#flooring tiles in new zealand

[scalierpepper]

Some of the more environment-focused scenes I drew for Reinaeiry's Take Me To Church but it's EPIC video!

Here's a link to the animatic! And if you haven't already go check out her music asap

Some notes about my artistic inspiration under the cut:

It was so much fun to dive a bit deeper into the details of Gideon the Ninth and try to make the environments come to life, especially Canaan House. For Canaan, I specifically took a lot of inspo from Neo-Gothic/Gothic-Revival architecture, including Larnach Castle in New Zealand! (The girls are Maori!! And Nona the Ninth shaped my visualization of the first house tons) occasionally some elements were an artistic battle of balance between description and visual tone (overgrown disrepaired gold-shot marble rainbow tile mosaic wood floors, anyone?) but nearly everything I was using as inspo fit so perfectly into my mental image/what I was trying to achieve and I couldnt be happier with the way some of these turned out. For Drearburh I very loosely combined a gothic cathedral with an ossuary and then Pluto-ified the color scheme!

I especially love this scene:

It set the tone for how the rest of the animatic was gonna be colored and it fit my mental image of canaan house vibes so perfectly

Overall I put a lot of love into including as many canon environmental details as I possibly could, and taking meaningful creative liberty where there were gaps in Muir's descriptions. Some parts involved a little logistic puzzling but I'm ngl I love the challenge of translating textual desc to artwork. Working on this was such a treat

[ladylooch]

How Country Feels - [Mack X David]

A/N: I am so excited to bring this to you today for many reasons. First of all, it’s Mack and David in Iowa. So we know it’s smutty and adorable. BUT! Mostly I am excited to give this as a gift to my bestest bestie @casualhilarity. You graduated!!!!! From your really tough 6 week training program and I am so so so so so so proud of you! There was never a doubt that you would be successful in this adventure. This step is just the beginning for you. I cannot wait to see what is next! In the meantime, please enjoy our thoughts on Iowa coming to life in the longest post I have ever made on Tumblr 🥹💜

Word count: 8.2k

Warnings: mentions of death, cancer, grief, smut (18+ content)

10,000 feet above Des Moines, Iowa, Mackenzie Hischier looks out the window as her plane begins to descend from her connecting flight from LAX. She has been flying across the world for almost 18 hours trying to get here. Queenstown, New Zealand was home for her the past three weeks. Her internal clock is all sorts of fucked up from the massive time swing she is going through, but she was able to sleep in sync with the Central Time Zone on her first flight. She is hopeful that will curb some of her jet lag. 

The landscape below is much different from the crystal blue water and rigid mountain peaks she came from. Instead, it is flat and vast, various different shades of greens and brows. It’s also windy. She scrunches her nose as the plane swings a bit to the left before continuing on at a smoother pace. There is not much out here to block the wind, but thousands of windmills dot the prairie below them to capture the best energy source nature can give this area. Mack has never been to Iowa, or the Midwest outside of Chicago, which doesn’t feel or look anything like what she is seeing. 

Shortly after landing, Mack walks out of the secure area, heading down to baggage claim 2. As she gets closer to the carousal, she sees a tall man with a thick black mustache, blue jeans, and a plain white t-shirt stretched across his broad chest. His hands are stuffed in his pockets as he leans against the wall by baggage claim 2, boot clad feet crossed over at the ankles. A worn, NYR baseball cap is on his head, hiding his green eyes that are devouring her even as they hide in the shadow of the bill. Mack can see the toothpick in his mouth as she gets closer. He pushes off from the wall, starting to walk towards her. Never in her life did she think she would do this, but her pace quickens and she hustles her ass across that tiled floor to be picked up by him.

“Hi!” She exclaims as she throws herself at him. He catches her easily, hauling her up his chest, both big hands clutching her ass.

“Hi honey.” He grins up at her. Mack licks her lips, then puts them on his. He squeezes her tighter into their kiss. “Mmm, missed that. Missed you.” He lets her slide down his body, Vans hitting the tile again. “Thought it was winter in New Zealand. How are you so tan?”

“There was so much sun! We got lucky pretty much the whole trip.” This trip was with two of her colleagues because it is a big feature with the magazine. Mack is grateful they had a photographer so she could focus more on the stories of the locals and less about getting the perfect shot for print.

“Good. Glad it worked out for you, baby.” He says, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You tired?”

“Um, yeah. Don’t let me fall asleep.” She mumbles into his side.

“I won’t. You’re in Iowa now. We gotta work when we get back to the farm.” Mack’s eyes widen. She looks up at him with concern. David starts to laugh.

“I’m kidding. Work is done for the day.” 

“But tomorrow?”

“It begins all over again. Gotta feed the cows, let the chickens roam, check fence, and a thousand other tasks.”

“Hard working boy.”

“Yeah.” He grins proudly. The beeping of the baggage claim alerts them before the metal begin to turn. David sees Mack’s bag and steps forward, easily hauling it off. “Just this?” Mack nods. “Let’s go baby.” He holds a hand out for her to take. She laces their fingers together, surprised at how rough his hands feel. Her gaze travels up his arm to his bicep, noting it is rock hard and bulging even without flexing.

“How long of a drive is it?” She asks after they are tucked into David’s big, black truck. He whips it fast and easy out of the parking spot, then roars the diesel engine out of the parking ramp. 

“Ah, about an hour.” He tells her, sliding his hand over to cup her thigh. She weaves her fingers through his. He squeezes them tight. “Plenty of time for you to tell me everything about your trip.” Mack smiles, adjusting herself in the passenger seat so she can look at him while she talks. She loves talking to David. As great as everything else is with him, he is a great listener and always asks the best, most insightful questions about her work. She could talk to him for hours. When she is done, she switches the topic of conversation to him.

“Tell me about the farm. What can I expect?”

“Um,” He chuckles, nudging his hat up off his forehead to scratch an itch. “Well, it’s pretty quiet out there. We are about 15 minutes south of the town closest to us. It has been hot this summer, so I hope you got some summer clothes in there.” Mack does. She packed as accordingly as she could. “Hours are long. I’ll be up before you and come back around dinner time.”

“Oh, I thought you have staff?” Mack questions.

“I do, but someone needs to manage them.” David says. “My farm manager is off on vacation right now. Usually takes the whole month of August off and leaves it to me before he is back to managing it on his own when I head East.” 

“Oooo, you’re the boss.” Mack giggles.

“Yeah of the farm and you.” He quips. Mack rolls her eyes. He is not the boss of her, but he can keep pretending he is.

“Am I gonna see you while I’m here?” She jokes. David licks his lips and nods.

“Yeah, I’ll be able to step away. I have some things planned for us too. Figure I could take you back up to the state fair next week. Get you something on a stick.” Mack gives him a weird look. “You ever been to a state fair? County fair? Nothing?” Mack shakes her head no to both. “Holy shit.” He chuckles.

“At least I don’t think we did when we lived in Jersey. I don’t know that was a long time ago.”

“A fair is where you eat fried food, mostly on a stick, and play games to win prizes, drinks some beer or other frozen drinks to stay cool. Farmers and 4H kids bring their animals to the fair to be judged.”

“What is 4H?” Mack wrinkles her nose in confusion. David looks slack jawed at her. 

“Oh baby. It’s gonna be a whole different world here for you.” He laughs like it’s cute to him.  

Mack feels the first itch of apprehension tickle her spine.

She has been all over the world, but she may be completely out of her league here. 

- - -

The moment Mack steps out of David’s truck in the parking lot of the local watering hole, she can hear the consistent beat of the country song thumping in the tiny bar. David says its a bar, but to Mack it honestly looks like a shack she would avoid if she was alone. After getting a tour of the farm earlier, David informed Mack they were going to be meeting his friends for drinks. He has been talking her up all summer and they’re all eager to get a glimpse of this mystery woman who has stolen David’s heart.

Mack purses her lips for a moment, then looks down at her outfit. She is dressed in a flowing black, long sleeved top from Dior and Black frayed shorts from a boutique in Paris, paired with a Gucci belt. On her feet are black and white Nike Air Force ones. She has on various expensive, designer jewelry and a Prada cross-body bag her mom and dad got her for her last birthday. David had told her she looked good for where he was taking her. She feels very, very overdressed, like even her silk pajamas would be too fancy for this place.

“David.” Mack mumbles when she meets him at the back of the truck. He grabs her hand in his.

“What?” He asks. He is in dark jeans with a blue and white, light weight flannel. His sleeves are rolled up his forearms, exposing his tattoos and the tan skin from a summer of hard work. He took a shower and styled his hair perfectly with a crisp part and a perfect swoop.

“I am so overdressed.”

“What do you mean?” He asks. “You look great?” Mack doesn’t know how to tell him that she is pretty sure her outfit costs more than this bar does. “Don’t worry about it. You’re beautiful and sexy and you’re walking in on my arm. No one is going to mess with you.” Mack snorts and then starts to laugh.

“I wasn’t thinking that, but I’m trying to make a good impression.”

“Babe, they are going to love you. Trust me.”

Within an hour, Mack senses that isn’t going to be the case. 

She can feel the judgement. Detect the way it crawls over her body from his friends. The looks of “not one of us” and the whispers between the girls. She has been talked about enough behind her back throughout life to know when it’s happening right in front of her face. It started when she tried to order a Paloma. The bartender had looked at her like she grew a second head. She glances at David nervously.

“Curley, it’s tequila, grapefruit juice and lime. You got all that shit behind the bar.” David gestures to the wall of liquor. 

“You wanna come make it, David?” Curley asks.

“Fuck. Sure.” David shrugs, going behind the bar and showing Curley how to put the drink together. “You think you got that for next time?” Curley did not look like he had it for next time, so Mack switches to tequila and soda instead. 

The conversation around her has centered on all things farm and rural life. What so and so is up to now. Who had a baby. Who just got divorced. Who was cheating on who. It all seemed very juvenile and uninteresting to Mack. David stayed out of it for the most part, listening along with Mack until his friends, Cody and Trevor, started talking Iowa Hawkeye football. Then she lost him to that.

Mack fingers the cocktail napkin that is soaked with condensation below her glass. It’s times like these where Mack feels so out of place in a country she is a citizen off. She knows this isn’t a full, direct correlation of America, but how can she be more out of place here than when she was in Tokyo last year? Or she can get down and dirty in the rice fields of Thailand and feel more connection with locals who don’t speak the same language than she can in the center of the country she was born in.

David’s lips on her temple break her internal discourse. Mack smiles at him. He rubs her shoulder as if to ask “you good?” She nods at him, smiling reassuringly. 

Dun, nu, nu sounds through the bar speakers, then the whole group slaps their hands on the table. “Woo!” They yell. Then Dun, Nu, Nu. Slap, “Woo!” The whole table erupts excitedly, as a man begins to drawl over the sound system. The table turns to look at David, screaming out the next lyrics, “You were raised on an asphalt farm!” Mack blinks, feeling lost. David tips his head back, laughing loudly.

“Davey! It’s your song!” A girl who Mack can’t remember her name, screams then chugs more of her Miller Lite. 

“Get up and swing your asphalt girl around.” Mack’s eyes widen. David chuckles, tapping her thigh assuringly. 

