21 July 2008

How we shall LAND the dream...

OK, so yesterday I said I would post photos and a map of where we plan to build our home you just toured through. Well, without wanting to disappoint- here it is.

I might just note that the videos that were loaded were recorded in 20 second bits so that we could load them easily onto Blogger.....

The northern suburb of Orange where we plan to purchase our block of land is next to the Botanic Gardens and has views to Mt Canobolas. On the day these photos were taken, however, it was just starting to rain and so the fog and cloud cover obscure the view to Canobolas

This is the view facing north- which we will have our garage entry off the cul de sac, the lounge room, and family meals are facing this direction. Scotty's shed will be against the bedroom on that side of the house and will have an under cover area joined to the entertaining area with a 2nd driveway down the back part of the yard for access to the workshop (the real workshop this time, the shed- where men's business takes place)

The house will be one of three on Nerine Close off of Lantana Place. This is the other side of Nerine Close which is a paddock for a local farmer and will not be developed.
The car is parked on Lantana Pl and faces the turn onto Nerine Close. Ours will be the corner lot and the entrance to the garage and driveway will be just ahead of the car's nose you see in this photo. (we think- at this stage anyway!)
This is the block of land and the back of the area where Scotty is standing is the edge, so the block is flat at the top of a small hill/rise. Just over Scotty's right shoulder the land drops away and so the homes built on that cul de sac will be slightly lower than us. The clouds above Scott's head are actually blocking Mt Canobolas. Our house will face toward where I am standing, however and the bedrooms will look to Canobolas.
This is the other edge of the block which will be where the 2nd driveway goes through the yard to the Shed. If I continued looking left there, you would see with your Superman x-ray vision the CBD of Orange. Right now, it looks to the empty space owned by Dept of Ed which means a school will eventually be built there.
This is looking back down Lantana Place to stage 2 of the development which as you can see is underway. Our block is on Stage 4 and will not commence for some time. The trees you see on the crest of that hill beyond the homes being built is the Botanic Gardens- so our walks with the kids will be VERY enjoyable!

Here are the house plans and they are aspected on the block so that you can see how the house will sit on the land pictured above. These you will have to click to see more detailed and larger view. The picture immediately below does not have Scotty's shed. The second photo below does. The Shed will be attached to bedrooms on the end here on the far left.
This picture is the block of land as it sits in relation to Lantana Place. Lantana Place is along the edge with the compass on it and the curve shows where the block becomes Nerine Close. It is great as we have full northerly exposure along the living areas. (the entertaining area, the workshop, the family room and meals area and lounge room) Perfect.

The only imagining you will have to do will be to rotate the garage so that the cars enter the garage from Lantana Pl and not Nerine Close....

I have been on Google maps to get you a map of the area and because Gardens Estate is so new, it is not seen on the map! We can scan the developers map and post it here instead. I will include a google map so that you may zoom around Orange and see our community, but I will include the estate map also so you can see where we will be. We had 3 on our list (that is the happy faces I drew on the paper) but decided (after very little debate) on Nerine Close. In fact, we saw 14 and 19 Begonia Place first and then simply found Nerine Close after leaving Begonia!


here is Bletchington our new suburb:

View Larger Map

Have fun with our maps and drawings and thanks for sharing our dream!!! We will make a decision when we get back from Canada and start looking more closely at money and other critical factors..... but for now, it is the plan- and we like it!!


20 July 2008

Dreams- they may be grand, but they feel so good


Last Sunday Scotty and I decided to take a drive around Orange and view the possibilities..... You see, Scott does not like the idea of my driving to Orange and back each day to work. Well, we have been talking about getting a house here in Bathurst and have been looking at property for some time. We thought that when we get back from Canada we would look more closely at the situation. After having spent a couple of months commuting, we thought we would decide if we would stay in Bathurst and find a place or look for something in Orange.

As it turns out, we came across something we absolutely loved straight away (well, we have been looking for a while- just ask mum who has all the emailed photos and Sam at Scott's work who helps him rate the links I send for his approval). But when it came down to the actually pounding the pavement and walking through a house- we only walked through one.

