A place called Living Styles, but it was a clearance item which has now been discontinued. I got quite a bit of furniture and decor items from them which have all been really good, so worth a look at any way.
It is much more solid than I expected for the price, and a touch bigger than I was envisaging. It mostly went together easily too, with only a few bolts at the end which were tricky to position and in a place that didn't allow you to turn the allen key fully. I think I've only got three more bits of furniture to assemble now, the two bedside tables and a small shelf.
Edit: and I now have a working computer too! The important peripherals have all been installed: mouse, keyboard, speakers, and cat sleeping mat.
Yes, I have a few plants I'll be moving. My basic plan is to put in a native garden on the side and back on the left, which is the bit next to the outdoor area and where you look out from the lounge. Then have a herb and vegie garden on the side and back on the right, with a couple of citrus trees on the side. Keeping the centre section as grass.
That assumes the landlord approves, of course. But I can't see why they won't. I just need to actually get around to asking for permission, it's on the to do list. It should add value to the place for them, and it gives me a project to do with lots of physical work which will be good for me - and the cost of a gym membership will buy a lot of tubestock instead! If the landlord hates plants for some reason I'll just to the herb and vegie garden (which they are not allowed to say no to without a good reason) and probably put the citrus into some pots.
Miss Meow is finding her wooden climbing frame a touch high to jump on (and she shuns the little ladder designed to help). I've put a plastic container there to give her a step and she's happily using it now, which is good as that's the access to her food platform and the window hammock (which she is snoozing on in the morning sun right now). I've ordered a set of little steps as a more permanent solution.
Today's goals: life admin and getting the computer set up.
Edit: getting the computer set up has a bonus feature of letting me access the vacuum cleaner, which I put in a cupboard and then put the computer stuff in front of.
That's a bit mad. I went out with coat and beanie, although the beanie didn't last long and the coat was unzipped about half way.
I don't really mind the cold much when walking (although the icy drizzle yesterday was a bit much). It doesn't take much effort to warm up, it's really only when sitting around that the cold is a problem - or especially trying to do things like type with cold fingers. I've got very low heat tolerance though, once you get past the mid 20's I find it's getting unpleasant, by the 30's I just want to lie down and whimper.
I like to think of it as a blank canvas. Having seen some of the thistles and spikey things that grow as weeds around here I'd also consider lumpy lawn to be a big improvement.
I get the impression she's a compulsive liar that might not even know what the truth is herself. That was what made it so weird initially, when I read the story I assumed it was an accidental poisoning, it was really just her not giving a straight account of where the mushrooms came from that made it look sus. If she'd just gone with "oops, I foraged mushrooms and obviously made a terrible mistake" it probably would have just been another tragic story of mushrooming gone wrong.
There's always so much to buy setting up a new place though. I've got a stand to put my toaster oven/air fryer on, a bathroom cabinet so I've got somewhere to put the toilet paper, another storage rack for the laundry, a dustpan and brush (mine did not survive the move), new dog poo scoop (who really wants to move a used one?!) and a fence to go outside to create a pet barrier to where the side gate is (which has a gap Miss Meow might manage to squeeze under) and create a little yard for the bins.
Sorting plans for today are the bedroom/wardrobe, and a bit more in the kitchen. I made a good start on the pantry yesterday, got some preliminary sorting of the ensuite cabinet, and set up an area in the garage for putting shoes on/off and hanging outdoor coats etc. I've got a couple more floor mats to bring up to add to the area to minimise dust that gets tracked in and will see if I can find some carpet offcuts and things to cover a bit more - if I can get the area around the door to the house and the pathway across to the other external door covered it would be ideal.
I've got a security camera set up in the lounge room, which caught her in the middle of the night climbing up to the very top tower and gazing out the window.
Mr Woof has taken over the master bedroom and seems pretty relaxed about the whole move. He is still a bit unsure about the dog door though.
Miss Meow is less happy. She's spent lot of time exploring, but spent most of yesterday hiding in the sewing room. I don't think she likes the change of routine much, but she'll get used to it. She's been very cuddly overnight, even cuddled up to Mr Woof on the bed. She's not been outside yet, but given the weather is a bit miserable that's probably not much of an attraction anyway.
I got caught in a fine icy rain on my walk, and now that I'm back the sun's out. I'm sitting in the sun on the lounge with a cup of coffee, dog at my side and cat at my feet. This is very pleasant.
Everything is just fog here, although blue sky is starting to appear in patches now. Once the "feels like" temp gets above zero I'll take Mr Woof for a walk 🥶
That's a beautiful photo.