parties and positives

7.12.2010 Building News.

The plumber may be able to start the under slab work before Xmas. Edd is spending every available minute on the fencing so the actual building site can be sheep free. The sheep are in an area with plenty of grass and shade areas but choose to spend most of the time sitting on the bare earth where we have dug out for the house and they have made an awful mess.

There is a different type of mess with the solar panel system we have installed for grid interactive power. We have been waiting for months to be connected to the grid and today we found out that the system was wrong for two-phase country supplies! The company who promised me that they had done loads of connections with no hold ups are now feeling fairly embarrassed. Why does everything have to be so hard? Perhaps I should have gone with the people Al recommended!

Other news
We are now sheltering in the donga because we have just been hit by a storm. The poor swallows had a dreadful time getting home, at one stage it looked as if they would not make it. They are raising a young family above our door. It is the second lot of youngsters in the nest this year but we have no way of telling if the same parents have had a second go or if they have let out their nest to others.

It is still warm, but most of this week it has been really hot. It was up to 40 degrees in the donga one day but we are coping better with the heat than the cold. Bo brought all her kids over for a swim last night to cool off after school. Her dog, Tommy, the golden retriever, also had a swim in the dogs’ pool and got very wet and muddy. He was in too bad a state to fit in Bo’s car so Edd had to drive him home on the back of his ute.

I love the summer. All the goats come in of an evening feeling relaxed and full of grass and we can milk them watching the stars and listening to music on the radio. When I feed the chooks each morning I have a second breakfast grazing on the raspberries in their run and can fill in with loquats and mulberries all warmed by the sun. The basil is growing well in the wicking bed above rabbit height. One of summers best treat and my idea of total bliss is fresh basil and garlic pesto., newly made goats cheese and special bread.

We are so proud of Josh who has coped with a year of challenges in Perth and passed his first year of Audiology. He plans to fulfil a life long dream and drive up North to see the stomolites in shark bay before heading home across the Nullarbor. He has practical experience to work at until mid December so he will not be home for the party we have planned for next weekend.

Edd and I have been married for 40 years so we felt a sort of survival party would be a good thing and a chance to thank all the friends and neighbours who have given us so much support since we were burnt out. It is difficult to plan a party in this uncertain weather with out the back up of a house. Yesterday I went shopping for solutions and ended up in the Ringwood shopping centre with a trolley laden with two market gazebos, 16 resin chairs and 21 plastic wine glasses. (Believe it or not this is possible)!

Getting through the shopping centre was challenging but getting to the car park was worse. My theory is that when one attempts visibly to do the impossible a good Samaritan usually arrives. This time my rescuer was an attractive young lady. Together we man handled the unwieldy load over roads and down slopes to the ute where she astounded me by effortlessly lifting the gazebos aboard. I commented on her fitness and asked if she did gym training. She explained she was in the army and the training helped. Good on the army. If it is manned by ladies like her the world will be a better place.

We have a lot to live up to in the party stakes. Last Friday Craig and family had a party before his parents returned to Perth. It was a perfect evening. The weather was just right and they had hired a jazz group who were fantastic. We all danced on their donga veranda and chatted away to other neighbours of all ages. It was very uniting. We are all stressed out after coping with two years of problems and getting together for fun was just the right thing we needed. There are lots of larger group activities but we all belong to this small sub area so it was personally relevant.

The two great David’s have worked miracles. Dave P has set up proper gates for the chooks and veggies so that I no longer get injured climbing over barriers and David H has cleaned out behind the veggie garden fence so that rabbit raiders have reduced. I am so lucky to still have this sort of support. Actually I feel very, very, lucky. Life is different but feels good.