I don't want to paint, says my man. I'm fed up with DIY. And I get it - a photo memory popped up from ten years ago where he was removing and installing a window at the old place, and he's still doing that now - we're waiting for a window to come, he's built the alcove for the fireplace now and got a plasterer in (one job he will NOT do) and there's still the skirting to do, the kitchen splashback, more painting... poor boy. At least the jobs keep him buff - his pecs are rock hard, ooh er.

But if Jamie doesn't have DIY inside to do, you bet he's going to invent something outside to do. We finally took a big pile of plasterboard and framing to the tip (sorry Hive account@holoz0r, couldn absolutely not find a use for it) and it was time to sort out the area around the back steps leading to the garden and the front of the shed. Eventually, the front of the shed will be replaced with fresh corrugated iron, that Aussie building staple, and some new doors, plus aggregrate and the drive levelled better, but at least we could sort out the overgrown grevillea and the bed along the fence which has probably been made thirty odd years ago and that was all rotting and full of weeds.

We had to go to a mates place and pick up a heap of volcanic rocks, because he was trying to get rid of him as his toddler fell over and almost cracked his skull (kid should wear a helmet instead) to border the banksia by the back fence.

We also put an old sheet of corruaged iron inside the pylons of the deck so that you can't see the stuff stored under there from the garden, which looks a lot neater. I'm going to get two large pots to put there for some kind of kitchen herbs or maybe just cactus, I don't know. Something to make it look really lovely. We had to dig out all the weeds and Jamie scraped it lower so it was more level with the driveway.

Then it was the side bed - sadly we didn't have enough sleepers to continue it up to drive and Bunnings is shut on Good Friday (dammit) so that'll be finished next week. And I'm still contemplating what plants will go in there - as it's far from the hose it has to be something native that will hack neglect.

We were pretty pleased with what we achieved - it looks, as we always say 'more cared for' - less weeds, less piles of junk.

Now, about that painting, Jamie....