30 September 2013

I just love a bargain!

Just bought an ace table and chairs for the rehab dining room for $300.00 on eBay. I love a bargain when you get them. It was $999.00 new 2 years ago, and in very good condition. It pretty much matches a table donated last year by a work colleague at the time who wanted to help out, so 2 x 6 seater tables for a $300.00 investment is fantastic. (Thanks again Donna...) It was worth staying up until 11.30pm to bid for it!


27 September 2013

Our new kitchen is here....

Just want to show off the new stuff we've got in our kitchen. Man...I can't wait to taste what will come out of this place when we are up and running. Beautiful....


24 September 2013

Painting the front

Jonathan Luby, our painting contractor, has just started to make some headway in painting the front of the building. It is making such a difference to the look and feel of the place, I feel more and more pride each and every day we get closer to finishing this project. The colours are looking good that have been chosen, and all of this will be complimented by the decision to paint the front doors high gloss black with brass fittings and door furniture.


The LHS still being sanded back ready for painting...


...and finished later in the day.

18 September 2013

Front fence being rebuilt

We made a decision to rebuild two of the brick pillars that were broken and loose on the front of the building, and to get the steel fencing stripped and sandblasted ready for a coat of enamel. That was an effort, as there were tongues of steel that were located into the original brick pillars when they were built. I managed to grind them free and we will get a bracket with a couple of bolt holes welded to the fencing sections so that we can re attach it all securely to the brick pillars again. That will happen soon, and then we can get it all in the trailer and off for sandblasting and powdercoating. As you can see, they've had a few coats....


We managed to secure all of the fireplaces in to the freshly plastered walls as well. Another big job that has come to an end, and they look fantastic. Its not long now....




14 September 2013

5,000 views

We hit the 5,000 page views mark this morning, 1,180 in the last month. Exceeding my expectations in every way. Please share this blog on your Facebook page, Google plus page, and get it out to as many people as you can. Until the website is up, this might give someone the opportunity to drop me a line if they're in trouble. If nothing else, more people will become aware of a new service  that is soon to open here. Thanks to all the readers, the comments, the emails, the phone calls, and the support for this project from all over the world. I feel inspired.

13 September 2013

Bathrooms done!

Managed to get the shower screens and mirrors in on both client bathrooms today. Makes them feel more complete than ever before. You wouldn't have even walked in them when we started, so we are pleased. Just a few little things to go and we are there with them, towel rails, shelf below the mirror, toilet roll holders and plants...



Nice!

Ken and I were busy with a trailer full of rubbish to the dump this afternoon, and getting the steel fencing out of the brickwork at the front of the building so that we can sandblast it. Ken's niece came over today as well so that she could see the property, and assess the best spots for her dad's paintings to go up. Now that I am definitely looking forward too.


10 September 2013

Art for the rehab

We have just had an amazing offer of the use of some very beautiful oil painted Australian landscapes donated for the whole rehab by my business partner Ken's brother, Ray Lodge. His works can be seen at www.raymondlodge.com, and he has said that we can have the use of his art to decorate the whole premises for free. Personally I think it will work incredibly well, as a lot of his stuff is painted from the northern regions of South Australia, and will bring that total authenticity to the building that we are so lucky to have. Ray, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Such a very kind offer indeed, your generosity is appreciated so much. Take a look at Ray's website for yourself.


 Ray Lodge as a young man at work
 
 
"Arch and rain"

 

"On Hugo's hill"

9 September 2013

A sobering video from a man that killed a guy

I just had to put this on the blog. See what you think. I think it is a pretty powerful and honest message personally. But then...I would.



ZipTap done

The ZipTap is in. For those that don't know, they deliver  filtered boiling hot and filtered cold water 24/7/365 at the push of a button from a tap by the sink. Great for a coffee or a tea whenever you want one, or a glass of cold water to have with your dinner as well. One of the modern world's truly great inventions. Today was also spent thrashing out some costs and getting prices confirmed on stuff to get for the rehab, and what we need and what we don't need as well . Trying to juggle that against an ever decreasing budget is an awesome job. Stressful too. 


The ZipTap in situ (LHS)


The unit under the sink

Ron has been working his magic with the pointing today for us as well, its all starting to come together nicely.



Ron putting the linework in...



...still at it...



A taste of what is to come



ahhh ....that's better

7 September 2013

Time to start ordering

Its that time when we need to start getting the final orders ready for the rehab. Beds, wardrobes, tables drawers, rugs, fridges, freezers, air con, TV's etc. Frightening stuff, but I know we can get there, and more importantly, deliver a fantastic overall result that will ensure our future in the marketplace. We have a meeting with a PR company here next week to discuss our opening night to ensure the right people get there, and the right focus on media attention happens as well. The website is all but done, and the coders in the UK are just dotting the "i's" and crossing the "t's" with that. That will be released very soon.

We are having a two week wait before the painting starts on the outside of the building to allow the lime plaster to cure properly. Ken and I can get stuck in on the woodwork at the rear and on the verandah posts and window frames in the meantime. We have had a few interviews of late with people that have spent a time working for other treatment facilities, who are good and strong candidates for our business when we open. I feel confident that we will attract all the right people. I am told that the rehab has a nicer feel to it than our competitors as well, so I am very pleased to hear that indeed.

