Jack of all trades... (and master of none).

Now, I know this is not a homemaking blog, but with the first day of spring I thought my much-neglected balcony finally deserved some TLC.

After all, the view from it is not that bad.

It looks out on an ugly parking lot on the right, and on a nice, quiet park on the left.

Perfect for contemplating my navel, reading or blogging while enjoying the first morning coffee. BUT....

There was this eye-sore that I could not do much about right this minute...

.. so I decided to ignore it for now and focus on the opposite corner instead. I always thought it would be perfect for Asian-style cooking in summer when I don't want to be stuck in my kitchen but still want to enjoy a home-cooked meal. Another reason why I so stubbornly refuse to give up on my balcony is this constant breeze that I will be taking as much advantage of as I can come hot summer days. 
 So, off to the Home Center I went to buy this: 

Much to my dismay, I came home with this:

 Of course I was too proud to call my uncle for help. I did however borrow his screwdriver as I could only do so much with a set of tweezers, a nail file and two pairs of nail scissors. 

SO... after an entire day of hard-core carpentry, several minor splinter accidents and a healthy dose of Serbian cursing, I finally managed to put it together. TARA!!!!

My wok station was up and running! The rest were just minor details....

 And my corner for coffee-drinking and contemplation was ready too.  

I must give credit where credit is due. The chairs were upholstered by my uncle aka The King Of DIY!

By no means does this mean that my balcony and I are at peace with each other. We just called a truce.  

After all, there is still that eye-sore that I don't even dare look at. Arghhh.
Still, it's a huge improvement from what it looked like the first time I saw it:

Can you say pigeon manure???