Signed, sealed and delivered

Happy Halloween week everyone

http://www.ymcastlouis.org/carondelet-park-rec-complex/events/halloween-hullabaloo-2

Don't dare think for a minute that Hanworth House might not look like this one day - just not this year! It is a year ago this week since we moved into HH for the first time

Here's a look back



30 October 2012 - move in day - who would have ever thought we were in for such a ride!

and this is how we celebrated Halloween last year - the pumpkin is headless because we simply could not find where we put the head!

Stay tuned, I have some surprises in store for Halloween this year - but let's look back now at the last week.

It's up! The sign I told you about last time arrived on time on Wednesday

What's more - it is only up due to some very generous and supportive partners who helped it to be there and I am going to introduce you to each of them in the coming weeks. Pay attention to them because they are VERY good people - and we all should know good people!

Thank you supporters - now everyone knows where Hanworth House is! And the sign will be up until HH's  150th Birthday in July 2014. So look up and say hi when you next go past!

But a sign was not the only progress this week in the land of HH - the carpet carousel was back - hello gorgeous underlay- so great to have you back!

My pulse rate increased even more when the carpet arrived!

I was almost as excited a year ago when carpet was being laid - we have canned the coloured painted walls since then.

But just look at the same room - numero uno which I completed on the weekend

This is Lady Musgrave - we are naming each room after a woman who has been pivotal in the history of the house (another post - another day) but Jeannie or Lady Musgrave was the wife of the Queensland Governor 1883-1888 and attended a wedding at Hanworth House in 1886 when the original owner's daughter Cecilia Heath was married.  I am just saying!

And don't think it was the only room I did on the weekend - here is the second room I did Lilian Cooper

Dr Lilian Cooper came to Queensland during Hanworth time - 1891 to be exact and became the first female doctor registered in Queensland. She is very deserving of a room in her honour.

The limestone mortar is curing - and is really quite attractive!

Even against the soot ridden raspberry wall,  the limestone render is in happy partnership

The entrance hall too

I think Foreman HH needs an ipad soon to replace his archaic notebook!

Flooring is arriving

and the little vents on the roof are going back to their rightful homes

In a fit of carelessness Builder Boy HH left the whiteboard in the rain - so the whiteboard looked different this week as it heralded in week 38

But he quickly redeemed himself by suggesting we should reveal the fireplace in my new office home - fireplace love - before and after shot - miracle worker that he is! I forgive him for the whiteboard misdemeanour!

And I know you are on the edge of your seat wondering how that same room has transformed the last week - this was it after the fire

This was it 10 days ago

And behold the transformation - this is it this week - Builder Boy calls it HH's opera house!

And I know you are wondering if you scale the ladder just what the view from the widow's watch might be - well wonder no more - this is it!

Good morning Brisbane

Good morning Jacaranda clad Churchie!

And I walked Brisbane on Saturday night - the Story Bridge is purple

Brisbane is ablaze with Jacaranda purple

I have just had this old chair recovered - yes in purple

Creative Director HH wore purple to the great Breast Cancer lunch at the Glen Hotel last week

and I am proud to call this gorgeous lady amongst my friends

http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/news/lifestyle/style/fashion/colourful-options-in-march-towards-the-monochrome/2631492.aspx

Dale Spender is awesome and she only wears purple - I am serious - there is NO other colour in her wardrobe and she assure me "undies included" - 35 years ago she decided to wear top to toe purple.

and if you have not been to the new Gasworks - get there quick - I love it and, guess what!

Purple, purple, purple - is the whole of Brisbane going out in sympathy with Hanworth House? I am sure we established the purple logo first - the rest are merely imitating!

But  they say that is the best form of flattery! So I am flattered!

