renovation - before, after and in between

BEFORE

AFTER!

When we moved in at 23b, we took on a few projects. This is the latest. Yet another reason to book your stay in Jesmondine. This is our poolside 'boma'

....and here are the "during" pics in case you aren't satisfied with just "before and after"

No, Siku is not dead: he's resting up for his nap and dreaming about all the cars he's going to run down.

In the morning I would catch Siku snoozing on top of this giant pile of rotten, bug (and snake, it turned out) infested thatch ... in the pouring rain. He has a nice soft bed with a blanket and a cushion but he abandonned it during the renovation. This is just one of many ways that the dog is totally deranged.

The new design - they placed the new termite-free poles in the same holes but we got a cool tall, sloping roof which should withstand a few more rainy seasons than the old, nearly flat roof. (notice Siku in/on his nest still...)

The guys have a home renovation company called "Sweat for Sweet, MMF and Chilala General Dealers" and were good fun to have around. The project took about 10 days of work from demo to cleanup but it was spread out over a month b/c it was done in February and we had a month of really heavy rain.

More later on the bittersweet acquisition of our hand-built mukwa patio set, but for now, see?there's an empty seat just for you! (and dinner even....the kids would have nothing to do with couscous, grilled plums and tenderloin....or salad of picked from the field organic lettuce. Lettuce is practically an endangered species here. (Thank you, Sugarbush Farms)