We have had an extremely busy past week and today will be a day to relax. So in the last week we had a new Hot Water Heater installed, a new Furnace and Central Air Conditioning, on top of that we have had Electrician here all week to update our panel from 60 amp to 200 amp and run some of the new wiring in the house as well and give us an out door light and lighting and a electrical plug in our front mud room. Matt and I ran around on Thursday picking up gravel and paving stones and made a lovely front patio in front of the house to sit and lounge and also created a sidewalk all the way to the back garden and created a cement paver pad for our garbage and recycling bins. We also rehung the shutters on the front, moved the wood door , transplanted many flowers and trees and reinsulated many sections of the house. We have now lifted all the carpet on all floors and revealed a gorgeous hardwood throughout the house and a beautiful old oak stairwell. This week will be very busy for both of us as well, we are going to insulate the back porch area, tear down the ceiling on the main floor and put some sound proof insulation up there as well and then frame out some of our new rooms and start sanding floors, add another coat of red paint to the front door, patch and sand all the dry wall in the front mud room and then build a bench out there for storage and wallpaper and paint. We also need to lay our tile floor in the front area as well.
I have 2 antique chandeliers as well that I am going to give a rough sanding to and refinish and then reattach the crystals on them. Today I need to go out to the garage and go through a couple more bins to dig out and find, we slowly realize some of the things we thought were not so needed for daily life, now are.
Last night we wondered a bit on the Danforth, had a couple drinks and checked out a couple more pubs out here , went to one called the Ice Lounge, don't ever go there, the place is beautiful, but lacks personality and also lacks customers. Huge property and a gorgeous bar, but so under used, just a wreck in my eyes. We also stopped at the Fox and Fiddle, great mix of people, lots of personality and a live band who should have never sung , but could definitely play all there instruments. Found the bar to be totally comfortable and a great atmosphere as well and a great little server. Had fun , came home and passed out and up at 6:45 am for some unknown bloody reason. Oh well, will have a nap later in the day.
Well I am off for now and back to work, have a great weekend and enjoy the weather Toronto and friends world wide, May is almost here and with that on Monday April 30th , my parents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, Congrats to you both.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
3 weeks in our house
Progress, progress and more progress, we are definitely moving ahead in everything that needs to be done and in all that we are doing. We have so far stripped out all the carpet and lino off the main floor and found gorgeous wood floors underneath from the 1920`s or earlier, that we have agreed to redo and refinish. I think it will look great, a nice dark stain to off set everything in the house. So far we have painted the garage door, the front door of the house and the shutters. Matthew has insulate and dry walled our front mud room. We have the tiles to lay out there, then to hang a coat rack out there and we are building a bench with shoe and other storage underneath. It will look amazing and you can look forward to seeing pictures of it when we are done. I have painted the garage door, front door and shutters all red.
We have also managed to purchase our kitchen cabinets and wall oven and a new gas stove from Bosche which is just gorgeous. I love you restore and Caplans last year model. We got the cabinets and wall oven at Re-Store and the new gas stove at Caplans all for a very good price and we were just very lucky.
This week we have to do a bit more work outside and transplant some trees and stuff in our yard, also going to measure out for the new fence and get rid of this old stump in our back yard.
A long and hard week here again for both of us and the great news is we have a week off from the doctors and from the hospital appointments. I was in the hospital in Friday for some more tests on my lungs and radiation actually inserted into my body to check things out more closely and look for what they are looking for, so anyhow I have been a bit sick this weekend. Well back to work for now and we will talk to you all soon, Have a great day and a great weekend from your gay neighbor.
We have also managed to purchase our kitchen cabinets and wall oven and a new gas stove from Bosche which is just gorgeous. I love you restore and Caplans last year model. We got the cabinets and wall oven at Re-Store and the new gas stove at Caplans all for a very good price and we were just very lucky.
This week we have to do a bit more work outside and transplant some trees and stuff in our yard, also going to measure out for the new fence and get rid of this old stump in our back yard.