And the best part of the week for me was when we finally got the tap fitted to the dining room sink! Memorable. It had to go back to the store in Mile End three times before we got one that wasn't leaking, and was the correct fit. The time I spent doing that. Damn you Bunnings. I shall never again buy plumbing stuff from them again, no matter how it seems to be value at the time.


5 September 2013

Eastern Side Pointed and lined

The eastern side is all done, with just the painted lines to go in. Looks great.




Great work Ron

Plastering finished and the pointing has started.

The Stone Ideas team are all done. What a great job they have done too, painstaking work, and they have really given the house an amazing lift. Ron Boulden has started the pointing too, and he has been getting stuck in to that, with one of the gable ends mudded up already. That work will progress nicely over the coming days, and he should be all done by Monday or Tuesday next week with any luck.


  
One of the four new window quoins finished


All of the old pointing hacked out...


Starting at the top

As I mentioned in the last post, we have also selected all of the rugs and runners for the building. Choices floors were just fantastic with their assistance in this, getting us samples and just being so professional about everything. The black and cream hall runners we have chosen will make the corridors just sing. I can't wait to see them down on the floor.




4 September 2013

Deeply touched by this....

Last night I had just got home after a long day  at the office and opened an email from someone I had never heard of, and didn't recognise as even an aquaintance. They wanted to donate some money to Visible Recovery and asked how they could do that. I was floored. I rang my mum and asked her if she recognised the name, but no, no-one she knew either. I wrote back and thanked them for their generous offer of whatever it was, and asked them how they knew of us? 

I got no response last night, but as I was sat with my Mum at the RAH before her Oncology appointment this morning, another email came in explaining who it was. They had seen me at a presentation I gave with Joy Anasta at Tabor College (a Counsellor and Tutor there) earlier in the year about my addiction and what had happened to me, and my recovery, as a part of a Post Graduate course they were all doing. This person was obviously stirred enough by what I said to want to help the cause. (At no time did I ever ask for donations I might add.)  I graciously accepted whatever donation it might be, and sent over my company bank details. I said it was conditional on them accepting an invitation to our opening night for them both. They wrote back to let me know that her and her husband had put $500.00 in our account. I was completely and utterly stumped. There really are people out there that are just so lovely, and so awesome. To honestly have this project in their minds enough to want to make them donate that amount to me to help with everything is just gorgeous. I feel totally blessed. And it will get spent on something very useful at the rehab, and they will see what that is on our opening night.

And it didn't stop there either. Ken and I went to our flooring people to see about the rugs and runners that we have chosen for the floors at the rehab, and I was telling Monique, the salesperson that has been so helpful there, about this person that donated the money. Monique has given Ken and I fantastic pricing on everything for the rehab already. Her boss (at Choices on 36-38 Richmond Road, Keswick, Mr. Bruno Iannucci is the Director of the company) overheard that we were running a rehab, and also overheard the story about the person that donated the $500.00, and he said "I will match that with a further discount of $500.00 from your bill, and free delivery". 

I don't know what to say, except that it has never happened before like that in my entire life. I sit here as I am writing this just gob-smacked. Special thanks for lighting up my life for today to the people that so kindly donated. You know who you are. Thank you to Bruno at Choices. Thank you to my higher power and to the universe. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

3 September 2013

Another day, full and busy...

Another full day. Had to re-cable the cameras now we have moved the office, so it was back into the roof I went today. Nothing like terminating network cables with a torch whilst perched on a piece of 4 x 2 as it slowly creeps....never mind. Hard work anyway. 


Then we had a couple of guys remove the sheeting from the roof of the verandah to allow the pointer to work without hindrance.


And below, here is a picture of Joe Sylvestri, the CEO of the Aboriginal Sobriety Group. He has been an awesome help with this mammoth task, and if it wasn't for me meeting him last year, this wouldn't be happening. Here he is pictured hard at work in his office....


I've also had the pleasure of three interviews with some great people that want to start working with us when we open. It is an inspiration to me to meet others in recovery from their demons that just want to help others get well. Great candidates and strong recovery. Perfect beacons and examples of what can happen, living, walking and breathing recovery. Right up my street.

2 September 2013

Photo shoot, laundry painted, office moved, sink in....

What a day! Plenty of action at the 'hab today for sure. Managed to get the laundry all painted out, a photo shoot for Ken and I for the website, and a cable technician connected the office phone line to the rear counselling room, and got rid of the old cable that was strewn across the front of the building by a very careless Telstra. Surprised? I'm not. Then there was a Solar Power installation presentation, a plasterer to finish off the fireplaces in the 2 front bedrooms, and an air conditioning installation to set up. We had a very fruitful meeting at the Aboriginal Sobriety Group, who have been awesome in their continued assistance and support with this massive task we have undertaken. Somewhere in there I managed to fit in lunch and started to reconfigure the network in the new office. Now we have made enough space for 14 people to stay rather than the 12 originally planned, and to be honest....I think we're going to need that. Emma, thank you for doing these pics for the website....