Every moment is a fresh beginning

Things are moving pretty quickly in my flat now and it is amazing to see the transformation. Even from the other side of the world, I can see that we have given my flat a completely new life. Finally, it is starting to look like a beautiful home, rather than a demolition site!

Our vision is coming to life and it feels quite thrilling. Just like the impending Spring, the flat is in a season of renewal. Things are still chilly at Bute, but even the views look more sunny!

As you may recall, the walls in the flat posed a significant challenge for us right from the start of this journey. We found hidden mould, hideous wall paper and some pretty dodgy workmanship. Along the way, we discovered two concealed fireplaces and plenty of very uneven surfaces.

After a lot of work stripping out the old, and a magnificent plaster job, the walls are now looking pretty damn sharp! This has never been more evident than this week, as the paint is now being applied.

We happily welcomed back our old mates, Dave and Ritchie - the master plasterers. Their talents extend well beyond plaster to painting, and they are now adorning their excellent plaster workmanship with some fresh paint. Don't they look thrilled to be back!!

First they did a great job of prepping. I love how you can also appreciate the new cornices and architraves in these photos. I hope that Shaun, Trish and my brother Cam appreciate my use of the correct terms too. I am definitely learning!

But just look at how incredibly different the walls look with the white under coat. Now all of the work before this stage makes sense - the flat already looks so significantly improved from when we first opened the front door.

If you are looking at the gaping hole for the fire place and wondering what we are going to do there, well wonder no more. This week, we found the perfect mantlepiece for the fireplace, courtesy of the Bute Buy and Sell page on facebook. I am very proud to have found this myself, all the way from Australia. The wonders of modern technology!

Trish, who is also a woman of action, quickly checked the measurements and confirmed that it was the right size. Before you could blink, we had made the purchase and now this little beauty is waiting to be installed. I am very pleased at our incredible find - and especially as it is pre-loved from another home on Bute.

Although I do love a white wall (the entire interior of my house in Brisbane is painted white), we are going for a different look for the Kyles of Bute flat. The vision has always included sage green walls. And in a tantalizing preview of what is to come, Trish sent me these photos this morning.

I can't wait to see what the flat looks like, painted in this beautiful sage colour. I feel enormously grateful to Trish, Shaun and the team of experts that they have assembled on Bute. The flat is well on its way to becoming the gorgeous home that it was destined to be.

Ps. The quote "Every moment is a fresh beginning" is from T.S.Eliot