The Little Church on the Hill

Yesterday Ewan and I went to church. We drove the winding roads towards Ben Lomond, Tasmania's biggest mountain and there at the foothills of this mountain is our "church", the shack (which coincidentally is a former church.)

The church is clad in weathered timber cedar shingles.

We put in all the gardens as there was nothing when we purchased the place.

Ben Lomond

We brought the church along with some land back in 2004. It still had the red strip of carpet up the middle and the alter at the end. There were no amenities, just a shell of a building ripe for some creativity injected into it. Roge and I wanted to turn it into a residence so we embarked on a labor of love that has taken us 8 years to complete.

Open plan living

Looking back at the Bunnings flatpack kitchen

The vestry has been converted into the bathroom

It has taken a long time because there wasn't any urgency to get the renovation done and we did all the work ourselves. It didn't cost us much in the scheme of things because we found a lot of the supplies second hand. The skirting boards and architraves were salvaged from a burnt house that was to be demolished, the claw foot bath was pulled out of a paddock and cleaned up with a bit of paint. The ballustrade to the mezzanine was made out of myrtle, huon pine and blackwood scraps that we dug out of various people's sheds and fittings were found at the tip shop.

So yesterday I was sitting inside our little home away from home, it was 3:30pm and I was bored out of my brain. No internet, no mobile phone reception and no one to talk to, I was seconds away from packing up and going home to the city only hours after we had arrived. I couldn't believe it, I realised I'd lost my ability to just sit and do nothing. I think the last 8 months I have just been so busy with a new baby and everything else that I fill my life with that I have forgotten how to sit and enjoy the quiet times.

Determined to stay I realised I needed a change of scenery and hopefully that would lift my mood. I moved onto the deck with a cuppa, plonked Ewan down with an apple and sat back with my feet up. I found some old editions of the Country style magazine in the cupboard and read. Within half and hour I  was exactly where I wanted to be, enjoying the quiet, gorgeous views and not being distracted by Facebook or a mountain of washing!

Love our deck, perfect afternoon hang out.

Ewan and Tonto, best of pals. 

Sunset from the deck, ahh the serenity.

After that we really got into the flow of country life. Ewan and I played with the horse, chased the chickens and later that afternoon, lit the fire and stared into the flickering flames. Ahhh, relaxed Alex was back. That was until the next morning when one of the neighbours kids started up their motorbike and insisted on riding it on our adjoining road, grrr, serenity over!

With that we packed up and headed on home to the city because I missed my husband, my home and lets be honest, Facebook!