Busy shopping week

 Kitchen renovations - I've been postponing my kitchen renovations for about 6 years now. Due to Auckland still being in a Covid lockdown (aka, not allowed to leave the area until the rest of the country has their vaccine jabs), I've had my second attempt to get lost in the Southern Alps cancelled.

It started off accidently, when daughter suggested tiling a kitchen splash back, using the tiles I bought 6 years ago for the job. Daughter wanted a bigger splash back than I had tiles for, so from then on every day I was either at a hardware or trying to relax at a shopping mall. We still not allowed to sit down at the mall with the meals we purchase from there, because sitting down spreads Covid (well it does mean a lot of people in close proximity without masks).

Everyone I interacted with - from hardware shops, the people helping me chose the correct paint and tinting it, tile shops, clothing shops and food outlets, have been absolutely fantastic and very helpful, people holding doors open an allowing me through first etc. Even in the busy shopping malls during the Black Friday sales, staff been amazing, customers starting random conversations with me about stuff in shops. 

One lunchtime, I was sitting with my daughter and granddaughter on the front deck, wearing her blue dress with plunging neckline (we both wear a little something under so our boobs aren't on display with this shared dress), and a neighbour walked by and had a long chat with us about the roses and flowers in the garden.

Mitre 10 hardware

New shiny skirt I'm probably going to buy

Getting dinner for the family, microwave food as kitchen is too messy to cook

Bunning hardware, coffee before buying paint

Bunnings hardware demo kitchen

Sylvia park shops, found a seat to relax on

So the old kitchen was dark red, with the assistance of two of my daughters who sanded and primed the door panels, the kitchen is now an off white.

13 cabinets and draws, dark red

new layout, nice and fresh looking

Total renovation (not including stuff I already had from other projects). Tile cutter $104, extra tiles $56, tile adhesive $20, paint, primer roller and brushed $110, cabinet handles to match existing kitchen unit $180

Total cost of new looking kitchen $470 NZD

With baby

So I was at home RELAXING

Daughter (who lives down stairs) greats me on the deck and says

"Just forgotten something, here, have a baby"

She knows full well that I had a procedure to prevent me having babies.

But here we are, both quite unsure what to make of it 😕

The great escape

So I escaped this locked down city, got to the border, cops waiting, flashed them a few documents and off I go.

It was so strange, seeing my fellow countrymen (and women) enjoying pubs, cafe, people in groups.

Unfortunately, being a patriot and believing their lives were worth more then my temporarily suspended rights, I decided to keep away from such places. I did the mission I was allowed out for, some 650km away from home, then returned to lock down city.

It didn't mean I couldn't travel in female mode, it didn't mean that I had to change back to male mode when chatting to the police at the border.

Although I was dressed more in a blend mode when chatting to police than I was when traveling

It was a hot day with the sun streaming in the front window - so I dressed to enjoy such warmth, although looking at the photos, I'm just glad it was Halloween

So how was I dressed when the police were chatting to me at the border?

I Blushed

We are still in lockdown, but this reduced level allows me to order online and then drive out and pick up my order.

So wife wanted more potting mix and bark for the garden and ordered 8 bag loads from Bunnings which I had to pick up for her.

The young man scanned my barcode and went and got my order.

We're not allowed to leave or cars and we still have to wear masks so I wasn't overly visible, but after loading up my car, he approached my passenger window and said how beautiful I looked.

I wonder how good his vision was, but it still caused me to blush

Day Whatever.......still in lockdown

Without the working week, does it really matter what day it is?

During this lockdown, I've cleaned the gutters around the house, cleaned the house, inside and out, built 2 trellis for wind breaks and privacy, built the floor structure for a new shed and walked about 8km each day.

I won't comment on how much I've eaten, not like there's much more to do.

Hoping to be able to go to work soon before all my funds have been used up, adding to the stress on top of that I've only been able to dress nicely about 1 hour every 3rd day - seriously not enough girl time (wife and daughter have commented about me dressing too often)

I did manage 30 minutes out at the shops picking up essential supplies (milk, bread, Hundreds and Thousands biscuits).