14.11.2009
Oh dear! I should be more careful what I wish for. I put in a request for warm dry weather and we have got it in heaps. It has been 35 degrees C in this donga every afternoon this week! It is probably worse outside in the sun and Steve and Johno have spent most of the week up on the shed roofs. We all had a bit of a celebration when the last high roof was completed and had hamburgers with our salad lunch.
Now the guys are working on the framework for the walls. The idea is to put up frames and then cover them with insulation paper, wire and render so that in effect we have a ferocement structure. The windows I ordered are ready to pick up next week so all we need now is a method to do this. Most are OK but one is nearly five metres long, which is a problem.
Last week something wonderful happened. The Burns gave us a young brown buck to replace the one we lost. Carlo is a little beauty, deep chocolate brown and a lovely mild temperament. It was great to see the Burns again and exchange news but so sad that a mutual goat keeping friend perished in the fires.
Relationships are so precious. An Aboriginal friend is still on my mind. She was a relatively young woman and I thought I had time to get to know her better later so when I began work in another community I did not bother to keep in contact. Within a year I was at her funeral, and I missed out on a wonderful opportunity to spend more time with someone special.
Josh has been very sick and ended up having to take antibiotics. He is still working nights and it is not easy for him trying to sleep in his hot donga with builders banging a few feet away. He is looking very thin and stressed. Al came over with house plans and he looks Ok now that there new house is nearly completed. The new plans give us hope for the future and strength to endure the present conditions.
I am trying to get stuff to patch up the pool so we have a method of cooling our bodies down. I have ordered glue from NSW and brought a small pool liner to cut up. The damage is above the water level so might be possible to patch. I am not sure if the filter and pump are salvageable. I need to fix the top first and get the mosquito infected dirty water out.
I do not know how we will fill it again. We are already buying water at great expense, as our remaining tank is empty. We have gutters on the new shed roofs but they do not go into anything yet. I can see it is going to be a difficult year.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
back to the desert
3.11.2009
We are back home again very much refreshed from a few days away. It was in many ways more affective as a break than the usual type of holiday because we just re-entered the life we used to live in the Northern Territory. We had a totally separate life there with different jobs, different friends and of course we were working and living in Aboriginal land where we respected their culture and law.
Our friends gave us such a warm welcome home that with in a day we had forgotten about all the things we were struggling with down here. Marg had arranged for us to travel with her, and her partner, to Tilmouth bore on the Tanami Track We planned to spend Friday night there so that we had a good start in the morning and could arrive in time for the funeral in Yuendumu next day.
Rather to our surprise we had an extremely good dinner and had very adequate cabins to sleep in. The snag was that we had all brought wine for the meal and we could not take it any further up the track into alcohol free communities. We solved this problem by retiring to the dry creek bed, lighting a campfire and finishing off the bottles. I was so relaxed and comfortable I fell asleep in the warm sand. Edd had to wake me so we did not waste the money we had paid for the cabin!
It is several years since we last visited Yuendumu and the Government Intervention program had taken place in the interim period. I was glad of the chance to see how this had affected things first hand. Everyone we spoke to agreed that it had been a total disaster. Once again the Aboriginal people had been totally disempowered. Yuendumu was still full of rubbish and broken down buildings. If anything it looked worse than it did when we lived there. At that time there were still nice, shade trees around but someone decided that they were athel pines and noxious weeds so they cut them all down!
We arrived as people started to gather at the church. It was a very sad business. The lady who had passed away had been exceptional in many ways and was much loved and respected. She strongly supported the school as a teacher in the bi-lingual program and was also strong in her own culture. Her death is an enormous loss to everyone. Despite the sadness of the occasion I was glad we had made the effort to be there. It was a chance to once again join with the community and just be together in one mind.
We were a long time in the church because many of the letters her family had received were read out and everyone said goodbye personally over the coffin. The co-wife’s son played lovely soft music on a keyboard all the time, which softened things, a bit. At one stage a whirlwind hit the church and dust poured through the windows, which were quickly pulled shut, and it got very hot. After the service we all drove out into the bush so that she could be buried with relatives.
I was very upset to see her husband silently, expressing his grief with his body language. I have always known him as a strong character with a ready grin and great sense of humour. I longed to approach him and let him know we were there for him, but he was being well looked after by the men of his family and it was not the right time. One of the younger ladies of the family sang Amazing Grace, which was hauntingly beautiful.
When we returned to Yuendumu we had tea with Alex before starting the journey home. I have know Alex for nearly 20 years and it was great to see her back living in Yuendumu with a nice partner. Her mother was a great support to me when I first started working up North and I miss the whole family. We had brief conversations with many people who were there and it was surprising to see so many familiar faces. The trip back to Alice Springs was fast. We stopped to help one woman change a tyre but mostly we travelled at extraordinary speed, which was OK as the road conditions were good.
On Sunday we hired a car and drove very sedately with Patsy out to Glen Helen and Ormiston Gorge. The food at Glen Helen was disappointing but we had a restful afternoon sat by the large water hole in Ormiston Gorge. Patsy and I swapped stories about water places. She told me about one of the water holes were people have drowned and divers could never find the bottom or the body. I told her about the Strid in Yorkshire where I come from. I never tire of listening to Patsy’s stories. She has had the most amazing life and every moment I spend with her seems precious.
