Full moon rising

8.13.2011

BUILDING NEWS

This week has got off to a flying start. Geoff is working on the chimney and the Wood gang are here with all manner of digging machines to do drains behind the house. It is all starting to look possible. The intention is to dig a trench around the top of the bank to stop water coming in whilst the waterproofing is being done and to bury the land drains by the slab.

OTHER NEWS

Against the forecast, the weather was good this weekend. Edd got Skiddy going and we cleaned out the rubble that was between the pool and the brick floor in the ruins. The next step is to put down a level pad of packing sand so that we can build garden beds and lay broken bricks as pavers between the beds.

We also got rid of another left over from the fires in a most enjoyable way. It was Ollie’s seventh birthday so Bo brought over meat and bean stews and a big cake so that we could have a family meal. I baked chocolate and poppy seed bread and we all picked greens for salads. Al carried one of the trestle tables into the donga, and with the Queensland chairs everyone could sit round a table. When the first course was gone we all went in to the dairy croft around the huge pile of dead trees and rubbish and set it alight.

Edd had added a bit of diesel earlier so it went up in flames with our any resistance. Soon we had to move back several metres because of the heat. India somehow managed to carry an enormous pile of chairs up through the mud so that we could sit down for chocolate cake and raspberries. At least, some of us did. The younger more athletic members of the family climbed up and stood on fence posts so that the rest could try and throw circular glow sticks over their heads!

As the roaring fire sent a column of glowing orange embers up towards the stars the full moon rose majestically over Hargreaves Hill. Scorpio was overhead and I felt so blest that we had such a beautiful dry evening. One of the younger kids said he would rather be in the donga watching videos. I feel sad about this. For me second hand experience never satisfies as much as simple pleasures.