lambs and a fire place

8.13.2011
BUILDING NEWS

Last week Geoff built the hearth and put on some pavers to tile the top. I grouted it so it became a smooth flat platform. Wayne came over first thing this morning and helped Edd and Geoff to lift the wood fire insert onto its hearth. It is extremely heavy but luckily Wayne is extremely strong and comes to help us on occasions like this.

Geoff cut a hole through the bond deck so that he and Edd could assemble the chimney pipes and put them up through the slab roof into the outer chimney. Geoff has cut some bricks and is planning to build the chimney and fireplace in the house next week. Putting in a fireplace seems a very significant act. The bare shell of the house is now developing organs that will one day allow it to function as a home.

It was really rather busy today. Dion came this afternoon to measure up for the steel solar room roof and Garry and Leah came over to talk about the paving job. Yesterday, Edd and I drove down to Nar Nar Goon to look at stone. The manager in the stone shop was really helpful and we quickly found a sand stone that we liked. Edd wants to have rough-cut uneven stone on the walls but we need it cut and dressed to top the parapet. If we can afford this rock it will be perfect.

OTHER NEWS

It was frosty again this morning and one of the white ewes had given birth to triplets. She had managed well and they were all up and sucking. We bring all the sheep into the small croft by the shed at night. With multiple births it is hard for the ewes to defend their young against foxes if they are all spread out over a larger paddock.

The first twins are a week old now so they are out in the croft tonight and only the ewe with triplets is actually in the shed. A crow was eyeing off the newborn lambs. Before we put them in. Crows are rumoured to peck lambs eyes out but I have never seen this myself. I have seen a hawk fly off with a guinea pig but again I have never seen an eagle take a lamb.

Poor Al is still having to manage with out the phone or Internet in his new office. The telephone service is so difficult to get connected now. I am not sure what is wrong with the service industries. Our power company has not sent us a single bill this year, only a letter to say they are late with bills! This does not seem at all normal to me. We use one of the big power companies too. I got them deliberately because I thought that they might be organised.

Perhaps everything in the world is on a slippery slope sliding into total chaos.