“No, we are good.” David knows Mack would rather be a metal sign on the wall of the bar than get up when no one else is dancing. Being on display is not her thing. She is grateful for that until she sees the sneering glares of the two women at the end of the table.

“Oh, she’s too good for dancing too.” Mack faintly hears.

Mack looks at David. She can tell he didn’t hear what she heard. Not surprising with how loud his other male friends are signing along to the country song. Mack looks down at the girls, noticing how they avoid direct eye contact with her. The blonde one puts her hand up to her mouth, whispering in the red head’s ear. Then they both giggle. 

“No, let’s dance.” Mack suddenly says to David. She isn’t going to let two, small town, hick bitches intimidate her. 

“What?” He responds, surprised. 

“Yeah, show me what you got cowboy.” She jokes as she stands.

The entire table sucks in a huge, deep breath.

“Oooooooo, she is in trouble.” One of the boys mumbles. David gives her a sympathetic smile.

“We aren’t cowboys, honey. We are farmers.”

“What is the difference?” Mack scoffs, laughing, thinking he is pulling her leg. David winces slightly at the large yelp of the table behind him, then grabs Mack, pushing her towards the center of the bar.

“I’ll show you later.” He chuckles, kissing her mouth. 

“Did I say something wrong?”

“Ah, no. They’re just sensitive. Don’t quite understand how other people are outside of these state lines.” Mack gets quiet, retreating into herself again. David practically drags her around in a circle because she is shutting down internally. “Hey…” He trails off. “This is all new to you. It’s okay.” 

“They don’t like me.” She looks at the center of his chest as she says it, not wanting to see the confirmation on his face.

“Nah, they just don’t know you, sweetheart. A lot of layers to your onion.” David can twist it any which way that he wants, but they both know Mack is right. They don’t like her… right now at least.

When Mack and David head back to the table after their dance, the mood at the table has seemed to shift. Now, they all ignore her. 

“How is the herd looking, Trent?” David asks the guy across from Mack. David’s hand is around her shoulder, rolling his fingers in a circle over the thin material of her shirt.

“Should be a good year.” Trent says. “We really need it. Been hurting the last few.”

“Yeah, we all have.” David nods. “Weather has been shit. Can’t out work that.”

“We can sure fucking try tho.” Trent grins, then clinks beer bottles with him. David brings his over to clink with Mack’s glass. She does so. Trent sucks at his teeth, making a slight slurping noise after swallowing more beer. 

“Mack, where did you grow up?”

“In New Jersey before we moved back to where my dad is from in Switzerland.” He nods.

“You have a job growing up or anything?” David cocks his head to the side at Trent. “I’m just trynna find something to relate to her with.” He justifies.

“Um, no. My parents wanted us to focus on school.” Trent sighs like he is disappointed. 

"Must be nice to have a daddy who was able to give you anything you wanted. Didn’t have to work your way through high school to make ends meet.” 

“Trent, knock it off.” David snaps. “Mack knows what hard work is.”

“Does she? Cause the rest of us aren’t thinking she does.”

“Hey, don’t speak for all of us.” Cody snaps. “Drink your beer and shut up.”

“I’m just thinking that it must be nice to have an NHL daddy who can call in a favor to get you a job where you barely have to work as an adult too.” David stands up, chair knocking back to the floor. He reaches across the table to grab Trent, hauling him up to a standing position. 

“Apologize, right now, and I won’t smear you into the wood floor your daddy installed.” 

“I-I-I’m sorry. I think I’m drunk.”

“No shit.” David sneers, shoving Trent back into his chair. The rest of the table goes ghostly silent. Other bar patrons look over their shoulders at the group. Mack is flaming red over the embarrassment of the words thrown her direction and David’s intense reaction. She is equally mortified and turned on.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom.” Mack whispers as David kisses her cheek in reassurance. David gives her a sympathetic look, apologetic eyes watching her as she heads to the back of the bar. 

Mack goes into the first stall, leaning her back into the tiled wall and covering her face. She sucks in deep breaths, trying not to cry. This night could not get any worse. She wants to leave so bad, but she has never been one to back down from a fight. She isn’t going to start now. She doesn’t want them having the satisfaction of seeing her rattled and vulnerable. No, she’ll throw her walls up and fake charm the pants off them. But first, she is going to grab some fresh air.

She heads through the double wood doors, walking down the parking lot, away from the posse of smokers out front. Her arms are crossed over her chest tightly trying to fight off the chill. She doesn’t understand how it can be so hot in the afternoon, but cool down in the evening. Another thing about Iowa she just “can’t understand”. Tears sting her eyes a bit. She feels dumb. Why is this bothering her so much? That guy is a douche. She knows who she is. She shakes off his words, running her fingers through her hair. Mack knows its because she wants to belong here with David. And from her perspective, so far this trip has been less than successful.

A large jacket comes around her shoulders. She looks to her right, seeing David. His eyes are boring into her, studying her face.

"Looking at the stars?" He asks her.

"Mhm." She looks up at the millions of little dots. Now this reminds her of being in the Swiss Mountains. The same sort of inky, black sky dotted with delicate twinkles. He runs his fingers along her shoulder, resting on the back of her neck. He guides her into his side.

"Talk to me, Hisch." 

"I guess I don't have much in common with this version of you.” Her European accent drips into her voice. She is surprised to hear that. It only comes out when she is feeling emotional, creating difficulty keeping a Western dialect. David grabs the opening of his jacket on her, tugging so she turns completely towards him. He steps forward, crowding her space. He brings a big paw to her chin, tilting her face up to his.

“What version?” He asks, laughing it off. “Baby, I am who I am. No matter where I am.” He brushes her hair back behind her ear. “And you’re everything I’ve dreamed of.” Mack can see how much he means it. It’s in his touch on her cheek, in his gaze stroking along hers, in the sureness of his voice. She nods. He captures her lips. The kiss is soft, sweet sucks and gentle nudging of his tongue against her bottom lip. His other hand winds around her waist, pressing into her lower back to keep her tight to him.

David says the right things, but that kiss says more to Mack than his words ever could.

His lips on hers erase it all- the insecurity, the doubt, the not belonging, the not good enough.

He grounds her because he knows what she needs immediately, sometimes before she even knows. But tonight, it is his physical reassurance soothing her more than anything. He towers over her, shielding her from everything with his muscular body, and consumes her in a way that feels safe not smothering. 

"Just say the word and I'll go back in there to straighten Trent out." Truthfully, having him storm back in there would be so fucking hot. She would get to watch him teach Trent a lesson and get all hot and bothered between her thighs. 

“What is the other option?” She murmurs.

“I take you home. We can spend the rest of the night by ourselves.”

Mack contemplates what home entails. She wants him to hold her hand in his dark truck the whole way home. She craves for him to undress her slowly in that small house. His boots hitting the floor at the foot of the bed while he urges her to lay back so he can take his time undressing her. She needs his rough, calloused hands on her soft hips as he pulls her panties down her legs. Then she wants him soft and slow, gently thrusting deep into her in a missionary position as he irritates her lips with his mustache.

And that’s exactly what Mack gets. 

“You look so good for me, honey. So wet and soft and perfect. Take me so well.” He praises her from where he holds his weight above her. His hot breath dances over her face, coated in light beer and her from his previous perch between her thighs. Mack is blissed out, drunk on him and the stroking of him against the walls of her pussy. 

“David.” She sighs, collecting him to her chest. He presses his to hers and then rolls his tongue into her mouth. He gathers her moans, sucking them up greedily so they are only his tonight. He fucks her deeper, harder, perfect bucks into her wet heat. “Fuck you’re so good. So fucking good.” She cries.

“Yeah? Best?”

“Yeah!” She yells.

“Say my name, sweetheart. Say who makes you feel this good.”

“You! David!” She howls.

“Good girl. My girl.” He groans. Mack’s inner walls clench him, pulling him deeper with each flutter of her getting closer and closer to the edge. Her heels dig into his butt, forcing him to stay right fucking there. She turns her face into his neck, sinking her teeth into him as she comes. 

Afterwards, David plays with her fingers as she lays on his sweaty chest. He kisses her forehead, inhaling the scent of her deeply. He keeps his face there afterwards, as Mack starts to go limp in his arms. Her eyelashes brush gently against his warm skin. He shifts her hips a bit, turning to the side so she can lay more comfortable in the crook of his arm.

“Goodnight, honey.” He whispers on her forehead. Then kisses her a final time before leaving her to her slumber. 

- - -

Two weeks into her trip, Mack is still having some trouble adjusting to Iowa. Every thing is completely different here. The grocery store, the little town he took her into, the restaurant options and drinks, even the air is different! It’s laced with manure and dust, making her nose plugged up so she constantly has to drainage. Her eyes had been almost swollen shut every morning of that first week.

“Do you have allergies?” David had asked her. Mack didn’t think so, but she’s also never been to a place quite like this. After a few days of Zyrtec, Mack can finally breathe through both nostrils.

In celebration, and because she is admittedly very bored, she gets into the shower. It’s the only thing in the farm house that is modern. David likes to take long showers after working in the field all day to get clean and relax. He’ll bring a can of Coors Light in with him and have some alone time. Mack thinks is is adorable, getting to see his self-care routine in Iowa. He doesn’t do this after games in NYC, but she thinks that might be because his adrenaline is usually still roaring after hockey. His favorite post-game routing has seemingly been sex. 

After getting clean and putting on some light make up, along with a sundress, Mack got to work putting together a meal for them. She opted for easily transported items like chips, sandwiches, and cut up fruit. Then she made some lemonade from the cup of lemonade mix she found in the pantry. David loves Lemonade down here. She is starting to enjoy it too. This time she puts fresh strawberries in for a little extra sweetness. 

Mack glances out the front window to where two farm hands are working. She puts her feet in the cowboy boots David got her at the boot store in town when she first got here. They are more broken in now and are no longer hurting her feet, so she feels comfortable wearing them for today’s excursion. Then she grabs the basket and steps outside. 

Mack covers her eyes with her hand, looking out at the vastness of the farm. David took her on a tour her second day here, but she doesn’t remember anything. She worries about getting lost out there. She double checks that she has her phone. At least she seems to have good service here. 

“Um, hi.” Mack says nervously as she walks up to the two farm hands by the barn.

“Hi Mackenzie.” They greet her happily. Something about being the boss’ girlfriend she is sure.

“Mack is fine. Um, do you know where I can find David?” She holds up the basket with their lunch. “I want to bring him lunch.”

“Oh, he is in the far back 40 on the edge of the farm property.” One of them says. 

“Okay. And I can get there with that?” She points to the small utility vehicle they whip around on the front of the farm. 

“Yeah….” They trial off, giving each other a look. “Do you know how to get there?”

“I know everything branches off from this road, she points to the left. But after that I am a little lost.”

“I can take you.” The older one, who seems to be more in charge says. “We can take the truck.” Mack nods. “I can put that in the bed for ya.” He hoists it over into the truck bed, then they both get into the cab. 

“What is your name?” She asks once they start down the dirt road. Rocks kick up against the mud flaps and the underbelly of the truck, making her have to yell a bit over to him.

“Felix.”

“Nice to meet you.” She smiles politely. “Thank you for taking me.”

“Of course. Mr. David says you are our special guest. Can’t let you get lost out here.” Mack blushes, biting her bottom lip. 

