in the front door. This being a door recycled from a banking chamber it had a latch inserted in it and holes for the key and the handle cut into the wood. Removing the latch became an issue some time ago as it has a sticky-outy bit that had to be held in place with a nail, with varying degrees of success. That left two one-inch holes through which the wind has been whistling with gay abandon. So today I cut down a bit of wood and shaped it to go into the hole and that is now glued in position. Look Ma! No drafts!!

I have also knocked a bit of quad along the base of the skirting board in the front room to cover the gaps where the floor boards do not quite meet the wall base. So all up, despite the chilly weather, I am hoping to be quite snug, even if I still have not ordered any firewood and am making do with hardwood palings and bits of rotten four be twos. I had intended to cut up the two remaining fence posts, but could not face the prospect of sharpening the chainsaw - again - so have loaded them into the back of the ute to take to quilting tomorrow. Hopefully I can con Caroline's husband into cutting them down into manageable lenghts with his saw - shamelessly helpless female, I know ...

At the top of the chimney in the loungeroom, part of the topmost course of bricks had come adrift and so there was a huge gap between the ceiling and the chimney breast. That is now stuffed with some left-over insulation batts and the difference it makes is quite astonishing (well, logically it shouldn't be, but it is nevertheless). Basically there are now very few drafts indoors and with today's top of 20 degrees this actually became a bit stuffy indoors ... You can't win. So a few of the sash windows are now cracked at the top and will be closed shortly as the evening cools down.

Despite it being pleasantly warm today it has also been threatening rain on and off with the odd spit or two just to put you on the alert. I expect that will intensify over the next few days, judging by all the sheep/bushwalking/road weather alerts that have the tom-toms drumming on the radio. I expect this is why the geese have decided to breed so early - they are under the impression we are entering deepest winter. I had a look in the container (for spare insulation batts and the weather-strips for the door surround) and also discovered the bag of frost blanket I bought while living in Christchurch which has never been used as I can never find it when I need it. It will come in very handy later in the week when the overnight temps drop to one degrees or lower. I never did find the weatherstripping. I know I have some as Wayne kindly delivered it on one of his trips up here, but where it is I can not imagine as I have looked in all the usual places and quite a few unusual ones now... Oh well, when and if the plumber turns up to replace the pump, I will need to go to Hobart to return the old pump, so can get some more of that stuff then.

While rummaging I also found the brass window-opener I bought to make the toplight over the front door openable. I have since discovered that you need the toplight to open outwards so you can use it. Since the toplight would open inwards if it were to open at all, the rod is useless. But wait! The window in the future dining room was to be a fixed panel window. Perhaps I can use this item to make the top section open outwards, thus allowing some ventilation anyhow!! So that is the next logistical challenge on which I will undoubtedly sleep for many a long night to come while i work out the design for the whole thing. So little time, and so many things yet to do. Good thing I mentally allocated five years to getting the place in shape...