When I started this blog, I recounted here how it all started in 1995, with the first wave of renovations, and about how I seemed to have lost all my photos from that time.
As luck would have it, while unpacking boxes this week - and trying not to focus on the fact that over 3 months in, we are still unpacking boxes - I found some photos that chronicle some of the
initial renovations. They are all pre-digital and I have no idea where the negatives are, so I have taken photos of the photos - a bit grainy, but they were an amazing trip down memory lane for me.
this was what the old girl looked like when we bought her.
There were three flats and six sets of stairs. The verandahs had
all been closed in, and there was a big tree in the front garden
that we removed fairly quickly.
another view of the house
one of the first priorities after settlement was to build a fence
as we had dogs
me with one of the dogs sitting on the old stairs.
we had opened up the verandahs by that stage.
verandah railings starting to go up
restumping
new roof
The old roof was like a patchwork quilt of many
colours and we could always pick out the house when
we flew into Brisbane over our suburb
this was our kitchen for about six months. It was pretty hard
but much easier in your twenties with no children
than it would have been now.
The main thing I see when I look at this is the Nescafe Gold Blend -
the coffee culture has ensured that most of us now have coffee machines
of some description at home - I can't honestly remember the last time
I would have bought instant coffee. The second thing is the
prominently placed cockroach baits and spray - we certainly
needed it :(
this was the "new" kitchen under construction - how marvellously
luxurious it seemed to have a proper stove top, oven, and
running water.
this is the old girl looking lovely in about 1999 - freshly painted.
Exterior looked lovely, interior was about to get a revamp and sadly
our relationship ended, and it took a long time until this current
renovation took place.
fast forward to 2011 - how much the hedge has grown.
The Poinciana planted in 1997 is well established, as is the Jacaranda
on the footpath. The house is hardly visible.
another view of the old girl - March 2012
What a journey!
That's a massive journey! She's a beauty. xx
ReplyDeleteFiona I loved seeing these old photos - it makes me very nostalgic about the oxes of photos currently in storage that I can't get to. So happy you found them! And I had a good laugh about the cockroach baits and spray - all the old Queenslanders I've lived in were always riddled with the buggers!
ReplyDeleteJust discovered your blog - I love it! We are just about to embark on renovating our Queenslander and it's very inspiring to read your journey. Though our plans are nearly as extensive as yours, we may only be raising and resuming first.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyday girl :) we debated for a long time whether to just raise and restump, leaving the second phase til a later date, but in the end the man of the house needed to work from home and we had planned for that space to be downstairs. It all comes down to dollars in the end though doesn't it :(. Thanks for stopping by and I will enjoy watching your own journey on your blog
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