“Oh I don’t know about that. How long have you worked on the farm?”

“About 25 years. I worked for Mr. Chuck before Mr. David.” Mack knows Chuck is David’s dad. She doesn’t ask, but wonders if he was there when Chuck passed away on the farm.

“That is nice. You must like it here?”

“Yes, they are fair to their workers and their families. Last year, my wife had cancer. The treatment was expensive. We had to travel up to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. But Mr. David paid for the whole thing and kept my job. My wife has now been in remission for five months.” Felix does the sign of a cross then kisses his lips in praise. 

“Wow.” Mack murmurs. David never told her that.

“He is special. Nothing like his siblings.” Felix’s face seems to cloud over. “We are happy he bought them out of the farm.” Another thing Mack wasn’t aware of. “He has made changes, some hard to learn at first, but all have been good. For us and him. More money and security. People on other farms around here want to work for him the most.” Pride swells in Mack’s chest at hearing that.

Felix turns to the right, heading away from the road and out for a few minutes. They come over a hill, down into a valley where Mack see’s David’s black truck. She frowns, realizing he is out here working alone.

“Is he always out here alone?” She wonders.

“No, just today.” He says. “It’s a hard day for him.” Mack furrows her brows, but nods along. He didn’t say anything before they left. He seemed normal too. The truck comes to a slowed stop. David is working along the fence line. He wipes his forehead with his forearm, looking up at the truck. He sees Felix, then grins huge when he sees Mack.

“Felix! Look at you bringing me pretty little things after busting me for that in high school.” Felix roars with laughter, his big chest shaking as he leans out the rolled down window. 

“This one seems a little less crazy.”

“Eh, you don’t know her like I do.” David winks. He tosses his tools into the cab of his truck. “Stay there, honey.” He says to her. Mack stays put, letting David come to her door. He opens it up, then gives her his hand to help pull her down safely from the high farm truck. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I brought lunch to you.” 

“Oh?” He wiggles his eyebrows, then drags his gaze along her body in her blue, linen sundress. 

“Actual food.” She fills him in. He quips a smirk at her, then leans down to kiss her. 

“Basket in the back, sir.” Felix says.

“How many times do I have to say not to call me that?” David rolls his eyes.

“How many times I gotta tell you it’s about respect?” Felix quips back. Mack smiles. She likes Felix a lot. She can see herself getting to know him more over the next few weeks. 

“Fine. Hey, when you get back up can you tell Becks to get to the N.E. pasture and start working some of the cows into N.D. pasture instead? I don’t think I’m going to get to that today.”

“You bet. I’ll have Reed go with him too. That kid needs to get the hell off my project.”

“He’s a little wild.” David acknowledges. “That’s why he is with you.” David reminds Felix who sighs heavily. “Look what you did with me.” He grins. 

Felix waves and drives off back to the barn after David hauls the picnic basket out of the back. 

“I brought a blanket too.” Mack pulls it out of her bag that she had slung across her shoulder. David drops the tailgate of his truck, then lays the blanket along the back.

“That’s good otherwise your thighs would be burning in that short dress.”

“Is it short?”

“Honey, you know it is.” He slaps her ass to prove his point, getting some of her bare cheek against his palm. Mack leans forward, feeling the fabric slide further up her thighs as she digs in the picnic basket. David runs his fingers up from her knee to cup her ass. He reaches for her arm, pulling her away from the food. “Want something else first.” He sighs against her mouth.

“What if someone comes to find you?” She weakly protests. She had this in mind for lunch too.

“They’ll call me.” He murmurs against her mouth. “Trust me, I don’t want any of my guys seeing you, honey. I wouldn’t take the chance if I didn’t think it was safe.” Mack nods, believing him completely.

He wraps an arm around her waist, pinning her tight to him. His hard cock protrudes from beneath his zipper, pulsing for Mack to touch. Her fingers, clutch the back of his neck, feeling his skin sweaty and hot beneath her fingers. He smells sexy like sweat and deodorant that works just as hard as her man. It’s hot, sexy as fuck, to the point that Mack wraps her leg around his waist to grind against him.

David moves his mouth from hers and presses kisses along her throat. He sucks her skin hard into his mouth at the nook of her neck and shoulder, then continues down. Mack arches back, letting her head fall back so he can access her chest completely. His lips continue their path over the swell of her left breast, then he nudges the fabric to the side. Her nipple pebbles in the sunlight, pink and beautiful, just for him. He opens his lips, pulling it in. His tongue strokes over her sensitive peak, then creates a wet trail to the other one, grabbing it between his lips. He lets that one go with a final slurp, then goes back to kiss her mouth. 

“Mmm.” Mack hums. Her fingers go to his belt, working it apart. She pulls his hard length out of his jeans and underwear, stroking along his shaft, feeling the velvet skin tight in her hand. She works her fingers up to his head, stroking until his slit releases pre-cum. 

“Fuck.” He groans, breaking away from their kiss. David turns Mack, lifting her dress up over her ass and pulling her bare skin back to his. He works his cock between her ass, savoring how she grinds her cheeks against him while he holds her tight by her stomach. He kisses her shoulder, tasting her warm, vanilla skin. 

“Bend over.” He growls before she reaches between their bodies and holds his balls, stealing his breath. She rolls them over in her hand as she lays forward obediently. Her right cheek presses into the blanket she brought. David moves her dress up, pulling her thong underwear down for her ankles to hold. David strokes his cock as he puts two fingers at Mack’s entrance, testing her. She is soaked, almost dripping down those soft thighs for him. He curses again, then plunges into her welcoming heat.

Mack’s arms stretch above her head, gripping the blanket in her palms. Her hard nipples stroke against the ridges of the truck bed with each direct thrust of him into her. David works his hands off her hips to the front of her thighs, keeping his hands there to protect her from the lip of the tailgate. His lips kiss her spine, then he get into position to fuck her hard and fast just like she begs for. The truck suspension squeaks from his powerful pumps.

“So good.” Mack calls back. She opens her eyes, taking in the surrounding Iowa wilderness, grinning at how sexy it is to be fucked by this man right here. Maybe she could be a country girl after all. She giggles.

“What?” He asks her.

“Maybe I am a country girl.” 

“By the time I’m done with you, you will be.” He laughs, slapping her ass with his abdomen with each drill of his cock into her. 

“Oh.” She groans, felling like a completely, coming undone mess at what he is doing with her. His unhooked belt slaps the outside of her thigh as it swings. She moves one hand from above her head, bringing it to her clit to roll it in rapid circles. “David…” She moans loudly, letting her voice go, carrying out across the field.

“Mmm, yeah. Let the world hear you baby. Let everyone know who’s pussy this belongs to.” He brings a hand under her stomach, arching her lower back and hips up so he can drive at a different angle. Mack’s eyes roll into the back of her head, almost securing to her brain at how incredible his cock feels pressing into her velvet circle. 

“Right there. David, please don’t stop. Never stop.” Mack wails. 

“Not until you coat this cock, sweetheart.” He assures her. “This what you wanted, huh? Made your man a little meal so he would stuff you full of his thick cock?”

“Yeah!” Mack admits shamelessly. “Ohmyg-“ Mack chokes on the last word as the intensity of her orgasm rips the breath from her lungs. 

“Oh fuck. Baby, yes.” He moans, losing control at the hard flutters of her around him. “So fucking good, baby. Perfect for me.” His hoarse voice coos at her as he paints ropes of cum on her walls.

Their heavy breathing makes them hot, sweat beginning to bead along their spines as they lay limply against each other on the truck bed. Then, David straightens up, gliding himself out of Mack gently. She whimpers at the emptiness, wishing he would stay there for a little longer. He delicately drops her dress back over her butt after bringing her panties up into place. She turns, leaning on the tailgate as her legs shake. David tucks himself back into his pants, buckling his belt before focusing back on her. He grips her chin with his thumb and pointer finger, giving her a soft, wet kiss. 

“You are amazing.” He sighs. Mack grins into their kiss.

“You too. Never felt like this.” She whispers, holding him by the back of his neck against her forehead. Never thought she would admit things like this to someone either. But as per usually, David is scratching out all of her rules and rewriting new ones, like spending weeks in America’s heartland and turning down jobs from her editor.

“I’m starving. What did you bring us?” David asks, picking her up and setting her on the tailgate behind her so she can reach the picnic basket. She brought them turkey sandwiches with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and homemade pesto mayo she put together yesterday afternoon. All the flavors have marinated deliciously together, creating a flavor bomb in her mouth. 

“Holy shit. This is amazing. Thank you!” His genuine appreciation makes Mack’s chest warm. She smiles coyly, with her mouth full of food. He leans down to kiss her. Mack gently chews the rest of her bite, looking over at David who is devouring his sandwich is two more huge bites. She chuckles, then licks her lips before speaking.

“So Felix said today is a hard day for you?” Everything about David’s demeanor changes like a snap. His face darkens. He begins to fidget next to her, slightly pulling away as his body gets rigid. He sniffs, then takes a big glug of lemonade from the mason jar. 

“Yeah.” Mack hesitates, remaining quiet while watching him stuff some chips in his mouth. Then she puts her sandwich down on the plate next to her, turning to sit facing him. She puts her hand on his thigh, continuing to stay quiet until David sighs heavily. “My mom died ten years ago today.” Mack stills, then rolls her bottom lip into her mouth. 

“I’m so sorry.” David nods, clearing his throat.

“This date every year I come out here and fix fence and talk to her. Tell her about what I’ve been up to the last year. Cry a little bit. Then go clean off her and dad’s grave and put some fresh flowers down from her rose garden by the house.”

“That sounds like a nice way to honor her.” Mack murmurs, moving her hand from his thigh to his hand, lacing their fingers together. He brings the back of her hand up to his mouth, kissing along her knuckles.

“It is. Unfortunately, I’ve had ten years to get the tradition perfect.” He sighs. “Every year on this date though, it feels like it just happened.” Mack can imagine so. “Sucks.” He sniffs again. Mack rubs her thumb along the tendons of his hand.

“Will you tell me about her?”

“She was hilarious. Spunky as shit. Had to be with how crazy my siblings and I were in our younger days. We used to pretend to be super heroes and jump off the barn into the hay. It was all fun and games unless you were a bit off…. Or got pushed off like me.” Mack’s eyes widen. “But my mom was always watching out the window and would rip my brothers a new asshole anytime they were picking on me. She was strong and full of joy. She loved working in her garden. A few of the plants have died off over the years cause of deep freezes, but most of those rose bushes are hers. I hire Felix’s wife to tend to them in the summer so they’re always taken care of. Mom would have wanted that, since she isn’t here to do it…” 

Mack squeezes his hand then brings her other hand up to run over his back. She rests her mouth on his bicep, continuing to listen while holding him. 

“I think that’s why it was so hard when she got sick.” His voices starts to get tight. Tears pinch Mack’s eyes. “That… but also she has missed so much. She didn’t get to see me graduate from high school or college. Didn’t see me get drafted or my first game in the NHL. At least my dad was there for those, but it wasn’t the same. He didn’t have the words like she would have when I struggled to stay up in the NHL those first few years or the way he rode my ass when I was home every summer to be a better farmer.” David shakes his head. 