In fact, we had not even intended to see this. A colleague of mine gave me the paper on my way to lunch with Scott on the morning we were setting out last Sunday. I had our list of possibles with me and we were going to drive by each and make a short list for contacting agents- when we were eating lunch, we saw an ad we could not believe. It was open 11am-3pm Sunday (it was presently just on 2pm as we sat in Hog's Breath Cafe eating lunch.)

It is at times like these when things just fall in your lap.

Let me show you around our dream....... Welcome, to our new home:

This is the front door; on the other side of that flax, there....
When you get on the inside of the gate on the other side of the flax, you have a beautiful timber and glass door which is really wide which opens onto a wonderful entry into the home of our dreams- yup- that is me back there at the back of the house!!!

I love the turquoise wall- don't you?
That is the entry hallway- looking at the family room back wall, just past the dining room (on your left) and lounge room (on your right)
The study you see here is on your right immediately as you open the door. For the display home here, the garage has been converted to the office for the building firm and is accessed through the study....

As Scotty calls this, the workbench.... he is so embarrassing. We are including video and commentary at the end of the photos....
This room is large enough for a game of footy....

Standing in the same place as in the photo above, the photographer (AKA Scott) has simply turned another 45 degrees or so- so that you may see the walk through robe to the ensuite from this position in the bedroom (aka workshop)

There are two vanities and two showerheads in this bathroom- somehow I think we needed two toilets....



Me in my happiest place- the wardrobe!
I think I might be staying "STOP! No admittance for YOU!"

or something like that....

Back in the hallway entrance is the linen press (outside our door, across from the study) and there is a powder room for guests.
Ok, we have now left the workshop and are walking toward the back of the house- this is the dining room

And across the hall, the lounge room

Now we are at the back of the main house, and this is the family room and meals area- I love that table- that would be our GAME TABLE!!!

The alfresco area is not covered in here, we will have a covered entertaining area to the left and across the side I am facing:

Can you tell that I love the kitchen!

Looking back to the front entry:
Here is Jen admiring the kitchen that I just LOVE


All of the bedrooms (except ours) and the laundry and main bathroom are off of the family room down a separate hallway. The hallway door is to the right of this photo- let's take a peek:


Here is the kids bedroom. It is presently the size of our bedroom on Ribbon Gum Pl. It does not show it well here, but this room is actually 3.7 x 4m

Who is this crazy person in my bath???!!!

Oh, that is just me, I had to check to see if I needed to order a LONGER one- you know, I am so tall and all....



This is where Scott THINKS is the kids' bedroom.....he has news coming- if he is getting his shed- the kids are getting THEIR room! Sam said they should have their OWN room, as we have the space for it, but I am not greedy- plus they like to snuggle up...

Inside bedroom 4: this is 3.5 x 3.5m- Scott has his back to the window here but we will have a sliding door instead and this leads out onto the entertaining deck.

This the last bedroom (Bedroom 3) which is also about 3.7x 3.7m anyway, it has a pretty big wardrobe.....
Back out the hallway to look once more upon my divine kitchen:




We went outside in the cold- the winter day did not provide sun, unfortunately and so the pictures are gloomy but it was our last opportunity to get back to the display home before heading overseas and so these shots will have to do. I think I am saying to Scott at this point that I am cold and heading back into the central heating.....

Next I will post the land we will purchase to build on and a map of where you can find us....

Please enjoy your walk through our home with Scotty on the following videos:
























14 July 2008

17 Sleeps

I just thought, as I start my new week, I would share the exciting news:

17 Sleeps until Scotty and I take off for Newfoundland!!!

YAY!

We are so looking forward to seeing everyone and of being able to show Juanita and Scott the beauty that is Newfoundland and Labrador.

We are looking forward to 'the re-enactment' as we get married in NL and celebrate with my friends and family.

