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Saturday 27 August 2016

Some street appeal

The weather has been warm in Izu but that hasn't stop me from giving the little old farmhouse some street appeal. As you can see the side of the house with its rusted corrugated iron was needing some attention, so that is what we did. 



With some corrugated iron cutting scissors I painstakingly tried to cut a straight line to remove the rusted parts. I may have even asked for some help with this task, those scissors are tough to use! 



One side revealed some badly damaged mud wall, but we repaired that with some spare sheets we found lying around.   





Once we replaced the rusted parts I gave these areas a spray with rust repellent.



Using a wire brush I scrubbed and then gave the side area a spray as well.


This is the side of our toilet. We just laid recycled timber boards across the metal tin underneath and....



....gave it a paint!



We are fortunate that we have good neighbours with one in particular who is also doing some renovations, so we help each other out with resources. In our case, we were able to use their scaffolding. While it doesn't look that high up, remember I have no bracing and nothing really to hold onto around me should I fall, so let's just say my legs were a little like jelly. But I got the job done! Don't you just love the colour!


Here is the side of the house...BEFORE


And........ AFTER!!

You can see I have only painted part way up to the peak. The reason being that from the rusted line and up we are planning to attach a white board, which is in-line with the traditional black and white look we are going for at Obachan chi's. I thought about replacing that side blue tin door with a timber one, but for the moment I just ended up painting it. 
We cannot wait to share the final results with you, but this is our progress so far. We have a way to go, but it's a good feeling to get a start on outside.The tiled roof is also on our plans to repair. And yes, they are weeds growing on the toilet side roof! Due to the traditional way of using mud under the tiles and then said tiles either cracking or falling off, it had resulted in some unsightly growth. I never thought in my life that I would be painting the exterior of a house black, but we are liking what we see (while it isn't much just yet). It seems to really be a theme in the little farmhouse both in and outside. It's all slowly coming together. So what do think of the colour?

Sunday 21 August 2016

The other side

                      
I had an idea....to open up and allow more light and and airflow throughout the little farmhouse. Not everyone was onboard with my idea initially, but during some discussions one night the realization that my idea was indeed a brilliant one was soon realized and so the mud wall was finally coming down.

BEFORE- Mud wall behind refrigerator


I forgot to mention that another very worthy reason to remove this wall was due to it's crumbling condition when we pulled the vinyl board off. I know we could have repaired it, but again there was a greater need to bring more light into the area and to also allow for better access from the main living area to the kitchen. 



The end result has really opened up the rooms creating a totally different, but good feeling. It also allows us to walk on one level, instead of sliding the shoji screen open in the main area walking down a step through the genkan and then up again to get to the new kitchen area. I know it's hard to visualize what I am talking about at the moment, but when we share the new kitchen with you and the progress there you may me able to understand what I am talking about. At this point we are happy with the end result. Surprisingly I thought we'd need a sledge hammer to knock the mud wall out, but all that was needed was a hand saw and then a good old shove! It's amazing just how strong mud walls are, with a bamboo frame securing them together.

And you guessed it...feeling dirty and dusty we are off to the onsen!

Sunday 14 August 2016

Spinning history


One Saturday morning we found ourselves at a nearby antique market. One thing I noticed  as we walked around was that a lot of the store holders were selling these wooden stands. I'd never really noticed them before, but they are actually spools that are used to wrap silk and/or cotton thread around the outside of the legs. Like a large bobbin in your sewing machine. Little did I know that my interest for these spools would be connected with the Osawa Onsen Hotel that I shared with you in my previous post here


The town of Matsuzaki was one of three major silk worm producing areas in Japan. The other two areas in Japan being Gunma and Nagano. 



Of course my spools were not going to be used for their original purpose. I don't see myself weaving a kimono anytime soon! I gave my frames a wipe over since they looked like that had been kept in some dirty, dusty old box for a considerable amount of time and a lick of  clear varnish. It was a very therapeutic project sitting outdoors in the open air with the bamboo forest surrounding me.  




Here are two ways I like to use mine....



Firstly as a plant stand and secondly as....


 ...a plate stand.

I love how they turned out and since buying these I have added to the collection with a medium sized frame. They were a fun and budget friendly DIY project. 

   
Have you ever bought something with another use in mind?