 Even the builder boys were not too proud to stand behind purple to grab this shot at last Friday's "Friday at 4" to capture the moment

 

  

A week of roses

and champagne

By the way  Happy International Champagne Day for today to all fellow champagne loving readers

And a year ago since Halloween greeted our arrival at HH - how perfect is this image? A HH pumpkin no less! Who would have known?

http://navigatingepilepsy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/58695fKnj_wpurple-pumpkin-pic.jpg

Happy Halloween - go trick or treat - and get into the spirit

I sure will !

 x HH

Media and Mayhem - what a week it was!

If I had to give an award to honour the craziest week ever at HH - this was the week...

The A cupcakes were made by Miss HH in honour of our builder boy Alan who, in truly heroic form, ran to many bustops to find the laptop she had left behind - he was our hero of the week and deserves the 4th HH Blog's Award for Community Service - thank you Alan for saving our year!

 

The week started with the WANTZ girls participating in a charity walk for AEIOU last Sunday

only my friend Fleur would opt out of the AEIOU shirt in favour of Camilla!

There was a bit of a Scottish theme about the day - but all for a good cause - our team raised nearly $6K so thank you to everyone who gave a little part of themselves to help AEIOU

The jacarandas covered themselves in splendour and greeted us on almost every corner of our walk.

Felt good turning up to HH on Monday to change the big "40" weeks to go to "39" - another milestone passed. Superstar Tea Cosy decided to celebrate this milestone - the whiteboard was choc a block with activity for the week

But she was soon upstaged with the news that the Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection would be visiting us - great excitement!

The film crew from Channel 10 and the VIP guests assembled and did their thing

of course Superstar Tea Cosy did her thing too - she insisted on chaperoning the guests around.

She proudly showed off the newly revealed 1860s floorboards which survived the fire and were hidden below all the lino.

She did not show them the wood rot which we also discovered at the same time (luckily only a small bit so we think we can save it!)

She proudly showed off her potential new home (yes, dream on, superstar it is NOT happening!)

She followed the reporter Renee and camerawoman around like a soul possessed trying to edge her way into the story which they were producing.

She knew she had finally made it when all the important people succumbed to her relentless pursuit! Superstar was thrilled that Renee coordinated her hat with her ribbon.

and it got even better when Andrew himself agreed for a pose!

but her euphoria was short-lived because, despite many a camera shot of her taken throughout the day, she failed to make the cut for the story which went to air on Channel 10 news last Wednesday - that will teach her

We had a fun time though, as you can see, and Andrew was wondering if Ann Powell, to whom the house was dedicated in 1913, was potentially a very distant relative!

But there were other exciting events this week at HH too - PA HH celebrated a year with us and HH (this photo must be taken in about the 4th office she has occupied since joining us!)

Hopefully one which is emerging will the  next (and final) room!

It is starting to look so good - thanks to a great team of two doing their thing up there (must remember to buy Jason a new shirt for Christmas!)

We found the imprint of the original staircase under the ceiling

 and the verandah roof started to be replaced - it made the house looks so different without it!

 

HH is now the proud owner of new ogee gutter

and you might think that this rather attractive blue machine is just  machine - don't let its glamour distract you!

It takes seemingly innocent iron sheets and does to them what a pasta machine does to dough!

Probably the same speed too! Even I was impressed! These are for the verandahs so they should be receiving lots of love and affection in the next couple of weeks

It's getting hot so the builders got a new summer house for their breaks - no expense was spared!

The garden is struggling

But at the end of the week we had the first short rain in what seems like months - how good did the rain smell!

and of course the week was brightened by Ricky Martin in Brisbane - he would be such a great performer at the grand opening of HH in 2014 - yes, I will dream on!

http://www.news.com.au/national-news/queensland/ricky-martin-proves-to-brisbane-audiences-he-is-the-consummate-showman/story-fnii5v6w-1226741300351

Ah well, nothing quite so glamorous awaits back at old HH so concert over, it's back to work. Excitement this week... the following fabulous sign is about to be erected across the front fence.

You heard it here first - watch for it to go up in the next couple of days. And I will tell you lots more about our community partners who have joined the HH support bandwagon, like you!

Here's to a happy week for everyone

 x HH