We moved in!

Wow what a busy week!

We moved in to the house on Friday night.  We then spent all weekend unpacking boxes - still not done!

We then received our first house guests on Monday!  Dave and Megan came over from the States for the Bruce Springsteen concert and we were just about able to offer them a bed to sleep in!

I had taken Mon-Thurs off work and boy did I need it.  I had people calling to fix things and set up things all week - I had hoped that the Intenet, Phone & TV would be set up by the time I came back to work today but unfortunately it will be Monday before I am hooked up.

We had a great night on Wednesday for the Bruce concert.  We went to Tribeca in Ranelagh for big burgers (sustenance) before the show and then walked to the concert venue (stopping off for a drink in Kiely's of Donnybrook on the way.  We used to live all the way over the other side of the city so if we were going to a concert in this particular venue we would generally have got the bus or train over and then a taxi back home. It was brilliant to be able to walk - only about a half hour each way!  Bruce Springsteen was phenomenal, he played for nearly three and a half hours.  The weather had been really bad all day with bigh heavy rain downpours intermittenly but amazingly it stayed dry for the whole concert.  I enjoyed all of his songs but in particular "Because the night" which he performed with his wife Patti.

Today I came back to work, Megan and Dave headed off to Paris and later on Ciaran leaves for Birmingham for the World Squash Masters. I have the house to myself all weekend and then my sister is coming to stay with me for a few nights on Monday evening.  I have promised her a curry from "Diep at Home"!!!

Below is Bones in the basket of a Dublin Bike.  The Dublin Bike Scheme is so great - €10 for a years subscription and access to the Dublin Bike Network.

Let's conversate!!

The conversation pit in the front room is nearly built!

There are drawers under the bench for storage which is so convenient as there is not so much storage space in the house as a whole.  We also don't like "stuff" lying around, we prefer to have it put away in its home and only taken out when it is in use.

Can you imagine yourself sitting here chatting to people at the house warming party?!

Push for the finish line

Huge amount of activity at the house this week.  There is a final big push to get everything finished and ready for us to move in to on Friday.  The bench seats are being completed as well as the painting and a few other bits and pieces. 


                Here's a picture of the bench in the kitchen.

I wonder how many people will comfortably sit on this bench?! 


We are planning on just moving the beds in on Friday and then we can move everything slowly in after that.


Even though we are sure to be extremely busy on Friday evening, Ciaran is planning on playing a game of squash in the middle of the move as he is training hard for the World Masters which he is travelling to Bermingham for in a week's time.


I have taken a few days off work next week to try and organise things and we also have Bruce Springsteen tickets for his concert in the RDS on Wednesday night........busy busy!!!

Lenticchia!

Peter Zumthor's "Lenticchia" lights have been fitted in the master bedroom.

I think these floating orbs are stunning! You can't see any of the fittings or how they are suspended - amazing!

The front door has been painted a really smart red colour. 

Grooming a Shi Tzu!

Bones went for a groom yesterday.  He gets groomed by Jason, in Puppy Kutz (Ph. 085 843 8789), who always does a marvellous job and really looks after Bones.

  

When Bones got in to the car I noticed he had a cute little bow attached to his collar.  It had a little badge attached that said "My groomer loves me" - how adorable is that!

Here is a short video of Bones that you may find funny! ;-)

Custom built bespoke kitchen in LPA

I'm very much hoping that the house will be ready in a few days and we will be able to move in this Friday.  Fingers crossed!

The bench seats in the front room and the kitchen are being made and there are some painting elements to be completed.

I had a chat with the kitchen designer Dean Cooper today about the way the kitchen should work.  He was extremely helpful and explained exactly where to store everything in order to use the kitchen in the most ergonomic fashion.  He also pointed out little details and fittings that make the kitchen so special.  Some of the fittings were got in from Switzerland, Austria and the USA.  The dishwasher has a kickboard with a small fitting that drops the kickboard when the dishwasher opens - very nifty!  Dean also pointed out how the kitchen does not have any filler pieces because it was a bespoke kitchen that was built exactly for the kitchen space in this house. He then went on to give me some tips on how to keep the kitchen clean and looking its best.  All really helpful info! 

The mantlepiece in the second bedroom has been painted - I love the ornate detail on it.

Here are a few more pictures that I took today as you can see the house is just about ready for us to move in to.  The upstairs is just about ready with very little to be done.  It is the downstairs that has more work to finish it off.

Smart parking!

Last weekend we visited the monthly flea market in Dublin City - a fun little market with some real gems.  In particular there was a man selling 1960's Danish furniture.  It was all really good stuff in perfect condition.  I had to remind Ciaran that we had the Smart Car with us so we couldn't buy any large items.


I also saw a cool ice bucket in the shape of a pineapple! Fun!  My sister had been telling me how cool these are.  They are very retro!


When we arrived at the market the car park looked full and we didn't think we would find a space.  But of course we were able to squeeze our car in to a spot that was not usable by any other car!