Six months after the renovation kicked off, Phase 2* (Remedial Plumbing) has begun! Our building’s aging drains need work, and as the lucky ones on the end, we get to watch as plumbers dig a massive trench right outside our walls for new pipes. Will Kristy fall into the pit? Will a massive sink hole open up and devour Chippendale? Only time will tell! 👷‍♀️🚧

* Phase 1 (Interior) is still ongoing as bits and pieces arrive. Our exterior HVAC is on hold until the plumbing remediation is done, as is Phase 3 (Landscaping).

Is it even a renovation if you don’t paint something yourself? I decided to take advantage of the fridge being dead to paint the alcove where the new one will go. (It had unpainted render and old yellowish paint back there.) Primer yesterday, and now first coat today. 😅

No internet and no TV? Might as well go to the Medieval Festival! We had mead and watched reenactors fighting. Oh, and I did a lot of judging of costumes. (Goth elves? Not medieval. Hobbits? Also not medieval. Captain Jack Sparrow? GET OUT.) 🏰👸⚔️

After several hours of dealing with end-of-lease cleaners, we rewarded ourselves with a quick dinner at @8.52newtown. BBQ Pork rice, dumplings, plus prawn toast and garlic veggies that were so good I forgot to photograph. 🥟🍚😍

Nerds Night Out at the @australianmuseum! We joined scientists, journalists, educators, and volunteers to celebrate the great work done by the Museum and @botanicsydney. As one of the scientists said, it’s been fantastic to see Australia’s Olympians returning home today after their remarkable success. Our collective goal should also be to ensure Australia’s scientific success is similarly acknowledged and celebrated globally. 🇦🇺🤓

The actual highlight of my week: Remember my beloved sunglasses (“Asian fit” Ray-Bans that actually fit my giant head) that got stolen by the CRIMINAL in Tennessee last year? And then Rodd went to great effort to get me another pair in Japan, but I somehow lost them? On Sunday I saw they were now 50% off and ordered myself a third pair. 😎❤️ (And this better be my last pair, as I think the style is being discontinued…) @rayban

And we’re back! Did you miss us, Chippendale?? (We’re never moving again, I hope.)

That frantic, last minute frenzy when you go from “let’s group things in boxes based on their destinations” to “SHOVE THESE DIRTY CLOTHES IN THAT RANDOM BOX NOW.” 😅 But we’re pretty much done. 🚛📦

This legend is volunteering all week for @nationalscienceweek and spent the day chaperoning schoolkids (in the rain!) as they visited the @australianmuseum and the @botanicsydney Botanic Gardens. And he saw a dragon too! ❤️🦎

A brief pause in packing up the apartment for another Weisswurst Frühstück! Movers are coming on Tuesday! (🚨HOT TIP: our local @aldiaustralia had frozen German pretzels and echte Paulaner in stock!! GO NOW. 🍺🥨🏃‍♀️)