A long and hard week here again for both of us and the great news is we have a week off from the doctors and from the hospital appointments. I was in the hospital in Friday for some more tests on my lungs and radiation actually inserted into my body to check things out more closely and look for what they are looking for, so anyhow I have been a bit sick this weekend. Well back to work for now and we will talk to you all soon, Have a great day and a great weekend from your gay neighbor.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
5 Days in Our New House
Well we have been in the house now since Tuesday night and it has been quite the week. Furniture and belongings from both Vancouver and the apartment here in Toronto were both delivered on Tuesday, with a lot of broken stuff and movers who were too lazy to even try and get the couch in the door. Wow what a disaster in so many ways, the garage is filled to the roof and all of our stuff except the essential items needed for a day to day living are still in storage. Wednesday our appliances were delivered and all arrived without delay, running back and forth to the bank to have funds released and returning a rental car took up most of our day and tormented us with the back and forth of phone calls and a hole lot of shit to do. Met our new neighbors on both sides and they all seem quite nice, which is good. The next few days were all about unpacking, sorting through boxes and bins and deciding what we need in the house and what can be stored until renovations are all completed. Yesterday was all about a relaxing afternoon on the back deck with cocktails and cigarettes, Wayne dropped by for a bit and brought Jade over to play with the girls in the back yard, a great afternoon and a nice visit, he is now our first guest and visitor of our new home. Last night we went for a walk to the Danforth and then on down to Broadview where we found this cute little pub with quite the mix of people, all and all a very friendly or so it seemed to be place. Huge Pride flag in the window, which says gay friendly and fun. They had a live band there last night and that was kind of cool, actually liked them because they looked like they loved what they were doing and wanted to be there, not like when you see some bands and stuff in a bar and you can tell they are just there for the money and really don`t give a shit about where they and who is there to support them.
Anyways it was a nice , relaxing and enjoyable night.
Mom called last night and talked again for a bit, she is doing okay, hard for her with Dad in the hospital and all, they have transferred him back to Red Deer from Edmonton again and things seem to be okay for now. Mom was told that he is doing a bit better and one of his aorta behind his heart has broken and is causing the internal bleeding. They can not do any surgery to stop this as he would not make it through that due to his dialisis and other health issues right now. They will probably release him on Monday and send him home again and send him home for Mom to watch, what the hell is wrong with these Alberta Hospitals? My father needs attention and you say you want the bleeding to stop on its own and for the aorta to heel, just seems ridiculous to me.
Well today was spent relaxing and things are great so far in our new neighborhood. Moved a few of the plants outside in the flowerbeds to where I thought they go and relocating plants from a place that made no sense to either Matthew or I. Things are coming along quite well for the time being. This week we have to plan out our fence and go and order those materials, also need to rent a rotatiller and do the back area for a garden, Will keep you all informed in our progress. Hope everyone had a great Easter and thanks for reading.
Anyways it was a nice , relaxing and enjoyable night.
Mom called last night and talked again for a bit, she is doing okay, hard for her with Dad in the hospital and all, they have transferred him back to Red Deer from Edmonton again and things seem to be okay for now. Mom was told that he is doing a bit better and one of his aorta behind his heart has broken and is causing the internal bleeding. They can not do any surgery to stop this as he would not make it through that due to his dialisis and other health issues right now. They will probably release him on Monday and send him home again and send him home for Mom to watch, what the hell is wrong with these Alberta Hospitals? My father needs attention and you say you want the bleeding to stop on its own and for the aorta to heel, just seems ridiculous to me.
Well today was spent relaxing and things are great so far in our new neighborhood. Moved a few of the plants outside in the flowerbeds to where I thought they go and relocating plants from a place that made no sense to either Matthew or I. Things are coming along quite well for the time being. This week we have to plan out our fence and go and order those materials, also need to rent a rotatiller and do the back area for a garden, Will keep you all informed in our progress. Hope everyone had a great Easter and thanks for reading.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
my god, what a couple days
Where to begin, I am not sure at this point where to start and what to say. The move yesterday was quite possibly my worst move ever and everything that could have gone wrong....did. So lets start at the beginning, yesterday morning Matt dropped the dogs off with Wayne and had a couple errands to run afterwards, and as fate would have it everywhere he had to go was over busy and he was late getting back to the apartment to help with the move. The elevator which was book from 1pm to 3pm never showed up until 2pm so we only had it for an hour instead of the 2 hours that I had booked it for a month in advance, then the movers who originally were suppose to be there between 12 and 1pnm and then 1pm and 4pm showed up at 4:15 in the afternoon. In the meantime Matt and I had to haul everything from the apartment down to the lobby and get our friend Nancy to sit down there and watch everything and then Matt had to sit there after she left, what a pain in the ass. Thank you again Nancy, you were an amazing help! Also thanks to Wayne for taking the dogs, as for the poor cats they were scared to death and so frightened of everything going on and watching there home leave them. After the movers finally showed up, crazy late and with 4 other apartments moving out of the building it looked like a loading dock for a large trucking company. So we finally got everything on to the truck at 6;30pm , not bad for a move which we thought would be done and over by 4pm! Then Matt came to the hotel with whatever luggage I hauled down for him to the apartment lobby and then came back after checking in to get me and the cats after I cleaned the apartment a little. Finally got everything out of the apartment and 45 dollars later got to the hotel with the cats and clothes and groceries for the next 3 nights. Wayne brought the dogs over at 9pm , then we finally got something to eat and a bit of relaxation. We went to Olympic Pizza which is amazing food at good prices.
