July back on the farm

July 30m 2013-07-30

I am working on the accounts. There is quite a bit to do before they can go to the accountant, but I am gradually making headway. I cannot get restarted on my tiling work yet because I need either Edd or Steve to put up the doorframe and architrave so I can work up to an edge. Edd cannot do anything much with his bad hand and he is working full time teaching anyway. Steve has a first grandchild and that has kept him away. Or else he is waiting for Edd, either way my tiling is at a halt.

Today the new chooks started laying. I heard them cackling while I did the milking and when I looked there were eggs. The old chooks produce an occasional egg too, spring must be coming. The other signs are the buds swelling on the mulberry trees and the flowers on the wattle and tagasaste trees. The daffodils are close to opening too.

On the down side we are very low in hay. Edd and I drove towards Bacchus March and brought a ton of oats on Saturday. On Sunday Al came over and helped unload the oats into the old beer vats we use as bins and also got us in more fire wood, Edd picked up another load of off cuts at the bakery last week so we are well stocked in that regard. Yesterday with the sun shining it was mid twenties with out any fire in the house.

I found the latest power bill and was pleased to see that even in winter we are producing more than we use in electricity. The costs here are the rates and the insurance, which just keep going up. I am so glad we got this house built straight after the fires. The new council has got even more strict on building rules and now Craig and Eva find that they are stuck in the middle of a build unable to continue in a similar position to Brian and Lynne.

 It was really due to Al’s help that we got going so soon. We were as shell shocked as everyone else and would be in the same mess now without his help. I feel a bit of a failure over my efforts to get help for my neighbours last year. Down this road Craig and Eva, Brian and Lynn, Lyne James, Steve, Dave and Sally, Judy and Andrew, JB and Erin, the sharps and us lost houses and only the last three and us are now in proper houses. Lin died when her house burnt and the new people who brought the land have not rebuilt yet, two families left to live elsewhere and the Pierces and Montells did not loose their houses. Not really a good success rate for one road full of people.

July 26 2013

I have given up writing all our adventures when we were away because I need to record events here. We got safely back from our travels and found that Bo, Pi Al and Bennie had kept everything in very good order here. The animals were all fit, though the horses had lost some weight. All in all everything was great.

Edd put an end to the peace by getting a finger caught in a calf bucket and having to go to hospital for two days to have it fixed! He now has a small cast on the finger, which is pinned back together, and he is teaching full time at Healesville High School to fill in for a staff member who is away for three weeks. Time goes so fast he has done one week already!

Last weekend we had a party here for Pi, Al and Bo, who all have July birthdays. Bo suggested a bonfire and BBQ, which was a bit dicy given the weather. Rather to my surprise it stayed fine on Sunday night and all this was possible. There seemed a lot of new faces. Pia introduced us to friends, aunts and uncles as well as bringing her parents, and India brought Woolangarra friends.

Wayne came with is new girl friend Danielle, so that was another new face. Bo only showed up at the end, which was sad as she missed her birthday cake and my first ever water melon carving. Everyone ate a lot including almost a whole round of hard goats cheese. Despite this there was food left over and Edd and I have lived off left over’s all week.

India and Erik took the horses up the track into the forest for a few days camping. Again she was lucky with the weather and at least the first and last days were sunny.