Update on the Current To Dos

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all fine today.

It's been a busy day for me after a night of insufficient sleep.  After a period of dormancy and lack of action it seems things are moving forward at last on both indoor and outdoor repairs.

There wasn't much happening outside today. It seems they were removing garbage and excess materials in preparation for the final restoration work to be done. I'm hoping it will be done soon because it is already going on 6 months of work. Mostly work that has occurred elsewhere on the property, not on my own balcony. 

The work hasn't progressed beyond this point.

Indoors, the insurance adjuster came at last to inspect the interior damage and work to be done. It was a pro forma visit just to add something to her files because the household insurance will not be responsible for the interior renovation work.  The strata building's insurance provisions have been triggered and work will be done by a contractor of the strata's choosing. The same company that did the emergency work will do the interior repairs. Someone is arriving shortly to take an overview and make sure he and his crew are prepared for the actual repair work with the needed supplies.

I'm happy about that because now I will make sure that I bring two areas to their attention which were not captured in the original report. One of the items is the malfunctioning bathroom exhaust fan. It stopped working shortly after the water leak and I believe the motor probably died due to excessive water contact. So I'll bring it up today and see how it goes. In the meantime, I removed the old fan and I'm cleaning out the opening. It's so full of heavy duty dust. I was shocked since I'm always vacuuming the ventilation screen at least every week. In any case, it is a good opportunity to make sure things are nice and clean.

Old fan full of lint/dust

In fact, I ordered a fan from Amazon and was simply going to install it myself. However the fan arrived in obviously used condition without instructions. In addition, it is much smaller and lighter than the original fan despite my checking to make sure it was the right model etc. So I will be shipping it back. If the insurance doesn't cover a replacement, I'll take the old motor to Home Depot and make sure I get something that will work.

New fan & motor

I've been cleaning out several boxes that the movers packed and stored in the master bedroom closet. I got rid of a lot. Most of which has become trash because I've kept it so long without using it.

I need to take another good hard look at things and get rid of even more.  I'm just so over keeping things for possible later use.  I'm also more resolved then ever not to hang on to things or to over buy things. I've observed that things end up not being used once they are stored away because I never see them and then it becomes clutter and ultimately gets tossed out or given away. Either way, it is a wasteful practice.  Overall, I'm making progress in not buying so much. NowI just need to make more progress in downsizing my possessions. I'm getting my DH to do the same because he has accumulated a lot since joining me.

When I need a break from insurance and renovation issues, I'm usually looking at small home improvements. It takes time to consider what needs to be done and even more time to look for budget friendly solutions then going out to find them in stores or on line.  I make small progress here and there. I also continue to read when I need a break. Right now I'm making progress on reading these books.

Books 35 & 36

Book #37

I've also decluttered a few books that I picked up free over the years.

I'm not sure how many of you noticed that I've posted every day for 61 days ending on Canada Day, July 1st. It was a bit of an experiment and I think the first time I've ever done that over all these years of blogging. I now plan to cut back a bit and enjoy the rest of the summer. 

Thank you for visiting and commenting. I always love to read your comments and visit your blogs. Those of you who blog regularly will know that I'm a prolific blog reader and commenter. I enjoy reading about what you're up too and letting you know I visited by leaving a comment. I figure that if I take the time to read, it is only an extra minute to leave a comment.

That's it for now. Take care until next time.

Monday Starts the Week Again

This past Monday was demolition day at the condo. This was the beginning of it. The walls and ceiling were cut away later. The end result is that the water seems to have dried well enough and there is no mold growing. So that's great news! 

Now they have to fix everything and I'm keen to make sure the end product doesn't look like a patchwork quilt.  I can't wait until everything is nicely painted, carpets are washed and everything is generally fresh again.  I'm hoping to immediately reduce more items before I completely return things to the bedroom.  It might be a bit difficult but it must be done.

The workers arrived at 9:30 a.m and left at 5:30 p.m. I felt quite tired so I went out for a bite to eat and a bit of grocery shopping instead of cooking.  I didn't make it to the community garden but I must get there very soon.

While I wait for the bedroom renovations to begin, I'll be purging in other areas of the condo. I made good progress on Sunday by cleaning the bookshelves and getting rid of a lot of magazines, expired Covid tests and various bits and pieces. 

I also completed reading the thoroughly enjoyable books, The Botanist's Daughter by Kayte Nunn and the book Digging Stars by Zimbabwean author, Novuyu Shuma.

Rain was in the forecast for Tuesday but it only rained in the morning.  I was hoping for a bit more rain today and I see the clouds are forming though the sun is shining brightly.  Perhaps it will still rain later.  The forecast is for warmer temperatures again for the rest of the week.  Even if it rains more I have a lot of photos of beautiful scenes and flowers to enjoy from recent walks.

I'm hoping to make good progress on a lot of 'small' tasks and jobs this week.  

Enjoy your week ahead and thank you for making time to visit my blog during your busy day. I hope you'll visit again soon.

Recent Days

Hello friends and fellow bloggers, 

How are you doing?

Life is very hectic right now so I thought I would just show you my current life in pictures.

First up is the patio. It's being completely renovated but the work has been on hold for awhile. Once new pavers arrive for other patios in the building, the work will restart. The pavers will be laid, the cladding and railing on the exterior wall replaced and the garden wall built and filled with soil.  The new estimated completion time is the end of June.  I have no idea what I'm going to plant since I want something that can withstand all seasons with a bit of space left over for annuals. I'd also like something large enough to provide shade but I'll have to wait and see what the new garden guidelines will state.  We've never had garden guidelines before.
 

I made a lot of progress this week on decluttering.

After shredding, these papers go into the big bag in the above photo.

I bought these from SA but never did use them. Sad.

A TV to give away or take to electronics recycling.

 

The bags went to charity, the bike went to a friend

Sunday dinner of baked salmon and roasted vegetables.

Hair tool went to charity

A tasty dinner out, courtesy of a brother

Decluttering.  These went to the trash

Whew! It's a lot of decluttering but it feels good. I just wish I could make quicker progress with the papers. 

I'll be finding out in a day or two whether we have to move out.  I've been working hard to downsize on the assumption that we'll be moved out by the end of May.  At this point I'd rather remain at home because I don't think the work required is as bad as initially thought. But I'll know more soon.

Keep well and thanks for dropping by!