Monday, Monday

29.11.11

BUILDING NEWS

Mondays always seem totally hectic. Everyone turns up all ready to roll and we are flat out making sure they have everything they need. Today we had Andrew, Larry and Phillip working on the roof putting the bricks on the top of the parapet. Gary began laying the last of the pavers in the solar buffer zone and Ayden ran around being everyone’s labourer. The stonework is now complete and the feature wall is magnificent and even has rings hanging from chains to tie up prisoners (or plants).

Richard turned up to set things up for doing the internal render and we had special expensive sand delivered, white cement and more lime for him to work with. Steve came back and put up shelf brackets and strengthening ties in the ceiling woodwork and Edd (when he got the chance) put in more of the ventilation system. I grouted another section of floor and fenced it off with discarded wiring spools to try and stop everyone walking on it until it had a chance to set.

The ground has begun to dry out after the heavy rain at the weekend. Healesville was flooded again with River Street living up to its name. It was over 30 degrees today and the house walls dried up enough for Phillip to be able to do more waterproofing.

We have run out of the final coat and need to order more to complete the job. The ceiling plasterer said he would be here but has not shoed up yet and we are not complaining because we have not put in all the air tubes. We have ordered more pipe and it should arrive tomorrow so this can be done.

OTHER NEWS

If it is not freezing cold and pouring with rain the temperature shoots up and life in the donga becomes impossible. We are happy to keep working on the new house for totally over the top hours because it is already a better place to be than up here. The good news is that Josh arrived back from Perth safely having managed the journey in two and a half days.

The bad news is that he has to get some work in for uni tomorrow and so he is not exactly good company. Edd is pretty stressed out about the building too so I am living in one room with two stressed men. Luckily Josh has decamped to Bo’s place tonight so she can try and help him with his writing. He has done all the work but finds condensing what he has discovered into a written form almost impossible.

Bo also cooked us all dinner as she guessed that it would be too hot to eat here. I am extremely lucky to have such a kind, thoughtful, hard working daughter. Especially one who lives so close! Al is still away on holiday but I have found photos of him on facebook building pizza ovens!

more rain

26.11.11

BUILDING NEWS

Oh dear, it is pouring with rain again. The water is still getting down the chimney and there is still one leak at the flashing on the solar room roof. Josh’s donga is also leaking and his bed is wet but our donga is miraculously dry. I am so over rain. Frank is ready to bury the house, but we must have dry soil, so this will not be happening just yet. Maybe it will be dry enough on Thursday or Friday.

The stone on the chimneys looks great and we think we have enough stone left to complete the feature wall inside. Gary then plans to put the capping bricks on the parapet and pave the rest of the floor. I am getting better at grouting and am now working on the large kitchen living room. I have made the path across the room to get the stoves in and now I will work on the rest of that room as it is taking the most wear.

Edd spent yesterday doing the waterproofing on the wing walls. It takes him a long time with his sore hand. We wish Josh was here to help. He is on the journey back from Perth and is now somewhere uncontactable on the Nullarbor. I worry about him doing this long drive alone and will be much relieved when we can get him on his mobile again.

Sioux is coming tomorrow to plan her strategy for doing the rendering on the internal walls. Edd still has the air ducting to put in so this could be a busy weekend.

OTHER NEWS

Moira had dinner with us at Bo’s restaurant on Thursday night and told us how distressing interviewing some of the fire victims has become. The more the researchers look at what is happening the clearer it becomes that the problem does not just go away after three years. Some families are breaking up under the stresses and some people are still lacking any clear vision of how they should reconstruct their lives.

We know that the farm is in a total mess but at least we have a new home that is nearly ready to look forward to. How to tackle the other issues is harder. On Thursday we got a busload of kids that we were not expecting from the high school. We have enjoyed having the kids here but we need to do something that generates an income if we are ever to be able to put the rest of the farm right.

Actually it is amazing how much can be done with a tractor and slasher, but we really need to start soon before everywhere gets totally over grown. My garden is now smothered in weeds but like the farm I am having to ignore it in order to focus on getting the house built.

stone work

full speed ahead

24.11.11

BUILDING NEWS

Where on earth did this week go? I can’t believe that it is Friday tomorrow! We have had lots of workers this week. Gary arrived on Monday with a team of extra workers. I was happy to see that these included my friends younger son, Andrew, who I have know since he was a baby. He has done lots of work for us over the years but his main job is in landscape design so he is good with the stonework. The stone team also included Larry, who I have not met before and Andrews apprentice, Ayden.

