The Great Neutral Land Grab

It's been a journey but we've finally got there......Sadly it was after moving out though. It all started after we got back from NYC and moved into our pad at Kurraba Point. The kitchen door led out to the side of the building onto common property. You then had to go through a gate to get to our courtyard. Tracy came up with the grand idea to move the gate forward.

The white screen door on the right is our kitchen door. The box on the right of the path is where the garbage bins were stored once upon a time.

This is looking from our courtyard back towards the gate when it was in it's original position.

We did some research and found out we needed to get a bylaw added to give us exclusive use of common property. For those non-apartment crew common property is owned by the strata, ie all the owners. We enlisted the help of a solicitor and had the bylaw drafted and submitted it at the AGM last year. It was approved and off we went. Exclusive use is a pretty cool win. While the area does not come onto your title it's yours under the terms of the bylaw and very difficult to reverse. 

After securing the bylaw we then got a handyman in to move the existing fence. The area we got exclusive use to was about 2.5 by 4 meters or 10m2. Not quite a football field but it now meant we could get to our courtyard without having to go through a gate. This was great for Dasha and also gave a much better sense of privacy.

We recycled the fence and used the existing one and simply moved it forward. This really cut the cost down as well.

The result once the fence had been moved 

The final step was turning it into a more usable space. I have no idea why we waited until moving out to do this but we put a deck in and a box to cover the services. It's such a nice spot under the mulberry tree and being North facing gets a lovely dose of sun in the morning. I'm sure whoever picks it up will really enjoy it. The total cost to do all this was less than 3k and fingers crossed we'll be rewarded at auction.

And the final result with the new deck and services cover. I'd gone for the cheap option of pine and used a merbau stain. Sadly it looks like the deck has been hanging in the fake tan salon but such is life.

Looking from the gate to the back of the garden.

The Doggy Door

It was only a matter of time before the little fella figured out how to break out of Denison.......




Video can be found here: http://youtu.be/SkwU78-dRUE

World People - Part 1

I spent last Saturday night trawling through my photos looking for people shots I've taken over the years. Anyway here's the start of a selection of them. Some great

This photo was taken just after we'd finished brunch and were on our way out. I was using my LC-A and had a special red colored film in it. Circa 2012

Standard Hotel, NYC, USA

 This was one of the guys who was participating on in Art Around The Park in 2011. The organizers wrap Tompkins Square park in a massive canvas and encourage people to come up and paint or draw on it.

East Village, NYC, USA

We came across this really weird Halloween ritual down in Key West in 2012 where a bunch of middle age people decide to get their kit off and go celebrate. Go figure

Key West, Florida, USA

 I was on a boat meandering down the nile and we'd pulled in for the night to camp. I went for a bit of a wander and found this farmer tending to his crop. Circa 2006.

The Nile River Banks, Egypt

We were staying up in Martha's Vineyard in 2012 and I went out to pick up some take away dinner. While waiting I saw this queue in the carpark in the alley behind the main strip. It was a famous donut place where they serve donuts straight out of the kitchen. Delicious.

Backdoor Donuts, Martha's Vineyard, USA

I came across this fella while walking up Mount Sinai in 2006. I wish he was selling cold cans of coke but unfortunately it was  trinkets only.

Mount Sinai, Egypt

I have zero recollection of where I took this picture but it was somewhere in Egypt in 2006.

Somewhere in Egypt

 I was camping in Wadi Rum and a bunch of kids came up looking for lolly's. This picture was about 2 hours before I got hit with the worst case of food poisoning I've ever had. Circa 2006

Wadi Rum, Jordan

 The fruit lady that walks the beaches of Jamaica is famous for her delicious mango's. Shame it wasn't quite the season for Mango's when we were there. Circa 2011.

Negril, Jamaica

 This guy was selling freshly caught lobster for the princely sum of 8 dollars. Sensational. Circa 2011

Negril, Jamaica

 The fish monger in Chelsea Market's is the best I've ever been into. I never really ate the sushi there as I always beelined for the lobster bisque but am sure it was pretty good anyway. Circa 2014.

Chelsea Market, NYC, USA

 Our taxi driver in Vinales took us to meet his family. Talk about personal service. Circa 2012.

Vinales, Cuba

This guy was busy machining away in a communist era factory in Cuba, circa 2012.

Somewhere in Cuba

 Trinidad was such a awesome city to take photos in. The colors and people were amazing. This lady was sticking her head out for a little peep. Circa 2012

Trinidad, Cuba

 This guy presented an interesting taxi option after a hard day surfing down in Morocco. Circa 2006.

Agadir, Morocco

Father and son in Trinidad, Cuba, Circa 2012

Trinidad, Cuba

 You've got to love the Marti Gras in Sydney. Circa 2007

Sydney, Australia

 More 2007 Marti Gras action in Sydney.

Sydney, Australia

 This guy was just taking a break. I'm pretty certain it was in Hoi An in 2007.

Hoi An, Vietnam

Styling in the Meatpacking district in NYC in 2010.

Meatpacking District, NYC, USA

I wonder if I could get Flynn around on my scooter like this? circa 2007

Hanoi, Vietnam

This guy was rocking and rolling in the town centre in Trinidad. Circa 2012.

Trinidad, Cuba

The BBQ meat fest in Madison Square Park, NYC in 2011.

NYC, USA

Williamsburg Graffiti Part 2

"Baby are you still writing about New York? How long is that going to last for?"

Ah I promise I'm running low on material. Back to Flynn posts soon.

Williamsburg Graffiti Part 1

A selection of snaps from my recent trip to Williamsburg