Came back to the hotel , relaxed for a bit with cats and dogs and finally got to bed around 2am only to be woken up at 3am by the sounds of a lovely fire alarm which i am sure some little prick pulled as they were leaving from one of the many parties that probably happened here at some point last night. Finally back to bed and asleep around 3:30am, what a f'n night.
Only to wake up this morning with three messages on my phone which I left in the living room of the hotel to charge last night from my mother. More bad news just to top off the weekend. My father was rushed to the Olds hospital last night, then transferred to Red Deer and from there to Grey Nuns in Edmonton where he now is awaiting a diagnoses as to what is up. The figure and aorta may have burst and are not sure as to what the next step will be. He started his dialissis for kidney failure on Thursday and had 2 treatments, one on Friday morning and the next on Saturday. I am not sure how much more my poor Mother can take this year. I feel so bad for her and wish that Matt and I could help more, all I can do at the moment is be there for her on the phone and talk to her and just be there for her as much as possible. Well here is to hoping the rest of the weekend and week goes as planned. We are suppose to get our furniture delivered on Tuesday and this is all the shit from Vancouver and here from the apartment and then on Wednesday are new appliances are suppose to be delivered to the house. Please hope everything goes well and as planned. No one should have to endure this much shit from one day. Have a great weekend and we will touch base soon, bye for now from your gay neighbor.
Came back to the hotel , relaxed for a bit with cats and dogs and finally got to bed around 2am only to be woken up at 3am by the sounds of a lovely fire alarm which i am sure some little prick pulled as they were leaving from one of the many parties that probably happened here at some point last night. Finally back to bed and asleep around 3:30am, what a f'n night.
Only to wake up this morning with three messages on my phone which I left in the living room of the hotel to charge last night from my mother. More bad news just to top off the weekend. My father was rushed to the Olds hospital last night, then transferred to Red Deer and from there to Grey Nuns in Edmonton where he now is awaiting a diagnoses as to what is up. The figure and aorta may have burst and are not sure as to what the next step will be. He started his dialissis for kidney failure on Thursday and had 2 treatments, one on Friday morning and the next on Saturday. I am not sure how much more my poor Mother can take this year. I feel so bad for her and wish that Matt and I could help more, all I can do at the moment is be there for her on the phone and talk to her and just be there for her as much as possible. Well here is to hoping the rest of the weekend and week goes as planned. We are suppose to get our furniture delivered on Tuesday and this is all the shit from Vancouver and here from the apartment and then on Wednesday are new appliances are suppose to be delivered to the house. Please hope everything goes well and as planned. No one should have to endure this much shit from one day. Have a great weekend and we will touch base soon, bye for now from your gay neighbor.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
What first
Well here we are and there is another week gone and a super crazy busy week ahead of us. We have to go shopping and get a fridge and stove that will be delivered for the 3rd of April along with all of our furniture and belongings from the apartment and Vancouver. We also have to go and sign all the papers with the Lawyer, fill out the insurance forms and finish packing a few last things here in the apartment. Going to be so different for the 2 of us and the kids to be back in a house and have some space for all of us. The best thing will be when one of us gets up early or stays up late the other one can still get some sleep, not an easy task at the moment.
Yesterday I had to deal with Rogers again, god I really hate that company, the evil ways they do business just makes me sick. We have decided to go with no home phone and no cable tv, we are going to use our cell phones which are not with Rogers, and then a HDTV antenna which can supposedly get up to 60 channels for a one time purchase of 60 dollars, will let you know how that works. Anyhow Rogers was going to charge me a 400 penalty for disconnecting my services, stupid, offer me a discount to hook things up and then want that discount back when I disconnect, well I got all that straightened up now!