Pat and helper came to work on the wiring and one of the plumbers worked with Edd yesterday trying to fix the solar panels, Trying being the operative word because the stands we were given in Dandenong last Saturday did not fit the panels. Even

Stevo came back to finish the wood framing he had put up and set places for the lights.
I carried on with my usual grouting but this was hard because all the workers brought their dogs to work with them. I am not happy about this but as I really like the work they are doing and want it done fast it is probably better not to make a fuss.

The stonework outside at the front is now complete and today everyone is up on the roof putting stone round the chimneys. They have also started a feature wall inside the solar buffer zone that looks fantastic. They decided to do the wall before paving the last floor section in case the stone messes up the pavers. I am now grouting a path from the to the kitchen back wall so that we can bring the stoves in.

Edd has now brought the air pipes and we need to get them up in the ceilings as soon as possible. The plasterers say they will be here Monday or possibly tomorrow and it needs to be done before they get here. The drainage cell to go outside also arrived yesterday so now all that is needed is a bit of waterproofing on the back of the wing walls and then we are ready to bury the house! Things really are moving fast now.

OTHER NEWS

Moira visited us again this week and interviewed me again as part of her fire trauma research project. I actually found it very hard this time. It is well over a year since we last did this and I have got used to the new shape of our life so that it is now our normal. I just do not have time to think about the past. As we get close to having a house again I do sometimes think of all the things we don’t have to put in it.

I miss silly things like a big smooth rock that lived by the door. It shattered in the fire to reveal that it was made of quartzite but we could not tell this before as it had been polished in the creek until it glistened. How sad also that all the artwork I had done over my lifetime is gone and of course I will miss the amazing antique furniture my family in the UK gave us.

a dip into colour

19.11.11

BUILDING NEWS

Saturday has come round very fast this week. It is a wet day so we are planning to go down to Dandenong and pick up the rest of the water system from Pivot. I have fed the animals and done the milking but Edd is still not back from the market.

Yesterday got quite hot but I was able to start grouting at by the front entrance. We need to have a path grouted from the door to the kitchen so that we can bring the heavy stoves in without damaging the pavers. I have still a bit of a way to go on this project!

One uplifting thing was that the rug I had ordered on line arrived and we like it. I have found a wonderful web site with an endless supply of rugs from antique Persian to kids Disney. They seemed so cheap that I was a bit dubious so I waited until one came on sale that I fancied and tested them out. Rather to my surprise the delivery was prompt and the rug amazing! The temptation for more adventurous buys increases. At least I have a start to planning the colours in the living room now.

Colours are one of my great loves. I dream about wool shops with every colour combination imaginable and get very excited when I find new combinations that please me. The challenge now is to paint a picture that will go with my rug. In reality I had better just keep building. There is still a lot to do and we need to keep at it if we are to get to a non-building stage.

After three years of effort to rebuild the house shed and fences we have forgotten what a different life was like. We are sore, exhausted and just long to be able to relax and think about something else.

OTHER NEWS

It was 37 degrees in here again last night but Peter and Thea came over and we cooked a BBQ tea in the ruins. It all worked out well because the storm did not come in until our meal was over and then it brought cooler weather so we got a good night’s sleep.

I am very excited because Josh is heading home from Perth next week. We have really missed him and his plants need some attention. I try my best with his collection of orchids and cacti but they do need more TLC as the weather heats up.

We have strawberries fruiting large delicious fruit in the big pots and India picket a large bucket of mulberries on Friday. Our grape fruit are huge this year with all the rain and the peaches apples and plums are forming. The loquats seem to be having a low production year but they are badly fire damaged so probably need their energy for survival. The old oak tree by the house is looking much healthier and has grown new branches to replace the old burnt ones that are gradually falling off.

Bo has started writing songs and singing with her guitar again. We are all thrilled and love her work. I do prefer that sort of music to most opera though I admit that some duets can be very beautiful.

pass the buck day

16.11.11

BUILDING NEWS

This week is crazy. We have so much going on that it is hard getting my head round it. Gary is amazing. He just keeps working at a steady pace and lets everything else flow around him. He now has a helper and together they are hammering the sandstone into shape and slowly disappearing the concrete blocks. Edd is totally thrilled. He thinks it looks exactly as he wanted.

