Very early this morning I drove into the Bay to shop at Bunnings for another cartload (or should that be 'carload'?) full of stuff for the kitchen renovation.
While the tape at the cash register grew longer and longer, I was asked, "What do you need all this for?" The store grew silent as I told them about my kitchen renovation. Then a cry rang out, "You are doing WHAT?"
Well, despite Bunnings' staff's lack of confidence, the renovation is nearing its completion. Already, the kitchen has become functional again with the hotplates working and the water running.
I have deferred the choice of benchtops until the cook comes back next Friday. For the moment, the cooktop and sink sit temporarily (and a little precariously) on cheap laminated sheets.
Then there is the small matter of deciding whether to fill the last corner with cabinets as before or to turn it into a breakfast bar with a view across the river.
I need to re-render some walls and glue on new cornices after which I will give the whole thing a fresh coat of paint.
And that, more than four weeks and about ten thousand dollars later, is it: Riverbend's new kitchen in fifty years!