One advantage of our cold nights and crisp mornings is that we often end up with beautiful sunny days - whether or not the temperature manages to climb into double figures (that's Celsius not Fahrenheit) - and colours that seem sharper. Yesterday was no exception, with the river looking almost blue in places (it's not - it's muddy) and the mountain towering awesomely above the landscape.
The coldest days of the year for us have historically been the days "events" have happened as far as our renovations. The weekend we removed our gas heater and had no heating in our home was the coldest for that year (and the coldest I'd ever experienced having just moved to New Zealand); the day the weatherboards came off our living room wall and exposed our home to the elements was the day we had sleet and not so very far away, snow. And this past week, as temperatures have plummeted, our builders have packed up their tools and left.
They will return to finish off a few small jobs (attaching hardware to doors, replacing a veranda post) but after living in a semi-renovated house for more years than I care to count, the end is very much in sight. There is still painting to be finished, and carpet to be laid, and floors to be sanded and sealed, and lights and powerpoints to go in (thank you Son#1 and DH), but to know that the worst of it is over, feels surreal. I still keep expecting to see their work vans in my driveway when I return home from work.
That we have survived this far is a cause for celebration. Now, just to find some extra patience and wait for all the finishing bits and pieces to actually be finished. And perhaps to plan a family event to make use of these newly renovated bedrooms?
Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labour in vain.
Psalm 127:1, NKJV
"For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed.
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,"
Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.
Isaiah 54:10, NKJV
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