So ...... what have I been up to over the past few days? Well, nothing outdoors, due to it being winter here in New Zealand, but I have accomplished a few things in the kitchen. For a start, I ordered a pair of matching chandeliers, & they arrived via courier this morning. They would have arrived three days ago, on Friday, but the courier rang the doorbell & none of us heard it ....which was rather odd, we thought, as though my hearing can be a bit dodgy, there is nothing wrong with the hearing of our four dogs. On examining the doorbell before he left for work this morning, David returned to tell me the battery was obviously 'stuffed' ......he can be so eloquent at times. This time, the courier phoned me on her arrival. I haven't opened the two boxes yet, but it's exciting to see them sitting in the entrance hall. The chandeliers are nothing fancy, as the kitchen is nothing fancy, but they will add a pretty touch to that area, & the one over the dining part of the kitchen, which we don't use as such, will be immediately visible from the front door. We won't have them hung up until I have painted the walls in the dining part of the kitchen .....I have already painted the kitchen area in Italiano ....which looks like an antique type of white on the paint chart, but paints up like a stark white on the actual wall. I have to get another pot mixed up for the dining part, so it will be interesting to see if it comes out the same shade as has been already painted on the kitchen area walls. If it comes out looking different, it means someone made a mistake when mixing the first pot ,,,,,& it also means that I will have to paint over the stark white already painted! It sounds complicated, but it really isn't. What it actually boils down to, is more work for me. At the moment, I am painting cupboards & drawers & free-standing units in a medium taupe colour, & the insides of all of those in a pretty aqua-green. I have already painted over the ghastly fire-engine red of the old wooden surround around the old cooking range ...both are original to this 1910 villa. And the mantle-shelf has been painted aqua-green also, as well as several vintage wood pieces I have picked up very cheaply in thrift/charity shops ...called Opportunity Shops here in New Zealand, or op-shops for short. I am a huge fan of op-shopping, as you will find out as we go along. I'm not comfortable living with modern things, so I buy either antique or vintage for our home, & then 'do it up' if it is needed. So .....I hope you enjoy the pics I am posting up.