@sasha.G, If possible I would move the plants in off the balcony but if that's out of the question, I'm afraid I would try to get a family member or a trustworthy neighbour to give the important plants a drink over that period. I wouldn't touch the succulents at all over that period of time, they can go for months without water as you already know, let alone a few weeks. Sometimes there are "house sitters" that can be paid to look after pets that otherwise would need to go to a boarding kennel, collect the mail, mow the lawns, water plants etc... Good luck. Cheers, Barbara

yes Wuff it was extremely upsetting. I used to go to my car after every visit & cry & cry! My little guy is the apple of my eye & just the most fun lovable thing that even people who don't like dogs warm to. He's so used to being with people & having people fuss over him.Not the girls at quarantine though! You could see in his eyes he couldn't understand what he'd done wrong to be locked up & shunned & he used to howl & cry whenenver I got up to leave. The last week he was there he stopped eating. My 2 cats were rescues. My Maine Coon, Mr Bubba Coon was dumped at San Diego County Animal Shelter because he was the runt of the litter & deemed to be not big enough to be saleable. It was the height of the GFC. I brought him back to Sydney with me. My other guy, Spooky Cat is black & he & his sister were dumped at a vet in Five Dock here in Sydney aged 4 weeks. He stayed locked up in a cage at the shelter until he was 16 weeks old as black cats & tortys are the hardest cats to find a home for. When i took him home he just sat on the couch for a week because the concept of being free to walk about wherever he wanted was so foreign to him. He is the sweetest, loveliest little guy with beautiful yellow green eyes.

I am loving the black kitchen. In a room that gets a lot of natural light it really looks incredible.

Amazing transformation. Love the touch of whimsy with the whale mural. Living areas now take stunning advantage of the outlook. Exterior looks fantastic. Did you increase the footprint of the house?