Am going to walk over to the store later and have a look around, just to get out of the house and do something different and maybe find some more small things for the house, Will also try and get some more clothes packed and stuff like that, these are things easier done when Matthew is out with the girls. Just such a small space and he hates packing as well.
I have been designing new floor plans for the house and trying to get that all done, next step after that is to get some proper plans drawn up for the city for our building permits, we just have to decide and keep to our decisions on where in the house to start and what will be the most important to both of us to do. Love doing the plans on the computer for the house and decorating it that way. Anyhow I have to go now and help Matt. Have a great day from your gay neighbor.
Yesterday I had to deal with Rogers again, god I really hate that company, the evil ways they do business just makes me sick. We have decided to go with no home phone and no cable tv, we are going to use our cell phones which are not with Rogers, and then a HDTV antenna which can supposedly get up to 60 channels for a one time purchase of 60 dollars, will let you know how that works. Anyhow Rogers was going to charge me a 400 penalty for disconnecting my services, stupid, offer me a discount to hook things up and then want that discount back when I disconnect, well I got all that straightened up now!
Am going to walk over to the store later and have a look around, just to get out of the house and do something different and maybe find some more small things for the house, Will also try and get some more clothes packed and stuff like that, these are things easier done when Matthew is out with the girls. Just such a small space and he hates packing as well.
I have been designing new floor plans for the house and trying to get that all done, next step after that is to get some proper plans drawn up for the city for our building permits, we just have to decide and keep to our decisions on where in the house to start and what will be the most important to both of us to do. Love doing the plans on the computer for the house and decorating it that way. Anyhow I have to go now and help Matt. Have a great day from your gay neighbor.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Busy Week and another ahead
Well it has been a really busy couple weeks and many more to come! We now have one more week in the apartment and the to the hotel for 3 days and then into the new house. All week has been spent running around and making sure all is in place for the big move, booking the elevator, confirming movers, filling out insurance forms, and packing. Then the everyday stuff like walking the dogs , tending to the cats and appointments and of course stopping off at the local bar patio for a drink in the heat wave we had this week.
Next Friday we go and sign all the papers on the house and then a week from Monday it is all ours. We have both been drawing up plans for the reno and getting ready, still have to go and buy the appliances that we need and make sure it is a one time purchase so also need to get the ones we really want and totally agree on. We need to find a security system, and get that in place, also install cameras and this will help to lower our insurance.
We are also sourcing a plumber, electrician and other trades for estimates on the work that we need to do, we have decided to put up a new fence as soon as possible and work a bit on the landscape as well when the weather is really good. I am sure we will get all of this done and finished in a timely manner and once we do it will look great, can't wait to show pictures.
Today was my doctors appointment again and they have set up more specialist appointment for me so they can work on figuring what is causing the Horners Syndrome and then treat it appropriately so I can get off the Tylenol 3 and hopefully get rid of all the headaches.They are arranging an appointment for a lung specialist and I will hear from him soon.I am just hoping all this gets settled soon and I can just live without a headache for a day, or chest problems and shortness of breathe. Anyhow I take it day by day and soon it will be over and I am sure all will be fine.
So I have to say the weather this week was amazing and it was great in the mid twenties here all week and so great to be running around in a t-shirt. Thursday Matt was out in shorts and we went to the Firken and had a drink and some lunch on the patio. Hoping the weather sticks and we have a great summer. Great news for all the Village rainbow haters here in Toronto, Andi and her three sons are finally broke and apparently bankrupt. Maybe now we can get something nice on that corner with great food and decent service. I only say this because I actually use to work for her and have never been treated so badly by anyone in my life, so it is true that what goes around comes around. Karma my dear, you and your sons finally got yours.
Can't wait to see what goes in there next, who knows maybe we will open a nice little pub of our own. You never know what the future will be and what will go on the best corner of Church Street. Anyhow I hope you all have a great weekend. Talk to you soon, your gay neighbors.
Next Friday we go and sign all the papers on the house and then a week from Monday it is all ours. We have both been drawing up plans for the reno and getting ready, still have to go and buy the appliances that we need and make sure it is a one time purchase so also need to get the ones we really want and totally agree on. We need to find a security system, and get that in place, also install cameras and this will help to lower our insurance.