“It’s like every year something happens that I’m sad she isn’t here for. This year, I’m sad she doesn’t get to know you.” Mack’s bottom lip shakes as two tears go down her cheeks. He turns his lips into her hair, then continues to talk against her head. “She would have loved you- strong, independent, sassy, and so pretty you could bring even the most stubborn man to his knees.” Mack smiles, cupping his cheek to hold him against her. “Those dimples… baby.” He sighs, “They get me every time.” 

“I hope she still likes me now… even from wherever she is watching over you.”

“I think so.” He smiles. 

“Could I go with you to their resting place?”

“Yes, of course you can. I just gotta check the rest of this fence and then we can go.”

“Thank you for telling me. I didn’t know…”

“I know. I’m sorry. I don’t like talking about it. Probably why Felix told you.” Mack nods, understanding that Felix was looking out for David too when he told Mack about today on the drive down. 

Mack and David finished their lunches and she helps him check fence. She walked the line with him and pointed out normal fence she thought looked bad and he taught her about what to look for instead. When they were done, they loaded up into David’s truck, then drove back towards the house.

The house is coming into view when David peels off to the right and drives to an open, unassuming field. There is no fencing, just in ground stones that mark the Carlson members that are buried on the farm. David grabs a bucket full of cleaning supplies. He gives Mack the flowers he picked earlier that had been resting in a bucket of water, then takes her hand to walk over to his parents' graves. 

Mack begins to cry immediately, feeling so overwhelmed with sadness for David. And his parents. For everything they have missed. For the people she will never know. For all the moments that David will never get to have with them and how fucking cruel it is that he has to go through that for the rest of his life. All those happy days will have a shade of grey because of who is missing. It’s not fair. She wants to change that for him, ease some of that, but instead, all she can really do is cry sympathetically. 

When they get to his father, Charles E. Carlson’s headstone, David drops her hand and puts his work gloves on. He uses his tools to cut away the over grown grass and weeds. Then he grabs the soapy water and rags to clean the dirty away from the head stone. Mack kneels off to the side, by his mother’s stone, watching quietly, sensing her help is not wanted. This seems methodical and therapeutic to David.

He rests his butt on his heels while he looks down. He presses his palm on his dad’s name, then works his way to his mom’s and does the same thing. This time, wet tear drops fall from his eyes onto the dusty stone as he cleans the grime off. Mack swallows hard, new tears of her own falling down. David puts his left hand on his mother’s name, Beatrice. Mack reaches out, putting hers on top of his. David opens his right arm for her to slide into his side. Then he holds her close.

Mack doesn’t know, but while he holds her tight, David is telling his mom, where ever she is resting, that the girl in his arms is the one.

- - -

Mack can’t believe it is her second to last night here.

As different as it all was when she first got here a month ago, her and David have settled into a nice routine. Every morning starts early, with a romp in the sheets. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, always incredible though. After that, Mack wanders down the hall in his shirt to make him coffee and some eggs to wolf down fast after his shower. She sits with him at the table as he tells her all the different chores he has for the day. She asks questions. He patiently answers. 

Then, after a long smooch with wandering calloused hands, he heads out to the field. Mack will meet him for lunch, or if it’s too hot, he comes into the kitchen to take a break in the air conditioning. They spend 10 minutes of his hour long lunch eating and the other 50 devouring each other. On the tail gate, on the kitchen table, on the floor, on the couch- wherever they can make it to before their clothes start falling off their frames.

David will return back to his chores, then come home around dinner time. Him and Mack trade off making dinner. He likes to grill for her as she tries different self- prepared marinades with fresh produce from the farm’s garden. Then they end the night watching the sunset on the front porch, which is where they are right now.

The porch swing sways gently from David’s light rocking. A calm, cooling breeze blows through the wrap around porch that hugs the white farmhouse his family built generations ago. Mack thinks about her flight in two days that is supposed to connect her with Newark before she will turn around in 24 hours to head towards Aruba. Dread pinches her stomach uncomfortably. She has started to fall in love with this place and all of it’s differences that she hated 4 weeks ago. David is staying here for two more weeks. He will be returning to New York a few days after she gets home from Aruba.

Mack looks down at his forearm across her stomach. Her fingers tips drag along his tanned skin, watching the goosebumps form on him from her touch. An emotional sigh falls from her lips. His lips touch her hair in recognition, fingers pressing deeper into her side.

“You okay?” 

“I don’t want to leave.” She confesses. He moves so her back falls across his lap. His other arm catches her head in the cook of his elbow. “Wanna stay here with you.” She whispers, reaching up for his face. 

“Baby, if you wanna stay you can, but if you need to go, that’s okay too. There is a whole life of yours outside of me.”

“I know. But it can wait until I’m ready to rejoin it.” David smiles down at her. His fingers run up from her stomach, along her left breast, to cup her cheek. Mack presses up to meet his lips. His hand tangles in her wild, country hair, gripping her tight to his mouth so he can taste her thoroughly. 

“You’re sure? I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay here.”

“I don’t.” She assures him, gripping his wrist where that hand still holds her face. His thumb rubs a track across her cheek bone, looking into her brown eyes. 

“Okay. Then stay. I want that.” He admits. “Was feeling really sad in the field this morning, thinking about driving you up to the airport.” Mack smiles, nodding in agreement. He pulls her up to kiss him again, then lets her head settle in his lap as she wiggles down. Her hair splays across his thigh as he works his finger prints gently into her scalp. Her eyes flutter, wanting to close and give into how good this feels. 

Mack loves the salty breeze off the ocean, the sand between her toes, and the way the pace of island life is unapologetically slow.

But not even that can compete with how good it feels here in David’s arms on his front porch swing.

More Mack & David can be found here.

[omg-im-such-a-masochist]

The Purge

Summary: This work was inspired by @im-just-a-mississippi-girl ‘s fic (which you can find here)

Editor: @thenightmareismyreality

Pairing: Nick Jackson x Reader

Warnings: dark content, mentions of depressive feelings (such as worthlessness, rage, self doubt, lack of hope), comfort.

Tag: @theworldofotps , @writtingrose , @aerynscrichton , @daddyhausen , @melissahausen , @unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin , @sophiewolfheart-blog , @sultryfandoms , @new-zealand-chic , @crowleysqueenofhell , @thealliasylum , @legit9thlunaticwarrior , @baysexuality , @josiewrites , @seeingstarks , @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch , @whenimakeitshine1234 , @moxkindagirl , @sunshinevirus , @im-just-a-mississippi-girl

The backyard pool itself was not enough to bring his body temperature down, but paired with the pouring autumn rain, it could drop his internal warmth down enough for his fingertips to go numb. Nick stared at his fingers, the smooth digitals now wrinkly and corrugated, the damp skin paler in comparison to the rest of his body, and Nick wondered if the flesh would feel chewy like a raisin against his teeth.

The never ending stream of sadness fell down from the heavens to engulf his body, making the pool feel a bit colder than before, and Nick’s thoughts roamed to the possibility of this being God’s tears after listening to his unceasing string of sorrowful prayers.

A loud roar echoed above Nick’s head, a loud booming sound, powerful enough to shake the ground beneath his feet, “A father’s reprimand” Nick thought to himself.

The silver sky lightened up with a streak of bold light, confirming Nick’s previous thoughts. “Well, there’s not much you can do from up there, huh? Besides judging and rebuking me for my ingratitude” His azure orbs stared up at the sky, feeling the cold droplets of rain upon his cheeks, “You can take away from me anything you want, you granted me all of those things anyway. The only thing I beseech thee, merciful Lord, is to let me keep her. Please, allow me to have her…I know, I’m not worthy of asking you anything, not after all the blessings you sent my way. But you know my heart, my soul, my feelings, you know the constant turmoil inside of me..you know everything, don’t you? Omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient” Nick huffed “Makes prayers kind of pointless, no? You already know what I’m gonna say, so why should I bother? In the end it’s a waste of both of our time”.

Nick exhaled all the air out of his lungs, and pushed his body down to the bottom of the pool. His arms floated above his head as he sat down on the turquoise tile floor, as the world around him seemed to move in slow motion. The sounds are muffled and distant, the water pressure seeming to lull him into a state of peace of mind, and time was an unknown creature that held no power against him whatsoever. It was like being back in the womb, with no notion of time or space, no worries nor noises.

External factors are always the best kind of distractions, they force your mind to focus on these subjects instead of listening to the chaos spiraling within you, it’s an interesting feeling of freedom. It's a dual factor, like being alive without a body or having feelings without the need for a heart.

Under the water you can simply exist, without reason, needs, control, justifications, choices or responsibilities. For an instant you stop being a human being to become a part of the water itself, you become one - a true union. At that moment nature reveals its ancient healing power, momentarily erasing all of Nick’s doubts, insecurities, sins, feelings of inferiority, worthlessness, rage, sadness…nothing existed once he was secured by the embrace of the water.

Nick’s lungs burned with the need for oxygen, as his brain began to send waves of panic throughout his system to signal the accumulation of carbon dioxide within his body. His heart began to pump blood faster through his veins, in an attempt to keep his red blood cells alive enough to keep the life floating inside his body. Nick could hear his frantic heartbeat beating inside his head like an old church bell, the pressure accumulating enough that he could feel his pulsing heart behind his ears.

He could feel it coming, the peace of mind and spirit side by side at last. He debated whether he should embrace it forever or give himself one more chance, and the choice was made the minute he faintly heard your desperate voice calling for him from above the pool edge.

Your tear-filled eyes were the first thing his eyes caught the minute he reached the surface, as another roar of thunder echoed above you and Nick sighed at the heavens reprimand. Your clothes were soaked from the heavy rain, your hair stuck to your cheeks and your tears mixed with the droplets of the angel's mourning that fell from the skies above, becoming one as they rolled down your face.

“Nick, what are you doing in the pool in this weather?” You reached for him to grab your hand the minute a lightning bolt struck the gray sky “You’re gonna get yourself killed! C’mon, get out”

He stared at your face, with confusion painted all over his features, body shivering from the lack of warmth, and eyes searching yours, wanting a reason to leave nature’s cool and calming womb.

“Baby, please. You’re scaring me” Your voice was small, similar to a lost child. Your lips quivered as the sharp wind covered your damp body like a blanket made of snow. “Nicky, please let’s go inside so you can tell me what’s going on. I wanna help you, I love you, please”

“Why?” He mumbled in a weak voice

“Why what, love?”

“Why do you love me?”

“How could I not love you? You’re the best man I’ve ever met in my life” You jumped in fright and your eyes darted to the sky as another thunderclap reverberated across the sky, “Honey, please. Let’s go inside, I’m begging you!” Your feet dragged across the concrete floor, getting closer to the edge of the pool.

You said a silent prayer and you felt your heartbeat quicken the closer you got to the water, as a loud terror-filled sob escaped your lips as you dipped the tip of your bare foot inside the water.

Nick’s eyes snapped towards your foot, and he felt himself moving before he could even think straight. He swam towards you and closed his fist around your ankle before you could sink your leg deeper inside the pool, “Go back” He stated before pushing himself out of the water.

Nick felt your arms circling around his waist, squeezing his ribs until his lungs burned with the need for air. “It’s ok, angel. C’mon, let’s go inside, you’re freezing”.