I am more interested in what is going on inside the house where the plumbing and wiring is also being done. The termite barrier guy apologised for the barrier falling off and he is back today reapplying the orange stuff. Edd and Craig are trying to organise the drainage cell that forms the layer over the termite stuff. I just carry on with the grouting. It is quite a nice job because it is cool and fresh in the house. The builders complain our donga is too hot at lunchtime! It is not even 30 degrees then so we think this is odd.

By evening today the back of the house was once again orange with termite protection and the basics of the hydronic system are plumbed in and tested. The head tank is now in one of the chimneys and the skinny plumber was inserted into the chimney to get all the pipes through the bond deck. Pat has wires looped everywhere and some walls have socket fittings in place.

OTHER NEWS

Yesterday there were two more agendas going on as well as the building. David H came over and built made two new above ground vegetable beds and goat keepers from North of us and South of us met here so we could exchange buck kids. I was rather worried about the latter.

My farm management is not at its peak this year whilst we have been concentrating on the house building. The goats are looking reasonably fat and healthy and have their feet trimmed but our fences and sheds are very make shift with baler twine being a prominent feature! We have brought bucks from both couples before and I was worried that they would not think our set up was up to scratch.

The Banjo, the Pinerock buck kid that was brought down for us is a lovely little boy. He has been shown and won ribbons so we are very lucky to have him. He is white but is not from Saanen parents so he could throw any colour kids. Whilst the buck swap was occurring David managed to sort out the grow beds so I now have the basis of a big new area to grow food which is fantastic.

We thought yesterday was pretty full on, but it was even more so today when another group from Eaton came to do volunteer work. We had a very messy area behind Josh’s donga that was full of fallen trees, wire, and a tangle of weeds and long grass.

By tonight these wonderful people had the area all cleared and everything sorted. The trees are sawn up and added to woodpiles. The wire is back on the old concrete brewery floor and the rubbish is down on the burning pile. I feel much happier now about snakes who have just lost their hiding places.

life is one long build

13.11.11

Sunday and we are back building again. Stevo is here and I am just about ready to start the day’s grouting session. Strangely my knees are fine but my hands are wearing out fast. A storm is gathering and I have had to waste time getting in the barley we were drying in the sun and hanging out the washing in the hope it dries before the rain arrives.

Steve says he will help me build the funny shaped bathroom which is fantastic. At present it is all pre-plastering work. None of us can agree on when the plasterers said they would start. Stevo and I are worried it might be this week but Edd thinks the following one. The wall rendering definitely could start next week so I am working on relevant floors.

12.11.2011

BUILDING NEWS

It is Saturday, but work continues. I am grouting the bathroom floor and Edd and Stevo have put the flashing on the back of the solar zone roof. The idea is to get everything ready so that the ceilings can be plastered. Also with this dead line in mind we had an invasion of plumbers and electricians at the end of last week. Everything looks very messy but there is hope that order will emerge once these tasks are complete.

I am still on the search for suitable lights and that sort of thing. I had a hot tiring day looking at shops last week without much to show for my efforts. My big purchase boiled down to two cushions and a tea towel! This is part of my research into suitable colours. The other good thing was that I saw tables in a café that are like the one we have ordered for the kitchen and I really thought they looked good.

We also had the termite barrier put up but it was not done with much thought and some of it washed off when evening came and we had a storm.

OTHER NEWS

I am still struggling to treat goat’s feet problems. Edd used to do feet but his broken hand made this impossible so I have had to take over. I am slowly winning and now only two still have problems. I really need to get the horses in and have their feet done again. This wet year has caused their feet to grow fast too. I am finding that a rasp is easier to use on the goats than the clippers. I see on the net that some people use an angle grinder. On the other hand the goats are now looking well fed and glossy. They shed their winter coats fairly early this year.

The mulberry trees are covered with fruit but sadly I have no time to make jam. I am spending every day from 8 in the morning to 6 at night working on our new house. Then I have to come in and cook tea before doing the milking and even feeds. We are too tired when we eventually get to bed even to read books.

