new year new start

20.1.2010

Well!! We survived the Xmas bit and our wonderful sons, plus granddaughter India, and Wayne’s partner, Delisa, all came and got the hay in. Thank goodness we had the shed roof up and could put it under cover. Our secret weapon is Wayne who is unbelievably strong. Al dosed himself up before we started but he still got pretty sick with hay fever. It was a really hot day, so we worked in the evening after the sun had gone down but things soon changed.

New years eve announced its self with mega thunderstorms, which continued for two days. No need for fire works, nature put on a totally spectacular display. Then it rained and all hell broke loose. Both bridges in Steels Creek were washed over by water. The bridge by the tennis court on the main track was blocked by piles of dead trees that had washed down from the forest and bull dozers were needed to clear up the mess.

All the roads were damaged and lots of people had the gravel from their drives washed away. Our toilet was flooded but as gumboots were needed to get there it really did not make much difference. The council was pretty good and sent up machinery to repair the roads surprisingly quickly. Nothing lasts for long and soon the temperatures began to soar again.

Luckily I had been gradually working away on the problem of how to get the swimming pool back into action. The vinyl liner around the top had melted away or sealed itself to the metal sides and the top rail and plastic joiners were burnt. It was full of algae, branches and burnt parts of the house. Despite the damage it was three quarters full of water so I guessed that there was not much damage below the water line.

I did not want to put in a new liner because that would mean dismantling the entire pool top a really difficult job after all the fire damage. My plan was to patch up the old liner as much as possible with out trying to move any of the structure. This was rather an unorthodox approach but it was the cheapest, quickest, fix for this year when all the men were busy with more important work.

I found a company on the net who posted me cans of totally amazing glue and much to the horror of the shop I brought a small pool liner to cut up for patches. Josh lent me his tiny pool pump, which slowly emptied most of the water, and when the weather heated up the rest obligingly evaporated. Getting in and scooping out all the rubbish was messy work, but possible, and afterwards the liner cleaned up remarkably well. My patchwork will not win any prizes, but we were able to fill the pool and when it got to 48 degrees in our donga I was very relieved to be able to swim slowly up and down in comfort.

On the night before the fires, which was equally hot I had a long swim and told my self to enjoy it as it was probably the last time I could. I am rather surprised that I am back swimming again in under a year. I did not expect it. We had a terrible night when none of us could get cool enough to sleep but a mid night swim helped a lot.

We are now waiting for the excavation to be done for the house site. It was due to start last week but didn’t. Edd and a new helper, Tristan, constructed a pen for the goats in the new shed and took down the old fences that are no longer needed. We have moved all the animals out of the construction area. The horses are enjoying the freedom of the large hill paddock but the goats are confined to barracks until the electric fence is moved.

The big task of the week has been helping Josh who is trying to get a place at university to do a masters degree in Audiology. It is a bit late to apply so he has had to put in a real effort. We are now just living on tenterhooks wondering if he has done enough. It is sad that even after studying hard for a first degree that the chances of getting a job are so low. It is heart breaking to watch someone being rejected for job after job and very demoralising for the person involved. When I was young it was so easy to get suitable work and one felt needed by society.

Josh is worn out by working night duty continually for months. He is as thin as a rake and has tooth and mouth ulcers. The rain flooded his donga and it is pretty rough to sleep in there during the hot days. He has been so good and is always willing to give us a hand. He never complains about his living conditions. I think the conditions are wearing us all down. I know that many of my Aboriginal friends have lived in much worse conditions all their lives but it is also a fact that they do not live very long!