Once inside Nick dragged you to the first floor bathroom and as he turned on the shower and waited for it to warm up, he helped you get out of your soaked clothes. Nick held your hand as you stepped inside the tub, the warm shower water instantly washing away the coldness from your skin.

Your fingers laced with Nick’s as you pulled him inside the shower with you. You sat down on the tub and tugged his hand so that he would do the same, and once you were both settled inside the tub, you adjusted the temperature of the shower to get it warmer since his body was colder than yours.

Your legs spread so he could settle between them, while your arms circled his collarbone as you pushed him back to rest his back against your torso with his head on your shoulder.

“What happened, my sweet boy?” Your voice was soft against his ear, warm and cozy as the shower fog began to settle on the tiles of the wall.

“I’ll never be good enough, no matter what I do. I’ll never get past the ‘Matt Jackson’s younger brother’ title…he’ll always be better, luckier, prettier. Him and his perfect family portrait-looking face, kind eyes and bright smile always captivated everyone, including girls. Even you, he had his eyes on you first and at the time he even contemplated breaking up with his girlfriend to be with you” He took a deep sigh “Just for once I would like to not be overshadowed by him. I would like to be the first choice”.

Nick grabbed your left hand and began to play with your wedding ring, he toyed with the intense blue colored gem and watched as the shades of blue turned into purple as he positioned it under the light in different angles. The choice for a Tanzanite for your engagement ring had not been random, not only did it have a beautiful color that you loved, but its meaning was also so much deeper. The rare gem was much like you: bold yet sophisticated, unique and with elegance and style. It was the symbol of love unlike any other, which was exactly what you two had. It represented new beginnings, prosperity, good fortune, and renewed optimism for a future filled with happiness, things Nick certainly wanted your relationship to always have.

When he first thought about proposing to you, he knew that a diamond ring would be too common. “Everybody has it! Just because it’s expensive and a ‘tradition’. You know what I say though? Fuck traditions! If I ever get married I want a ring that has a deeper meaning, something that will make me think of something special. I want to feel like I’m carrying my relationship around my finger, I want it to have the weight of our love and not just some plain, random diamond whose meaning is basically the same worldwide. ‘The more expensive the better’ they say, well I say ‘the more meaningful the better’. I don’t care about its carats, I care about what its meaning is”. That was your statement when you were still just friends, and Nick kept that in mind when he went to buy your engagement ring.

“The perfect stone to carry our love through the ages. Meaningful and beautiful, yet so fragile, like life” You spoke in a choked voice as Nick slipped the ring on your finger that friday afternoon, precisely 10 years ago.

Your eyes caught him staring at the gem around your finger and you smiled softly “You were, are, and always will be my first choice, Nick” You stated truthfully, closing your grip around him to hug him even tighter “I love you! The only man I’ve ever truly loved, the only man that was ever able to make me smile just by saying his name, the only man that ever made me want to have children, the only man that made normalcy and a white fence sound appealing. It’s you, Nick. You were the only man who made all of that possible, baby”.

His eyes looked up at your face, his blue orbs searching for the veracity of your words, a warm wave of relief flooding his heart when he found it.

“Besides, how are you going to meet our baby girl if you weren’t my first choice?”

Nick felt his body stiffening with surprise after hearing your question, and he quickly turned around, kneeling on the bathtub and cupping your cheeks with his hands.

“What? Are you for real? Are you really pregnant, angel?” Nick’s hand left your cheek to move onto your belly

“Yes, I went to my doctor this morning because I was feeling kinda funky and well, I found out a baby girl is on the way. Her due date is at the end of July, so I think you’ll have a birthday buddy” You smiled widely when tears rolled down Nick’s face. “Now we just have to choose a name-“

“Raven” Nick whispered and smiled at the meaning of the name “Our favorite poem” He intertwined your fingers together on top of your belly as you nodded “Raven”.

As he turned off the shower, helped you get out of the tub, and wrapped your body in a fluffy towel, Nick stared at his murky reflection on the foggy mirror. Grabbing a small piece of toilet paper, he wiped down the fogginess from the glass until his twisted reflection became clear again.

As you left the bathroom side by side, Nick stopped at the foggy end of the mirror and wrote “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary...quoth the Raven, Nevermore”

No more loss, no more sadness, no more doubt, no more uncertainties, no more grief. His little Raven said nevermore, because now the only things that would live inside of Nick’s heart are happiness and content.

[kenovele]

Bogs blog 20

Sunday 2nd April 2023

Well another fortnight has passed and quickly at that. At the moment life seems to be speeding by, all of a sudden we are in autumn, cold mornings but beautiful blue days. It is getting harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning and harder and harder to be in New Zealand as I know that in Belgium they are slowly rejoicing the wonders of longer sunshine hours, warmth and flowers while we rug up for darker times. But not all is gloomy, I have been enjoying the colder mornings to go for a run in the mornings, I have been taking Sparrow who gets very excited each morning he sees me in my running gear, I put on his leash and he drags me down the driveway in his excitement to get going, after about a kilometre I am able to pull my shoulder back into its socket as he settles in for the run and after about five kilometres it is me encouraging him, pulling him along so that I feel like I am actually running up hill. Obviously, we haven’t got our running rhythm in sync yet, but regardless I am so loving getting back into my running and having that motivation of taking Sparrow is very helpful.

The start of our week was a nice one, Benoit decide to head down to Te Aroha with me for Monday and Tuesday. We booked a motel (paid by work) and stayed there Monday night. Despite the average weather we decided to be a bit sporty and we headed out for a walk after work. Te Aroha is a unique old town, which is full of historical buildings, quaint old wooden settlers cottages, geothermal spas and huge mountain ranges with a heap of tracks to explore, and even better there is a rock to climb on! Our initial goal was to go check out the rock, but with the quickly fading daylight and our unfamiliarity with the tracks, we decided to keep our walk to a shorter loop. The walk to the rock takes about two hours apparently, so it is definitely a place where you would have to spend the whole day climbing there to make it worth it, but none the less we are motivated to check it out in summer. We walked in a part of the bush that was part of the old gold miners trail, it is full of old tunnels and mines, as well as a very very steep tram way where they used to trolley the mining rocks down to the rivers to pan for gold. It was a neat walk and we both enjoyed being back in the New Zealand bush.

Benoit has been back working for Tilsleys again this week. Once he got back from helping me at Te Aroha, he started work on the painting on another building that the Tilsleys own next door to our office. It was nice to have him around again, and I enjoyed being able to have my 10am coffee with him in the sunshine outside before going back into the office and freezing! Benoit has become the resident handy man, both Bob and Dougal my bosses have asked him to paint their houses and decks and Dougal even has a few building projects lined up for him, and maybe even a cleaning job. So as the tiny house slowly gets closer to its finishing point, it has been good for him to get out and do some other things. He even worked on his physio application a bit this week!

The tinyhouse hasn’t changed much since last week, however we have been working on it this Saturday and we have done a few things after work when we could. We picked up a beautiful red olive plywood to start building the kitchen, we have picked up some sample tiles for the bathroom, we have installed all the doors with their handles, put on all the skirting boards to finish the flooring, and done a bit of plumbing in the bathroom and installed most of our lights! So not much this week but at the same time any progress is good progress, we really are getting close. The end is in sight! Although I am not quite sure what we are going to do with out weekends once the Tinyhouse is done! We still have the feature wall to build, which we will do after we have milled all the wood with Grant next Easter weekend, we still have the stair drawers to finish and the kitchen to build, then all the water and gas connections. So still a long way to go but we are enjoying the process, loving the results, and getting excited about the future.

This Sunday we headed down in a van to Tauranga with a few of my work mates for the Tauranga half marathon, although Benoit and I only ran the 10km! It was a fun day although it did take most of our day, we had to leave at 7am to get there for the 10am start time for the 10km, then the people who were running the 5km did their race at 11am. We brought down my new barbeque and had a lovely lunch of sausages, bacon and salad in bread, Benoit was very happy as he managed to keep all the fat to make himself a so liege syrup fatty bread specials for breakfast! The run was hard, it was stifling hot and muggy and I was knackered, this time I forced Benoit to run with me to keep up my motivation. We managed to do the 10kms in 58 minutes, and I was the 38th girl and Benoit the 60th boy, so not bad at all. By the time we were all fed and packed up and back on the road, it was mid afternoon! But never the less a fun experience, lots of laughs, a nice place to run and good company. Unfortunately Mum was supposed to come with us but ever since Friday afternoon she has been bed ridden with a rather serious covid, yes covid does still exist apparently and poor mum has been sleeping on and off this whole weekend and doesn’t seem to be getting better. Fingers crossed she starts to feel better soon as for her it has been a rather rotten weekend. Luckily neither Benoit, Dad or I have gotten sick.

And that is about it from me, next week – I predict that the blog by Benoit, might once again be a bit late in arriving as we are heading up north for Easter and we won’t be back until Tuesday. We have decided to make the most of the trip and head up on Thursday and back on Tuesday in the hopes of missing as much of the traffic as possible as generally traffic over the easter weekend is a bit of a nightmare. So bogs next blog .. who knows when that will arrive!

Love Kate xxx

[iteamanz]

School Cleaning Equipment For a Cleaner Future

Throughout Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea our educational facilities are viewed as safe places to be. But like anywhere that many people gather, cleaning must go beyond appearances and be looked at as a matter of community health. For students and those who work in early learning, childcare, primary schools, secondary schools or tertiary level education, it’s crucial that educational environments are kept clean and hygienic to prevent the rapid spead of illness. With our educational facility cleaning tools it’s possible to regularly deep-clean large, communal spaces, fast. Tools like i-mop put technology to work for safety, making it easy to keep hard surfaces clean even throughout the semester, while reducing the risk of slip & fall incidents with immediate recovery of scrubbing water for quick drying.

5 Common Challenges in Education Facilities.

Most people in education facilities management are looking for solutions to the following problems:

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Needs of classrooms, stairs & large spaces

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Gum removal from floors, tables & chairs

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Fast sanitisation of dozens of bathrooms

Get gum gone in six seconds.

i-remove

Chewing gum removal machine

Remove gum on carpet, pavers, concrete, tiles and metal — 6 seconds is all it takes.

9.4kg (without batteries)

2.5L Tank Capacity

100min Runtime (i-power 14)

[ajaygulatinz]

Urgent Overseas Sale - Must Be SOLD!

-13 Rainsford Road Pukekohe

Auction 62 Highbrook Drive, East Tamaki on Wednesday 14th August 2024 at 1:00pm (unless sold prior)

Are you a first-time homebuyer? Speed is your ally! Our sellers are moving across the Tasman and are eager to see a Sold sign soon. This is your golden opportunity to secure an exceptional home that blends style and functionality effortlessly. Simply move in, relax, and enjoy all the amenities this modern, single-level property has to offer.

This is the home for you, YES! -an entertainer's delight, it features a stylish kitchen with stone bench-tops, ample storage, and a breakfast bar. The open-plan kitchen flows into a spacious dining/living area with a seamless indoor/outdoor transition to a covered timber deck. Four bedrooms, including two semi-ensuites, additional storage, a laundry, internal access, a double garage, and off-street parking.

Interested? Come and see for yourself what this home has to offer. There is no place like HOME!

