Mine has a sink, dishwasher, and pull out wastebins. All good. What I should have done was insist on more cutlery drawers and some pot drawers instead of under bench cupboards. Not a fan of underbench microwaves so didnt ask for one.

With a very sloping block one has to adapt or go rolling down the hill. Making retaining walls which did not require a permit was tricky. (Over 1m high needed a permit) Keeping the Juniper tree roots happy was also tricky. Working around the natural fall of rain water is an ongoing concern. Taking video of heavy rainfall and watching the way the water wishes to go is key to figuring out how to put in drainage. Even when we thought we had it right, nature will still fight you!

I voted for paintings, because I have quite a few, but given the choice, I'd have voted for "quirky objects" ahead of any of the items on the list. I have African wall hangings, European ceramic plates, Afghan bags, and a carving from an Indian temple door. Also, copper and brass trays from four or five countries and lots of other things that remind me of places I've lived or visited. What I don't like and don't have is mass produced "wall art" chosen to fit with the decor rather than stand on its own merits either as art or as personal memorabilia.

I warm my plates sometimes with a damp square of kitchen paper in between. The water in the paper heats up and does the trick. I always do scrambled eggs but I use half power and stir after 45 seconds then after 20 secs and so on until done. I par boil vegetables for roasting and soups to save time. We keep our bread in the freezer and defrost before use, also rolls, banana bread, un-iced cake etc. I've heated up a wet face cloth to wipe my grandkids' faces rather than wait for the hot water to come through. More energy efficient. If my coffee or tea goes cool when I'm on the phone I'll reheat it for 20 secs.