Work in the Garden

This post is a little late in appearing, but when I think about it, it makes me so happy, so I'm posting anyway, late or not. 

We officially celebrated our renovation as done in August this year, and then really made it feel like ours by planting all the things in the new garden beds. That happened in September, but you can see in the photos the total lack of a front fence. Our fabulous builders had attached the metal brackets to the retaining walls for us, so all we needed to do was bolt the posts to them and put the fence up. But of course, these things take some time. What a builder could probably knock over in a day and a half was absolutely going to take us a lot longer. 

So we procrastinated for a while. Steve and I weren't too bothered by the lack of front fence, for all it kind of gave the house a somewhat unfinished look. Steve's mum, on the other hand, was missing the privacy that comes with a front fence. Since she was the one living on the bottom floor, with the street view, we started to feel we should actually take care of the situation. 

Steve did some planning, and 3D modelling (because why not?) and more planning. He really thought through everything we would need and did all the research on where to buy what. Wood was ordered and delivered, and we did a couple of extra trips to get the posts and anything else we might conceivably need from Bunnings. We did the posts one Saturday afternoon, and then waited two weeks (there was a huge rainy weekend which cancelled any out door plans) before we continued with the palings. 

Are they still called palings if they run horizontally? I don't know, but that's what we did. This is where our project became really special. I think the girls might have been off playing in the creek, or just reading in the house, (who knows!) but Steve and I just got to work. It was hot, but there was a breeze, and the work wasn't hard. We both settled into a rhythm of working together really quickly. Steve would cut the lengths, I'd be unwrapping the next bundle to be ready. Then I'd take them over and start clamping them up. We'd check the plumbness together, then I'd drill the holes and Steve would take care of the screws. 

It was work, but it was together. While it took time, was hot and we did end up a little sore at the end of it, it wasn't terrible. For me, it was a real picture of what the Bible talks about in Genesis. When God creates Adam and Eve and they are in the garden, they are there together, to work. The work is good, it's not oppressive, tiresome or something to dread. This is what humanity was supposed to be: side by side, working together to look after the beautiful land and animals that God had created. 

And as I worked, side by side with Steve, complimenting each other's strengths and weaknesses to do the work, I honestly felt like I had a glimpse of that. It was pretty special. 

Now the fence is done, and every time I look at it, I'm reminded of what humanity has the potential to be, and the moment that I got to experience a small part of it. 

We had another week with a temporary mail box before installing this one from Bunnings. Getting those numbers up really made it feel done too, even though we still had to lop off the excess post bits that were still sticking up. 

And we have indeed lopped off the post tops, after procrastinating for another couple of weeks - these things take time you know! And wow, do we now feel like the work is done. 

For all that we were very excited by the fancy looking new house we have, I was also a little sad, because if the original owners drove past now, I think they would instantly think: "Oh, they knocked down our house and built a new one," because it's so unrecognisable now. But hopefully, if they take the time to look, they will see that we did indeed keep the original house there, because we love it and for all that we've done to it, it was the beginning of so many memories for us.