349m² fully fenced freehold section

157m² single-level floor plan

Timber weatherboard construction, color-steel roof, double glazed windows

Designer kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances

Two semi-ensuites with floor-to-ceiling tiles

Double garage with internal access and laundry

Low-maintenance garden beds and a covered timber deck

Balance of 10-year Master Build Guarantee

Heat pump, keyless entry, speaker system, and burglar alarm

It's all about the LOCATION! Close to Pukekohe town centre, offering cafes, restaurants, boutique shops, and fresh produce stores. Situated in one of Pukekohe's newest subdivisions, within walking distance to schools, shops, and sports grounds. Zoned for Pukekohe Hill School and near Tamaoho School and daycare. Easy access to the Southern Motorway, connecting you to Manukau City Centre (25 minutes), Auckland CBD (45 minutes), or Hamilton (65 minutes). Pukekohe offers a strong sense of community and a traditional rural New Zealand town feel, making it an ideal place for families.

Our Vendor is on a New Adventure! Instructions are clear to SELL. Take the first step to better living, call NOW! Ajay Gulati - Barfoot & Thompson ⁨021 236 2008⁩ Munish Anand 021 023 44880

#SellitNow #ClearInstructions #ExceptionalHome #PerfectStarter #BarfootandThompson Barfoot & Thompson Manukau #RealEstate #GULATI #RainsfordRoad #Pukekohe Ajay Gulati

https://www.barfoot.co.nz/property/895589

[thedoctorandhis]

You woke to the sound of thunder and rain hammering against the roof of your apartment. The bustle of Auckland City streets below created a symphony of distant car horns and rushing footsteps. It had taken some getting used to, winter in July and hot summer days on Christmas, but after nearly six years in New Zealand, it felt like a second home.

This morning, you woke with a start, your heart pounding from yet another nightmare. Clocks ticking backward and a fire engulfing your mind's eye. All you could hear was your mother's voice telling you to come home. The memory clung to you, unsettling and vivid. These dreams had been recurring for weeks, leaving you with an uneasy feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Turning over, you looked at the clock. 6:30 AM and still pitch black outside. It was too early, yet the city was already alive with activity. Cars honked, and people rushed about, seemingly unfazed by the early hour. Did they even go to sleep last night?

You slipped out of bed, wincing as your toes touched the cold floor. It felt like ice against your skin, a stark contrast to the burning sensation in your nightmare. Shivering, you wrapped a blanket around yourself, trying to shake off the lingering unease.

You padded to the kitchen, the tiles cold underfoot, and began your morning routine. The kettle whistled as you prepared a cup of tea, hoping the warmth would chase away the chill in your bones. You glanced around your small apartment, its cozy furnishings a far cry from the warmth of home. Homesickness washed over you, a familiar ache.

As you sipped your tea, a wave of dizziness hit you. You gripped the counter for support, your vision swimming. The sensation passed quickly, but it left you unsettled. You had never felt quite right since the nightmares began. There was a tightness in your chest, a hint of heartburn that refused to go away. It was as if something inside you was trying to tell you something, but you couldn't quite grasp what.

You tried to brush it off and focused on getting ready for work. You dressed quickly, choosing comfortable clothes to combat the cold. The mirror reflected a tired face, shadows under your eyes hinting at the restless nights. With a sigh, you grabbed your bag and headed out the door.

Your job at the travel centre was a far cry from what you had envisioned for yourself. Day in and day out, you helped people plan their holidays and adventures. Sometimes you would get swept up in the fantasy, imagining yourself on the islands in Greece or climbing a mountain in Machu Picchu. But as you sat there listening to your regular customer, Mr. James, talking about his fifth vacation for the year, your mind wandered back to those dreams.

You felt the burning of the flames on your skin, heard the clock ticking, and just like she was right behind you, your mother's voice whispered in your ear, "Honey, come home." You replied automatically, "Coming, Mum."

Mr. James looked confused. "Excuse me?"

You snapped back to reality. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. James. I haven't had anything to eat today. Low blood sugar probably, don't ya just hate that?" you say Quickly changing the subject "I'm more than happy to organise this for you. I have all of your details. Give me a few days to put together an itinerary, and I'll get back to you."

you ushered Mr. James out the door, knowing you had no intention of getting him those travel documents. You had a few plans of your own to make.

[englefield]

Creating a Kid-Friendly Bathroom: Fun and Practical Ideas

Designing a kid-friendly bathroom can be both fun and practical, blending vibrant aesthetics with functionality to create a space that kids enjoy and parents appreciate. Whether you're in New Zealand looking for the best quality baths or seeking comprehensive bathroom solutions, this guide will help you transform a standard bathroom into a kid-friendly haven.

Understanding the Essentials

Before diving into specific ideas, it’s crucial to understand the essentials of a kid-friendly bathroom. Safety, accessibility, and ease of maintenance are paramount. Here are the core elements:

Safety: Use non-slip mats, rounded-edge fixtures, and avoid sharp objects.

Accessibility: Install low-height fixtures, step stools, and easy-to-reach storage.

Maintenance: Choose durable materials that are easy to clean and resistant to mold and mildew.

Fun and Practical Ideas for a Kid-Friendly Bathroom

1. Bright and Cheerful Color Schemes

Children are drawn to bright colors and playful patterns. When choosing a color scheme, consider hues that stimulate joy and creativity. Primary colors like red, blue, and yellow can be vibrant choices, or you can opt for softer pastels for a more soothing ambiance.

Tip: Use color in wall paint, tiles, and accessories like towels and shower curtains. Ensure the paint is moisture-resistant and easy to clean.

2. Engaging Themes

Themed bathrooms can make bath time exciting. Popular themes include underwater adventures, jungle safaris, and space explorations. These themes can be reflected in wall decals, shower curtains, and themed accessories.

Example: An underwater theme could feature fish-shaped soap dispensers, a shower curtain with ocean creatures, and marine-inspired tiles.

3. Child-Friendly Fixtures

Toilets and Sinks: Install child-sized toilets and sinks or use adjustable fixtures. Faucets with easy-to-use levers are preferable for little hands.

Bathtubs: The best quality baths are essential for a kid-friendly bathroom. Opt for baths with smooth, curved edges and built-in safety features like non-slip surfaces. For families in New Zealand, companies offering top-notch baths NZ can provide options tailored for kids.

4. Safety Measures

Non-Slip Mats and Rugs: Ensure that all floor mats and rugs have non-slip backing to prevent falls.

Temperature Control: Install anti-scald devices on faucets and showerheads to prevent accidental burns. Set the water heater to a safe temperature.

Rounded Fixtures: Choose bathroom fixtures with rounded edges to minimize injury risk.

5. Storage Solutions

Clutter can make a bathroom hazardous. Implement clever storage solutions to keep the space organized:

Low Shelves and Cabinets: Install shelves and cabinets at a low height so that children can access their toiletries without climbing.

Color-Coded Baskets: Use baskets in different colors for each child to store their personal items. This not only keeps things organized but also teaches responsibility.

Hooks and Racks: Install hooks and racks at various heights for towels, robes, and clothes.

6. Interactive Elements

Incorporate interactive elements to make the bathroom more engaging:

Chalkboard Walls: A chalkboard paint section can allow kids to draw and write, making bath time more fun.

Educational Decor: Use educational posters or wall decals, such as alphabet letters, numbers, or world maps.

7. Ease of Cleaning

Wall and Floor Tiles: Choose tiles that are easy to wipe down and resistant to mold and mildew. Large tiles with minimal grout lines reduce cleaning time.

Washable Paint: For painted areas, use washable paint that can withstand scrubbing.

Bathtub Materials: High-quality acrylic or enamel-coated steel baths are durable and easy to clean, making them ideal for kid-friendly bathrooms.

Choosing the Best Quality Baths in NZ

For those in New Zealand, selecting the right bath involves considering both quality and functionality. The best quality baths combine durability, safety, and comfort. Here are key factors to consider:

Material: Acrylic baths are popular due to their smooth surface, durability, and ease of cleaning. Enamel-coated steel is another robust option.

Safety Features: Look for baths with built-in non-slip surfaces and rounded edges to prevent accidents.

Size and Shape: Ensure the bath size fits your bathroom space and meets your children's needs. Compact models can be ideal for smaller bathrooms.

Comprehensive Bathroom Solutions

Creating a kid-friendly bathroom often involves more than just selecting fixtures and decor. Comprehensive bathroom solutions consider plumbing, ventilation, and overall layout to ensure a safe and functional space.

Professional Installation: Hiring professionals ensures that all elements are correctly installed and meet safety standards. This includes proper plumbing, electrical work, and secure fixture installation.

Custom Solutions: Custom bathroom solutions can tailor the space to your specific needs, incorporating built-in storage, customized fixtures, and unique design elements.

Eco-Friendly Options: Consider eco-friendly solutions like water-saving faucets and toilets, which can be beneficial for the environment and reduce utility bills.

Making Bath Time Fun

Lastly, transforming bath time into a fun experience can encourage kids to enjoy their bathroom. Here are some ideas:

Bath Toys: Keep a variety of bath toys that are safe and easy to clean.

Bubble Baths: Mild, child-friendly bubble bath solutions can make the experience enjoyable.

Music and Stories: Play music or audiobooks during bath time to keep kids entertained.

Conclusion

Creating a kid-friendly bathroom is about blending fun with practicality. From vibrant colors and engaging themes to safe, accessible fixtures and comprehensive solutions, every detail contributes to a space that kids love and parents find functional. Whether you're looking for the best quality baths or comprehensive bathroom solutions in NZ, these ideas will help you design a bathroom that meets all your needs.

By focusing on safety, accessibility, and maintenance while incorporating interactive and engaging elements, you can create a bathroom that not only caters to the practical requirements but also becomes a joyful space for your children.

[maa-pix]

Neilson Sings Nelson: Always On My Mind

From the video description:

Featuring exclusive footage filmed inside the vault at Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studio, “Always On My Mind” is the the second release from the “Neilson Sings Nelson” series. Award-winning New Zealand artist Tami Neilson continues to share the collection of songs she recorded as a birthday gift for Willie on his 90th birthday.

“When I chose the songs for this collection, I tried to avoid the ones that have been covered heavily”, Neilson shares. “This song is one of the exceptions. It is a testament to Willie’s incredible artistry, how one of the world’s greatest songwriters can cover a song he did not write and make it completely his own, intrinsically part of his work and associated with him. For a big-voiced singer known more for big belters, this was an exercise in restraint for me. It was just my brother Jay and I recording live off the floor, no click, one take, just trying to be fluid and follow each other with the lights dimmed, swimming with each other in the reverb from the tiled echo chamber room in Willie’s studio. When I looked over at my brother during the final chord, tears were coursing down his face…just like mine.”

On filming the music video: “To be sitting amidst shelves lined with old reel to reels of Willie’s recordings over the decades felt like sitting on a mountain of gold in Aladdin’s cave of treasures. Walking amongst labels handwritten in black marker like 'Willie and Merle' or 'Red Headed Stranger' while performing this song, well, 'surreal' doesn’t even begin to describe it. But, my hope is that this clip we’re so privileged to share with you all gives you a small taste of that feeling.”

