Frère Jacques

Tasmania

 We just had 6 days in Tasmania and finally met our newest little cousin Alfie.    The kids had a blast together.

USA 2016

I've been getting some pressure from certain members of the Pod of P's reading community to post some pictures from our USA trip (you know who you are!).  So here are a few, in totally random order!

Eli and Mummy's first trip to Fenway park!

Trying to keep cool in DC.

Hanging out at the National Building Museum Iceberg exhibit.

Hello sweet little cousin Isabella.

Molly and her 'Favourite Daddy Shane'

Doug and the kids in DC.

Little Red Sox fans in their matching t shirts from Yiayia.

Golden Gate Bridge.

Haight Street.

National Air and Space Museum with Sebastian.

The White House.

Another museum... I can't remember the name.

Same museum.

Catching up with old friends in SF.  The Gerbelot Family.

The Jim!

Concord kids.

Thank goodness for ipads!

 With Jen and Juliette in Golden Gate Park

 Bubbles with Lyliend.

 Lands End trail..strange to be back.

 Little Lyliend.

 All the way from Montreal.  Delphine, Etienne and their gang.

 With Pepere.

 Pregnant Jess.

 The toy of the century.  Magnet tiles from Yiayia.

 'Formal' pics in DC!

Kitchen makeover

We didn't realise when we bought this house just how bad the kitchen was.  We saw the view and the deck and I think that blinded us to anything else that we should have noticed!  It didn't take us long to decide that living with the kitchen the way it was for a few years wasn't really an option so in January the old kitchen came out (including asbestos) and the new kitchen started going in..........
Here's the old kitchen with black tiled floor.  

 This is the view from the living/dining area.  The kitchen is behind that wall.

At the end of January we started putting in the ikea cabinets.

And by Easter we had half a kichen but no stove.

Then at Easter the Master Builder Extraordinaire GFK arrived.  With trusty babysitter G Jops!  They had quite the load!

First the posts went up to support the roof and the plastic to try and control the dust.

 Then the awful wall separating the kitchen from the living room came down.

Then there was precision work needed to prepare for the huge beam.

Next the other side of the kichen.

 With the most beautiful piece of artwork in our house... the custom made bench top that GFK make from a tree he cut down 20 years ago.

Unfortunately G Jops and GFK had to leave after 10 days of non stop work but the day before they left another beam went up and the 2 ugly posts into the living room came down.

We've been working on it bit by bit and have lots of painting, trim work and finishing to do.  We're pretty happy with how it came out though.  Most importantly it has changed the whole dynamic of the house.  Being in the kitchen is now a great place to be and you no longer feel like you have to go and spend some time in prison just to cook dinner!  We can't thank GFK and G Jops enough.