Removing Internal Wall – Day 2
After removing one side of the wall on day one, removing the other side was a lot easier. We got good tips from Mundey on how to remove the cornice and the wall easily. And it worked a treat!
But before we start, we used cheap plastic drop cloths from Bunnings ($1.50 each) and masking tape to screen off the work area. It makes cleaning up a lot quicker and easier. We also had a large container in the work area to bin big pieces of plaster board and cornice as we remove them.
Steps for removing the cornice:
1. Score the plaster board where the ceiling meets the cornice. This prevents the ceiling from being damaged when you pull the cornice off.
2. Puncture a hole in the cornice using a hammer.
3. Insert a wrecking bar or the claw end of the hammer into the hole then lever the cornice off. It should come off in 30cm lengths.
The wall should come off easily now with a few bangs and some pushing from the other side of the wall. Richard did all that after work and before dinner time! Too easy!
On a little tangent, I couldn’t pass up the chance to graffiti the wall a few days ago. It’s a bit stupid looking, I know. Coincidentally, Richard decided to hang up his tools in the hole while working today. We didn’t notice it at first but then I realised just how funny the screaming man looked with the tools in his mouth.
Anyway, below is the photo of the living room taken from the front door BEFORE the demolition:
Here it is after day two:
We’re only half way through removing the wall. We’ve got a busy weekend ahead!
{ 2 comments }
Malay for Aussies: Letter B
Salihan’s Voice (Native Malay Speaker)
Richard’s Voice (Aussie Learner)
The Wall is Coming Down!
We have a wall separating the living and dining/kitchen area. It blocks out a lot of the sunlight that comes through the kitchen windows. So the living area is in perpetual darkness all day long. You can see it very clearly in the photo below. This was taken this morning and I even have the lights on in the living room but it’s still dark in there.
So we discussed it at length with Richard’s dad, who is a builder, and agreed that we can remove the wall for free as he has all the timber we need. So the plan is to remove the gyprock wall before the school holidays which start in two weeks. Then Richard’s dad can pop over and remove the studs and add a beam some time during the holidays.
So we started the demolition today. With the help of Mr Jabsaw, Mr Wrecking Bar and Richard’s muscles, we did this in just one hour! Oh, it was fun! I wish my brothers were here to tear this wall down. They would love it!
Is it me or does the room look brighter already? 
Blackforest Slice
Blackforest cake is my all-time favourite. My mum used to buy it for me every year for my birthday. So when I saw a blackforest slice recipe in “Family Circle Step-by-Step: Superb Slices”, I just had to give it a go, even if it was Tuesday night!
The slice wasn’t hard to make but just a little time consuming. The prep took me nearly an hour as I did it all by hand. I also melted chocolate and butter over steam for the first time and I’m glad it turned out alright. After the baking and preparing, I had to wait for more than an hour for the slice to cool and set in the fridge. It was nearly bed time before I had a taste!
The chocolate base was rich and dense. It was a cross between a fudge and brownie. It was very good. The black cherries exploded in my mouth and tasted wonderful with the chocolate flavour. Overall, it had a sweet, dark taste. It was well worth the wait and effort.
I shared half of it with my colleagues the next day and those women (and one man) absolutely loved it! They happily went for seconds when offered it. I give this recipe a double chocolatey thumbs up!
{ 2 comments }Malay for Aussies: Letter A
Malay is the national language of Singapore and Malaysia. It is very similar to Indonesian. As Richard and I live in isolation to the Malay community here in Australia, he finds it hard to learn the language from books and from having small talk with me.
I’ve decided to create simple pictures that will help him and other Aussies that are interested to learn basic Malay. The first series of pictures will focus on learning everyday objects from A to Z and using the words in basic sentences.
We’ve also had fun recording our voices so you can hear the difference between a native Malay speaker and an Aussie learner.
There are two ways to sound the letter A- “ah” and “er“. It depends on the position of the letter A in the word. The “ah” sound is covered below.
Salihan’s Voice (Native Malay Speaker)
Richard’s Voice (Aussie Learner)
