Admittedly there was some improvising but the first night in our new house in Nannup went very well. As there is no electricity and no plumbing yet going to the bathroom in the middle of the night (which I do several times!) meant a walk over to the shed but with the help of an extension cable or two we were able to have plenty of light. What did strike us both was the serene quietness inside the house and the fact that it retained some of the heat from the day even when the temperature outside dropped significantly. All that extra insulation and the double glazing has certainly made a difference. Pre-dinner drinks on the front verandah with our very good friend Bernie was special too. The barbie was then wheeled out and brought to life, I don’t think it has been used for over a year but it lit first go and worked a treat. Lamb chops, chicken and salad was the main course and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Had things been different I’m sure the house would have been finished months ago but when we started clearing the building envelope just over two years ago my transitioning to Stephanie was not even on the horizon. As much as we have had some help with the heavy work and in particular the gyprock and flushing we have done the majority of the work and it was with an enormous amount of pride that we settled down to sleep last night. There is still much to do but we spent the weekend assembling the kitchen cabinets so as soon as the electrician has been they can be fixed in position. That in itself was an achievement, there were no bits missing, everything went together pretty easily and more importantly Denise and I are still friends!
On a progress note, earlier this month I traveled to Perth to see my gender specialist. Despite his total lack of a filter I like the guy a lot, he tells it like it is and has been very good to me. In fact if not for him I would probably still be doing my two years living in my preferred gender before being given my letters of recommendation to proceed to surgery so I have a lot to thank him for. He clearly couldn’t last the whole appointment without some sort of unfiltered comment and his latest was in relation to the swelling which is still very tender in my mons area, he told me that it was most likely a fat pocket and perhaps I should try loosing some weight! Now I know I have put on a couple of kilos over the winter as most of us do but I did think it a little harsh to say the least. However, not being one to pay for advice and ignor it I am doing as I was told, I had already made the decision to lose some before the summer and am happy to report that I have shed just over three kilos so far. I would like to get down to the early seventies as I did in 2012 but will see how it goes.