We are also sourcing a plumber, electrician and other trades for estimates on the work that we need to do, we have decided to put up a new fence as soon as possible and work a bit on the landscape as well when the weather is really good. I am sure we will get all of this done and finished in a timely manner and once we do it will look great, can't wait to show pictures.
Today was my doctors appointment again and they have set up more specialist appointment for me so they can work on figuring what is causing the Horners Syndrome and then treat it appropriately so I can get off the Tylenol 3 and hopefully get rid of all the headaches.They are arranging an appointment for a lung specialist and I will hear from him soon.I am just hoping all this gets settled soon and I can just live without a headache for a day, or chest problems and shortness of breathe. Anyhow I take it day by day and soon it will be over and I am sure all will be fine.
So I have to say the weather this week was amazing and it was great in the mid twenties here all week and so great to be running around in a t-shirt. Thursday Matt was out in shorts and we went to the Firken and had a drink and some lunch on the patio. Hoping the weather sticks and we have a great summer. Great news for all the Village rainbow haters here in Toronto, Andi and her three sons are finally broke and apparently bankrupt. Maybe now we can get something nice on that corner with great food and decent service. I only say this because I actually use to work for her and have never been treated so badly by anyone in my life, so it is true that what goes around comes around. Karma my dear, you and your sons finally got yours.
Can't wait to see what goes in there next, who knows maybe we will open a nice little pub of our own. You never know what the future will be and what will go on the best corner of Church Street. Anyhow I hope you all have a great weekend. Talk to you soon, your gay neighbors.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Packing, Packing and more Packing
I have realized that I have a lot of stuff, glasses galore and bowls and dishes like you would not believe. I have now gone through and packed most of it up, and now just a few more things left to pack up. The balcony is fairly full of containers and boxes and the movers are all booked to pick everything up on the 31st and then to deliver it all on April 3rd. Matt and I and the kids are staying in a hotel for 2 nights and not totally looking forward to it. On the second we will have to sleep on the floor at the house. Wish us luck with the move.
We have also been looking at different options for TV and internet and thinking of cancelling our home phone and just using the cell phones which I think is a better idea. We found a really cool idea for HDTV and it is an antenna and says it receives up to 69 HD channels which I do believe would be great and it is only a one time purchase of an antenna for about 20 dollars, which will save us a whopping 75 dollars per month. Enough to plan a trip every year if we took that money and put it away. Also with cancelling home phone we will save another 29 to 40 dollars a month. It truly all adds up and a lot, crazy how much these companies can charge you for this crap. Internet is expensive enough!
Matt has been hard at work on line doing kitchen plans and looking at appliances for our new home and the ideal set up of our cabinets and storage for the kitchen. So far what he has come up with is gorgeous and I am sure we can do this within a budget again, we have before. Just takes some smart shopping and a lot of luck.
The dogs and cats know something is up as all of our stuff is now in boxes. Sparky has been enjoying playing amongst all the boxes and containers on the balcony. Lots of hiding places and sleeping on the empty suitcases, well empty for now. Matthew is making a shopping list right now so I guess we are heading out to get groceries soon and pick up some cleaning supplies and food for the week. After all it is Friday. Have a great weekend and your gay neighbor will be back soon.
We have also been looking at different options for TV and internet and thinking of cancelling our home phone and just using the cell phones which I think is a better idea. We found a really cool idea for HDTV and it is an antenna and says it receives up to 69 HD channels which I do believe would be great and it is only a one time purchase of an antenna for about 20 dollars, which will save us a whopping 75 dollars per month. Enough to plan a trip every year if we took that money and put it away. Also with cancelling home phone we will save another 29 to 40 dollars a month. It truly all adds up and a lot, crazy how much these companies can charge you for this crap. Internet is expensive enough!
Matt has been hard at work on line doing kitchen plans and looking at appliances for our new home and the ideal set up of our cabinets and storage for the kitchen. So far what he has come up with is gorgeous and I am sure we can do this within a budget again, we have before. Just takes some smart shopping and a lot of luck.
The dogs and cats know something is up as all of our stuff is now in boxes. Sparky has been enjoying playing amongst all the boxes and containers on the balcony. Lots of hiding places and sleeping on the empty suitcases, well empty for now. Matthew is making a shopping list right now so I guess we are heading out to get groceries soon and pick up some cleaning supplies and food for the week. After all it is Friday. Have a great weekend and your gay neighbor will be back soon.
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