Thunderstorm stops work

8.11.2011

BUILDING NEWS

We woke today to a thunderstorm and heavy rain. It even managed to get into the toilet and make the seat damp. Not a good way to start any day! On the positive side all our builders stayed somewhere better and we had a chance to go out and tackle all the issues that we have been ignoring.

Yesterday was completely different with sunshine and heat and we worked on the house from 8am to nearly 8pm. I managed to grout the laundry floor and Gary continued with the stonework. Edd organised the next stage of the build. The termite layer people could come this week and the earth covering could go on next week.

With this organised Edd had to get back onto his task of waterproofing the front and wing walls. He has taken the plaster off his right hand but he is finding that he gets very sore and he is not working very fast. The floor rendering is not doing my hands much good either. In other words we were glad of an excuse to do something different today.

Tom has gone off to buy the recycled wood to make the kitchen and we have spoken to our friends at the stone place and started the process of getting our granite bench tops. Pat thinks he might come tomorrow to work on the electricity and Edd has to chase up Craig about buying draining cell. This all adds up to making a lot of things that should all get done fast.

OTHER NEWS

Christmas is coming. Panic, panic panic ! Today our odd shopping trip included buying cloth to hide the trestle tables for the Xmas feast and some decorations. We also collected barley from Simon’s brewery and took produce into Bo’s restaurant. We also found some stainless steel tube in Pete’s bargain centre that would do to hang pans on too, but it was too long to fit into the car.

The man who has the air tubes was once again unavailable but we checked up on the steel works where they are making our chimney covers. This is a great place. They let me raid their waste metal bin.

One hour was wasted in the hospital waiting to get Edd’s hand injury checked. The wait was actually our fault as Edd had got the wrong day. The girls in the hand clinic bent over backwards to fit him in. They do tell him he is doing all the wrong things but they tell him nicely. Rather belatedly we found time to get some food.

It is getting sort of tropical. Steamy, hot and damp with plants growing wildly and very green. My poor garden has been neglected and is disappearing under all the weeds. We had planned a workday there today but the weather won.

full on action

6.11.11

BUILDING NEWS

This week has been crazy. There were so many trades’ men in the house that I could not get to the floor to do any grouting until Saturday. Pat has started roughing in the electricity system, Dion has been finishing his roof and Gary has started the stonework. Edd and Steve are back on carpentry doing the bits that are needed for the electrical and plumbing work.

We are thrilled with the stonework, the pale gold of the sand stone gives the right contrast with the other materials and is not too overpowering. We are so lucky having Gary around to put it up for us. I am also excited about the chimney for the kitchen exhaust that is Steve is doing. We have studied Google images and are building our own interpretation of ones we like.

I am having less luck with light fittings. Once again the only ones I like cost nearly $500.00 each! I need to go on a search mission to see if I can find anything useful for a cheap replica. I can see that hanging metal baskets and cooking basins up side down with holes drilled might work if we could find the right ones.

OTHER NEWS

Our poor sick lamb died yesterday but I think I now know what was wrong. The land here is deficient in selenium and the lambs symptoms align exactly with white muscle disease that a lack of selenium causes. We always have the right salt licks for our stock and have not seen any problems for about 25 years. I think there is a link with high rainfall but I have not had time to research this yet. It is a pity the vet did not make the connection when we took the lamb in, because he might have been saved with the right treatment at that point.

I will now need to look at all the other animals and find out if we need to do anything for them. Long ago we gave our horses injections as it helped them when their hoofs were soft so there may even be a link between the feet problems people are having this year. It certainly accounts for animals being weak at birth.

31.10.11

BUILDING NEWS

Edd and Dion have spent the day working on the roof. They are just finishing off the two cantilever ends now. I started to dig out a hole in the solar zone to sink a planter box into. It is hard going and I am having lots of breaks to do other things. It is still too wet for grouting so I am leaving that at the moment.

Chris L delivered the laundry system that I had brought second hand. He has a taxi truck service that I frequently need for large purchases and this was certainly one. The difficult bit is going to be getting into the laundry it is so large and awkward.

OTHER NEWS

We had a great party at Bo's last night. Everyone brought food so there was a feast. Al came in with Pia and told us that he had been sailing in high winds. He had managed to cope with the situation but found odd turns were needed to avoid capsizing.
India is coming to stay tonight and we are all planning some sort of do for cup day.