We can not wait to see (and for Scott to meet in some cases) mum and dad, Chris, Andrea, Hilary, Aiden, Robbie, Trinity, Lindsey, Nan, Aunt Ruth, Uncle Wayne, Les, Jordan, Aunt Max, Uncle Rob, Mandy, Reese, Aunt Sue, Aunt Lin, Aunt Bren and Brian, Aunt Brudy and Uncle Juice, Auntie Gwen and Uncle Dave, Uncle Bill, Nana, Lindsay, Bob, Nathan and Alex, Erin, Muggs, Joan and Rex, Bev and Doug, Marjorie and Jim, Maxine and Trevor and Tavian, Evelyn and Peter, Shona and Volker, Lynn Dyson, and of course my other sister, JUANITA!!!!

YAY!

As you can tell, with this most happy thought, I am starting my week on the right foot.

Hope you are as well!
love Jen- the Lost Newf....

12 July 2008

Happy Birthday, dad!

In fine Janes fashion, for dad's birthday this week, Scotty and I got him something WE wanted!

Happy birthday, dad!

We got a new TV!

I got this pathetically sweet text message on Friday at work that sort of went like:
"Interested ina new TV? Full high def LCD $1000 with free $700 PS3 for blue ray movies."

My reply, of course was:
"Dear god, call me direct and tell me what that means in English."

I think it means, Honey we are getting a new TV!

So, I get home Friday night from work and the Harvey Norman van was parked out the front- not a good sign. Scott drives a 4WD Toyota Land Cruiser Prado- it is big. It fit gear for 6 adults, 4 dogs, 4 adults, and 4 dogs for 5 days camping and it could not fit this TV..... hmmmm

So I get into the house figuring to see the thing set up already, as he was a little eager. As it turns out he needed help to move the old fat thing (the TV not me on this occassion) and bring in the new slim TV.

We did that, no worries, and here is the best bit: the box. Boxes are so clever these days. Do you see the two rectangles at the top (AKA bottom) of the box in the photo on the lounge? Well those are not hand holds- they are the screw plug things for the bottom. You stand the box on the table, unscrew the plug and lift the box off the TV- CLEVER.



I know it does not take much to amuse me. I thought the box was a very clever design.

So then we placed it on the stand. Now, our lounge room is pretty small, we live in a terraced townhouse and don't have much space and I am always griping and grumbling (apparently) about the amount of room the damn TV takes up. Well, this thing is not going to give us that trouble any longer!




It is 42 inches of high definition LCD TV of the year, the new X series features Motionflow 100Hz, (Whatever that is) which Scott tells me reproduces fast moving videos sequences with life like smoothness. (I thought all television and motion picture did this unless it was Thunderbirds...) The new X series also features a full HD1080 resolution, 10 bit panel & BRAVIA Engine PRO

According to the paperwork with the box are the following key features:
I can now rest easy knowing that I have a second generation backlight.... or something or other.

Ginny was sat on the floor with me taking it all in.... like me, she did not realise that the tv was actually bEHIND her...


And of course, it comes with another *$%@ remote


Because we did this Friday night when I really just wanted to sit down and eat my kebab, I decided to take photos Saturday morning. Sash was pretty keen to see what all the fuss was also...

Whereas Neville was quite happy to stay in on the bed in a heated bedroom on a fleece blanket which was piled just-so to form his perfect path to spiritual enlightenment nest.

Ta-da! Happy Birthday, Vic- from Scotty with love
I know it is winter outside and mum is asking where is all the snow! We will be in Newfoundland in 18 sleeps and are escaping our cold winter to go to Summer in Canada and learned this morning that the temps will be comparable- that is about right. Knowing our luck, at least it will be an opportunity to show off Canada and NF to Scotty and for us to catch up with family and friends- can't wait.



I have not told Ginny Weasley that we are going yet.... she might need some counselling, I think....

I don't think she will be the only one in therapy, Scotty will join her for grief and loss counselling as he will obviously be missing his tv! haha

Better get going and grab some tea- it is Sunday night and Scotty just arrived with tea and movies for (you guessed it) his new tv.....

Happy Birthday dad!

See you soon, mate!