[teamremovalsblogs]

Reasons to Choose Team Removals Cleaning Service in New Zealand

Moving and maintaining a clean living or working space is a significant undertaking, and TEAM REMOVALS offers a range of professional cleaning services in New Zealand to make the process seamless and efficient. Here are some compelling reasons why you should opt for TEAM REMOVALS for your cleaning needs:

Window Cleaning:

Approved Services: TEAM REMOVALS is approved by the New Zealand Municipality Corporation to provide professional window cleaning services for residential, commercial, and official purposes.

Professional Team: Our team of professional sweepers and cleaners is pre-screened and holds identity cards, ensuring reliability and professionalism.

Biodegradable Cleaning: We use specialized tools, techniques, and biodegradable cleaning materials for exterior glass cleaning, providing a thorough and environmentally friendly service.

Comprehensive Cleaning: Our process involves removing dirt, grime, lubricant, and airborne contamination, followed by gentle rubbing, scrubbing, and drying, leaving your windows sparkling.

Steam Cleaning:

Efficient Deep Cleaning: TEAM REMOVALS is a leading deep cleaning company in New Zealand, utilizing steam cleaning for effective removal of oil, grease buildup, and stubborn stains from kitchen areas, floors, and tiles.

Eco-Friendly Approach: Steam cleaning is eco-friendly, leaving minimal marks on floors and ensuring a thorough cleaning without the use of harsh chemical products.

Expert Team: Our skilled and qualified cleaning team ensures that your space is spotless and gleaming, providing efficient and cost-effective steam cleaning services.

End of Tenancy Cleaning:

Professional Handling: TEAM REMOVALS lifts the burden of pre and post-move cleaning, ensuring your new or vacated property looks pristine and meets the required standards.

Skilled Cleaning Team: Our skilled and qualified cleaning team guarantees a deep clean for a smooth transition, allowing tenants to receive their deposits back.

Comprehensive Service: From bathrooms to kitchen areas, our professional cleaners handle every aspect of end-of-tenancy cleaning at a reasonable rate.

Carpet and Rugs Cleaning Service:

Experienced Crew: Our reliable cleaners offer a thorough carpet and rug cleaning service in New Zealand, addressing stains and dirt with suitable mild chemical liquid detergent and advanced equipment.

Comprehensive Care: Whether it’s Tabriz, Fereghan Sarouk, or other expensive carpets, our experienced cleaners ensure the proper care of each piece, allowing you to focus on other tasks.

Gutter Cleaning:

Preventing Damage: TEAM REMOVALS’ expert gutter cleaning service in New Zealand prevents potential damage caused by dust, trash, and clogged downpipes, safeguarding your property.

Professional Approach: Our skilled and qualified gutter cleaners use innovative tools, techniques, and professional training to ensure accurate and efficient gutter cleaning.

Upholstery Cleaning:

Enhanced Lifespan: Professional upholstery cleaning by TEAM REMOVALS enhances the lifespan of your furniture, with trained technicians removing dust from the deepest parts using top-notch equipment.

Indoor Air Quality: Regular upholstery cleaning improves indoor air quality, keeping allergens at bay and providing a fresh and pleasant environment.

Safeguard Coating: Our professional cleaners apply safeguard coating to protect your furniture against damage, offering comprehensive care and maintenance.

Choose TEAM REMOVALS for expert cleaning services tailored to meet your specific requirements, ensuring a clean, healthy, and welcoming living or working space in New Zealand. For more information, visit here!

[allstoneandrock]

Website : https://www.allstoneandrock.com

All Stone & Rock, established in 1999, specializes in residential stone work across New Zealand and the Pacific. With over 20 years of experience in the construction industry, they focus on delivering high-quality stonewall masterpieces. They offer a wide range of services for remodeling and repairing needs, ensuring precision and commitment to excellence. All Stone & Rock pride themselves on their excellent work, competitive fees, and ability to deliver outstanding results on time.

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/all_stone_and_rock/

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[floorwisenz]

5 Reasons Why Laminate Flooring Is So Popular in Pukekohe

Laminate flooring is witnessing a significant rise in demand in Pukekohe, New Zealand, thanks to its versatility and cost-efficiency. Both homeowners and businesses in the area have embraced this flooring choice due to its myriad advantages, establishing it as a preferred option. Its cost-effectiveness, longevity, low maintenance, design flexibility, and rapid installation have solidified its status as a highly sought-after solution for elevating interior spaces in New Zealand.

Affordability:

The cost-effectiveness of laminate floors in Pukekohe plays a pivotal role in its widespread acceptance. It acts as an economical alternative to hardwood, tile, or stone floors, emulating the sophisticated appearance of these materials while keeping the budget in check. This renders it a compelling option for those desiring an opulent ambiance without imposing a financial burden.

Durability and Resilience:

Laminate floors in Pukekohe boasts exceptional durability and resilience. It can endure the daily rigors of both bustling households and commercial settings, making it an ideal selection for spaces with heavy foot traffic. Its resistance to scratches, dents, and stains guarantees that it retains its appealing look even in the most demanding environments.

Easy Maintenance:

The New Zealand populace holds the straightforward maintenance of laminate flooring in high regard. Unlike various other flooring options, laminate requires no specialized products or extensive care. Simply regular sweeping and occasional damp mopping are ample to uphold its impeccable appearance.

Aesthetic Variety:

Laminate flooring provides a diverse range of design possibilities, catering to various interior preferences. Whether you desire the realistic look of wood or stone textures or prefer an extensive choice of colors& patterns, laminate offers a style to harmonize with any interior aesthetic. In New Zealand, homeowners can effortlessly discover a laminate flooring design that aligns with their decor and personal style.

Quick and Simple Installation:

The convenience of installation stands as another driving force behind the prevalence of laminate floors in Pukekohe. With its click-and-lock system, laminate can be effortlessly installed without the necessity for adhesives or nails. This not only streamlines the installation timeline but also curtails disruptions to your residential or commercial space throughout the process.

Conclusion:

Laminate flooring stands as the preferred option in Pukekohe, known for its cost-effectiveness, resilience, minimal upkeep requirements, design versatility, and straightforward installation. This preference mirrors the growing need for versatile and budget-friendly flooring solutions, positioning laminate as the primary choice for enhancing both residential and commercial spaces. It seamlessly blends style, durability, and economic viability, making it the favored flooring selection for New Zealand residents aiming to improve their spaces in terms of both aesthetics and functionality.

Put your Trust on Floor Wise for high-quality Laminate floors Pukekohe! Rest assured they will meet your expectations both in terms of product quality and affordability.

[sprinklescleaning]

Cleaning Services Gold Coast

When choosing a cleaning service Gold Coast, consider reading online reviews and asking for recommendations. Also, make sure to communicate clearly about your needs and expectations.

A popular option is Stephens Bond Cleaning Service, which offers professional bond cleaning in Brisbane and Gold Coast. This company is dedicated to quality and has an experienced team.

Stephens Bond Cleaning Service

Stephens Bond Cleaning Service provides professional bond cleaning services Gold Coast for tenants vacating a rental property. This service ensures that the rental property is in pristine condition and maximizes the tenant’s chance of receiving their full security deposit back. Its comprehensive cleaning approach ensures that no corner is overlooked.

Experienced cleaners use special scarping tools to remove stubborn stains and dirt embedded in carpet and tile grouts. They also clean appliances and sanitize kitchen sinks and counters. The sanitizer they use is non-toxic and pet friendly, which is ideal for sensitive surfaces.

Experienced Gold Coast bond cleaning companies also pay special attention to outdoor areas. They will clean the patio, balcony, and garden and trim plants, if needed. They will also sweep and mop floors to remove stains and germs. Finally, they will vacuum and wash the windows to remove dust and smudges. This will make the home or office look more attractive and welcoming to potential renters.

Pauls Clean King

The company is an excellent cleaning service and does a fantastic job. They are always punctual, polite and professional. I have used them for both regular and special cleans and they never disappoint. Their teams are highly skilled and do a very thorough job. I would definitely recommend them to others.

Paul is the founder of KingsClean and is the creator of TKOS (The Knowledgeable, Kind, Observant Services) He earned his bachelors degree from Ole Miss and is a member of IFMA and TASBO. He enjoys FFFN with his family, golf and hunting.

Jani-King is a worldwide business with a presence in 14 countries and over 9,000 franchisees globally. Its focus is on the commercial cleaning market but also focuses on building relationships with customers.

Efficiency

The team at Efficiency is composed of highly-trained professionals that can clean your home and business in a timely manner. They specialise in bond cleaning and end-of-lease cleans as well as regular domestic and commercial cleaning services. They have an excellent reputation and are committed to providing the best service possible.

Finding reliable and trustworthy cleaners can be difficult, but doing your research can help you find the right one for your needs. Read online reviews and ask for recommendations from friends or family members to gauge the quality, reliability, and professionalism of different cleaning companies.

Once you’ve found a few potential cleaners, compare their rates and services to determine which one is the best fit for your home or business. Keep in mind that a deeper or more thorough clean will generally be pricier than a basic tidy-up. Additionally, you should factor in any special requests or requests for additional services when determining your budget.

Guys in Kilts

After a first season that saw Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish exploring the culture of their Scottish homeland, the pair are trading in their tartan for a new setting. This time, the Men in Kilts hosts are heading down under to New Zealand. "The combination of Graham now living there and the country having so much rich Scottish history made it a perfect choice," director Kevin Johnston tells EW.

During their visit to Doune Castle, which doubles as the fictional castle of Leoch on Outlander and Winterfell on Game of Thrones, the hosts learn about the country's music and dancing customs. Plus, they ham it up in their newsboy caps and scarf lewks.

Then, they hit the Highland Games to participate in a variety of sports, including hammer throwing and stone lifting. They also get a lesson in Gaelic, the language spoken by Heughan and McTavish's 18th-century characters, and learn that Scotland was home to many witch trials between the mid-16th and early 18th centuries.

[david843346]

Self-Leveling Concrete Market to Witness Growth by a CAGR of ~5% throughout 2023 – 2035

Research Nester published a report titled “Self-Leveling ConcreteMarket: Global Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2035” which delivers detailed overview of theglobalself-leveling concrete market in terms of market segmentation bytype, surface, end user, and by region.

Further, for the in-depth analysis, the report encompasses the industry growth indicators, restraints, supply and demand risk, along with detailed discussion on current and future market trends that are associated with the growth of the market.

The global self-leveling concrete market is estimated to gather a substantial revenue by growing at a CAGR of ~5% during the forecast period, i.e., 2023 – 2035, ascribing to the increasing number of infrastructural activities worldwide related to the remodeling and restructuring of buildings. Along with this, rapid rise in industrialization across the globe, and growing adoption of self-leveling concrete for construction activities, including preparation of floor surfaces, are also expected to drive the growth of the market in the upcoming years.

The market is segmented by type, surface and end user. Based on surface, the vinyl composition tiles segment is anticipated to acquire the largest share during the forecast period on the back of the high use of this surface in construction ascribing to its excellent dimensional stability and superior impact-resistance. Additionally, by end user, the commercial segment is projected to grab the largest share over the forecast period attributing to theescalating urbanization, coupled with surging construction of commercial complexes, such as office spaces and shopping malls.

Geographically, the global self-leveling concrete market is segmented into five major regions, namely North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is evaluated to witness noteworthy growth and grab the largest share in the market during the forecast period attributing to the rising number of smart city projects in the region. Moreover, the market in Europe is also assessed to acquire notable share over the forecast period ascribing to the increasing production of self-leveling concrete in Italy and Germany, and strong presence of major market players in the region.

For more information in the analysis of this report, visit: https://www.researchnester.com/reports/self-leveling-concrete-market/3885

The research is global in nature and covers detailed analysis on the market in North America (U.S., Canada), Europe (U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Belgium, Netherlands & Luxembourg, NORDIC [Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark], Poland, Turkey, Russia, Rest of Europe), Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Rest of Latin America), Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of Asia-Pacific), Middle East and Africa (Israel, GCC [Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman], North Africa, South Africa, Rest of Middle East and Africa). In addition, analysis comprising market size, Y-O-Y growth & opportunity analysis, market players’ competitive study, investment opportunities, demand for future outlook etc. has also been covered and displayed in the research report.

Rising Number of Infrastructural Activities Around the World to Accelerate Market Growth

Owing to the rapidly rising urbanization and industrialization across the globe, the total number of construction and infrastructural activities are also increasing, which is giving rise to the usage of innovate materials such as self-leveling concrete. This can be credited to the ease of application and requirement of less labor for this type of concrete, which in turn is anticipated to drive market growth in the near future.

However, high price of raw materials used for producing the product is expected to operate as key restraint to the growth of the global self-leveling concrete market over the forecast period.

This report also provides the existing competitive scenario of some of the key players of the global self-leveling concrete market which includes company profiling ofDurex Coverings, Inc., Sika AG, CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V., MAPEI SpA, Arcosa Inc., ARDEX GmbH, Duraamen Engineered Products Inc., Fosroc International Ltd., LafargeHolcim Ltd., RPM International Inc.,and others. The profiling enfolds key information of the companies which encompasses business overview, products and services, key financials and recent news and developments. On the whole, the report depicts detailed overview of the global self-leveling concrete market that will help industry consultants, equipment manufacturers, existing players searching for expansion opportunities, new players searching possibilities and other stakeholders to align their market centric strategies according to the ongoing and expected trends in the future.     

Get a Sample PDF of Self-Leveling Concrete Market Report@ https://www.researchnester.com/sample-request-3885

[sunsoftwash]

The Ultimate Guide to Spring Cleaning Your Home in NZ

Spring is a season of renewal, and what better way to embrace the freshness of this time than by indulging in a thorough spring cleaning of your home? In New Zealand, where the seasons bring unique challenges and beauty, spring cleaning takes on added significance. It’s not just about tidying up; it’s about preparing your living space for the brighter days ahead.

Before diving into the actual cleaning, take a moment to set clear goals. Identify specific areas or aspects of your home that need attention. This might include decluttering, deep cleaning carpets, or organizing kitchen cabinets. Creating a realistic schedule is crucial, as it ensures that you don’t feel overwhelmed by trying to tackle everything at once.

Break down tasks into manageable chunks and allocate time for each. As you plan, gather the necessary supplies – cleaning solutions, microfiber cloths, garbage bags, and any other tools you might need.

Room-by-Room Cleaning Checklist

Kitchen

Begin your spring cleaning journey in the heart of your home – the kitchen. Start by cleaning your appliances, from the microwave to the oven. Pull out and organize the contents of your cabinets and pantry, discarding any expired items. Finish by deep cleaning surfaces, wiping down countertops, and scrubbing the floors.

Living Room

In the living room, focus on dusting and polishing furniture. Pay special attention to electronics, such as TV screens and gaming consoles. Clean upholstery and carpets, removing any stains or odors. Declutter by organizing items on shelves and in storage bins.

Bedrooms

Move on to the bedrooms, where a fresh start begins with changing bedding and mattresses. Declutter closets, donating or discarding items you no longer need. Clean and organize dressers, making it easier to find what you need each morning.

Bathroom

The bathroom is a space that requires thorough cleaning. Scrub and sanitize surfaces, paying attention to often-neglected areas like tile grout. Organize toiletries and cabinets, discarding expired or unused items. Consider replacing or cleaning shower curtains for a fresh look.

Home Office/Study

If you have a home office or study space, declutter by organizing papers and documents. Clean electronics like your computer, keyboard, and mouse. Create an inspiring workspace by rearranging furniture or adding personal touches.

Deep Cleaning Tips

In addition to regular cleaning tasks, consider incorporating deep cleaning into your routine. For carpets and upholstery, steam cleaning is an effective method to remove deep-seated dirt and stains. Windows should be cleaned inside and out, allowing more natural light to filter into your home. Don’t forget about air ducts and vents – cleaning these can improve air quality and reduce allergens.

Outdoor Spaces

Extend your cleaning efforts to outdoor spaces. Begin with the garage – clean and organize tools, sports equipment, and other items. Move on to lawn and garden maintenance, trimming overgrown bushes and removing debris. Clean outdoor furniture, ensuring it’s ready for use during the warmer months.

Sustainable Spring Cleaning

Make your spring cleaning efforts eco-friendly by using sustainable practices. Opt for eco-friendly cleaning products, which are not only better for the environment but also for your health. When decluttering, separate items for recycling and dispose of them responsibly. Consider donating items that are still in good condition rather than sending them to the landfill. These small changes can contribute to a greener and cleaner environment.

Safety Considerations

As you embark on your spring cleaning adventure, prioritize safety. Handle cleaning chemicals with care, following instructions on labels. Ensure proper ventilation by opening windows and doors, especially when using strong cleaning agents. Consider wearing gloves and a mask for additional protection. If you have respiratory issues, use caution and choose cleaning products that are less likely to trigger allergies.

Maintaining a Clean Home

Once the deep cleaning is complete, the key is to maintain a clean and organized home. Establish regular cleaning routines that fit into your schedule. Involve family members in the process, assigning age-appropriate tasks. Small, daily habits such as wiping down surfaces, doing a quick declutter, or sweeping the floors can go a long way in maintaining the cleanliness you worked so hard to achieve.

Further Reading: Top 5 Signs You Need to Hire a Professional Washing Service in Tauranga

Conclusion

In conclusion, spring cleaning is not just a chore; it’s an opportunity to rejuvenate your living space and embrace the positive energy that comes with a clean and organized home. By following this ultimate guide tailored to New Zealand, you can efficiently tackle each area of your home, from the kitchen to outdoor spaces, ensuring a thorough and effective cleaning process. Remember to approach the task with a sense of purpose, safety, and sustainability, and you’ll find yourself enjoying a fresh and welcoming home as you step into the new season. Happy cleaning!

[theagencynz]

The Importance of Asbestos Management in Property Preservation.

Due to its resistance to high temperatures, asbestos has long been utilized as a construction material. Prior to the 1970s, researchers did not suspect asbestos exposure to be harmful to human health. Since then, many endeavors have been made to reduce people's contact with this poison and, ultimately, to eradicate it. This article discusses the hazards of asbestos, its prevalence in buildings, and, most importantly, how you and your property can be protected by asbestos management in Auckland. If you own a residence or operate a business in Auckland, or anywhere else in the world, and you care about the safety of your employees and customers, you must understand the significance of effective asbestos management.

To Define Asbestos:

Asbestos is a mineral found in nature that has been utilized in construction for decades. Made of microscopic fibers that are resistant to heat, fire, and chemicals. As a result, asbestos was frequently utilized in insulation materials, roofing tiles, floor tiles, cement pipelines, and other construction materials.

Asbestos is hazardous due to the fact that its fibres can become airborne and readily inhaled when it is disturbed or damaged, such as during renovation or demolition work. Inhaling these fibers can cause severe health risks, including mesothelioma (a rare form of cancer), lung cancer, and asbestosis (a chronic lung disease).

It is essential to recognize that not all forms of asbestos are created equal; some pose a greater risk than others. Due to its reduced fibre length, chrysotile asbestos is regarded as less hazardous than amphibole asbestos. Chrysotile asbestos is the most common form of asbestos found in buildings.

New Zealand has prohibited the importation of unprocessed asbestos since 2001; however, it is still present in many older buildings in Auckland. Before beginning any significant construction on a property, it is crucial that qualified professionals conduct regular testing for the presence of asbestos.

The Hazards of Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was extensively used in construction materials due to its durability, insulation properties, and affordability. However, the use of asbestos has been linked to a variety of health issues, including lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.

When asbestos-containing materials are damaged or disturbed during renovation or demolition in Auckland, they release microscopic fibres that are readily inhaled by nearby individuals. Once these fibers enter the lungs, they become lodged there for years, causing inflammation and scarring that can contribute to severe respiratory diseases.

The peril of asbestos exposure is not limited to those who worked with it directly; it also extends to their family members who were unknowingly exposed through second-hand contact with workers' clothing or equipment contaminated with asbestos dust.

It is crucial for property owners and contractors alike to be aware of the dangers posed by asbestos-containing materials so that the appropriate safety precautions can be taken when working on buildings constructed prior to the year 2000.

Workplace Asbestos Exposure

Prior to the 1980s, asbestos was commonly used in building materials, which means that it can be found in many workplaces constructed before this time. Asbestos fibres can become airborne and are readily inhaled, posing significant health risks such as lung cancer and mesothelioma.

In accordance with the Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016, employers are required to manage asbestos in the workplace. This includes identifying any asbestos-containing materials, evaluating their condition, managing potential exposure risks, and training workers on how to safely manage them.

If work must be performed on or around asbestos-containing materials, appropriate control measures must be implemented to prevent the discharge of asbestos fibers into the atmosphere. This could involve the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), the implementation of engineering controls such as ventilation systems, or the soaking of surfaces prior to disturbance.

Household Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fibre that was extensively used in the construction of homes and buildings prior to the 1990s. Asbestos fibres are present in insulation, ceiling tiles, floor tiles, roofing shingles, and numerous other common domestic items.

Exposure to asbestos fibres can result in significant health problems, including lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. If you suspect that your residence contains asbestos-containing materials (ACMs), it is crucial to have them identified and managed by a professional.

Before you renovate or demolish your property, you must conduct an asbestos inspection. This survey will identify any ACMs present in your property so they can be safely removed or managed prior to any construction work.

It is essential to observe that not all ACMs must be removed immediately. Some may be left in place if they have not been damaged or are not likely to be damaged during routine use of the property. Nevertheless, appropriate management procedures must be implemented.

Managing asbestos in the residence necessitates the identification, evaluation, and management of all ACMs present on the property. Always seek advice from a licensed professional who has experience handling hazardous materials like asbestos.

Management of Asbestos

Now that you are aware of the dangers of asbestos, it is essential to learn how to manage it. Asbestos management is essential for property maintenance and can prevent significant health risks associated with exposure to asbestos.

The first stage in managing asbestos is determining whether or not it is present on the property. This requires a professional assessment from an accredited surveyor who can inspect your premises and collect samples for testing.

If asbestos is confirmed to be present, you must devise an asbestos management plan outlining the necessary control measures to minimize exposure. This plan should include regular inspections, risk assessments, control measures, training for employees or tenants on the safe handling of asbestos, and protocols for communication in the event of an emergency.

When dealing with contaminated soil or the removal of asbestos-containing materials, such as roofing sheets or insulation boards, Auckland deconstruction companies specializing in this field should be contacted for safe disposal. They are equipped with specialized tools and trained personnel capable of handling any situation involving hazardous materials.