Saying goodbye again was hard. Yet another sad time. Luckily Marg had asked us to a party at her place the night before we flew home and that made a very cheerful note to leave on. We met several new people who were really interesting to talk to. I am worried about Marg. She is working too hard against impossible odds. Most of the white people who have struggled for social justice burn out after a few years but somehow Marg has managed to keep going. Once again, a person who I feel privileged to call a friend. I feel totally renewed for time spent with all these wonderful women.
21.10.2009 We are exhausted
It has been a very full on week. Ben and his helper have camped out in the polyhouse and worked for three days to pour the slab for the dairy. Steve and Johno called in extra help in the form of Sandy and have struggled with the shed roofs They have only succeeding in getting one side of iron on the tool shed. It is very high and the long sheets of iron are difficult to manoeuvre if there is any wind.
At least it is drying up a bit. The rain has helped the grass seed I sowed in the old house site sprout up and the flowers that I have rescued from all over the place and replanted in one garden continue to make a glorious display. I do not think there is any year I have enjoyed the flowers so much. Orange, hot pink, purple and yellow make a cheery sight what ever else is going on.
Edd and I are totally exhausted. The only thing keeping us going is the knowledge that tomorrow we set of to Alice Springs for our friend’s funeral. Marg has offered to give us a lift out to Yuendumu in her car and the thought of warm weather and the chance to see all our desert friends again is over whelming. It is very sad that someone has passed away but it gives us a really good excuse to get up and go!
All our workers are nice people and we eat together and chat but every single one of them is male. I often feel as if I cramp everyone’s style by joining them. They have not yet developed the technique of ignoring my female status. Most of my life seems to have been spent in the men’s camp but usually I get treated as a boy after a bit.
We are back home again very much refreshed from a few days away. It was in many ways more affective as a break than the usual type of holiday because we just re-entered the life we used to live in the Northern Territory. We had a totally separate life there with different jobs, different friends and of course we were working and living in Aboriginal land where we respected their culture and law.
Our friends gave us such a warm welcome home that with in a day we had forgotten about all the things we were struggling with down here. Marg had arranged for us to travel with her, and her partner, to Tilmouth bore on the Tanami Track We planned to spend Friday night there so that we had a good start in the morning and could arrive in time for the funeral in Yuendumu next day.
Rather to our surprise we had an extremely good dinner and had very adequate cabins to sleep in. The snag was that we had all brought wine for the meal and we could not take it any further up the track into alcohol free communities. We solved this problem by retiring to the dry creek bed, lighting a campfire and finishing off the bottles. I was so relaxed and comfortable I fell asleep in the warm sand. Edd had to wake me so we did not waste the money we had paid for the cabin!
It is several years since we last visited Yuendumu and the Government Intervention program had taken place in the interim period. I was glad of the chance to see how this had affected things first hand. Everyone we spoke to agreed that it had been a total disaster. Once again the Aboriginal people had been totally disempowered. Yuendumu was still full of rubbish and broken down buildings. If anything it looked worse than it did when we lived there. At that time there were still nice, shade trees around but someone decided that they were athel pines and noxious weeds so they cut them all down!
We arrived as people started to gather at the church. It was a very sad business. The lady who had passed away had been exceptional in many ways and was much loved and respected. She strongly supported the school as a teacher in the bi-lingual program and was also strong in her own culture. Her death is an enormous loss to everyone. Despite the sadness of the occasion I was glad we had made the effort to be there. It was a chance to once again join with the community and just be together in one mind.
We were a long time in the church because many of the letters her family had received were read out and everyone said goodbye personally over the coffin. The co-wife’s son played lovely soft music on a keyboard all the time, which softened things, a bit. At one stage a whirlwind hit the church and dust poured through the windows, which were quickly pulled shut, and it got very hot. After the service we all drove out into the bush so that she could be buried with relatives.
I was very upset to see her husband silently, expressing his grief with his body language. I have always known him as a strong character with a ready grin and great sense of humour. I longed to approach him and let him know we were there for him, but he was being well looked after by the men of his family and it was not the right time. One of the younger ladies of the family sang Amazing Grace, which was hauntingly beautiful.
When we returned to Yuendumu we had tea with Alex before starting the journey home. I have know Alex for nearly 20 years and it was great to see her back living in Yuendumu with a nice partner. Her mother was a great support to me when I first started working up North and I miss the whole family. We had brief conversations with many people who were there and it was surprising to see so many familiar faces. The trip back to Alice Springs was fast. We stopped to help one woman change a tyre but mostly we travelled at extraordinary speed, which was OK as the road conditions were good.
On Sunday we hired a car and drove very sedately with Patsy out to Glen Helen and Ormiston Gorge. The food at Glen Helen was disappointing but we had a restful afternoon sat by the large water hole in Ormiston Gorge. Patsy and I swapped stories about water places. She told me about one of the water holes were people have drowned and divers could never find the bottom or the body. I told her about the Strid in Yorkshire where I come from. I never tire of listening to Patsy’s stories. She has had the most amazing life and every moment I spend with her seems precious.
Saying goodbye again was hard. Yet another sad time. Luckily Marg had asked us to a party at her place the night before we flew home and that made a very cheerful note to leave on. We met several new people who were really interesting to talk to. I am worried about Marg. She is working too hard against impossible odds. Most of the white people who have struggled for social justice burn out after a few years but somehow Marg has managed to keep going. Once again, a person who I feel privileged to call a friend. I feel totally renewed for time spent with all these wonderful women.
21.10.2009 We are exhausted
It has been a very full on week. Ben and his helper have camped out in the polyhouse and worked for three days to pour the slab for the dairy. Steve and Johno called in extra help in the form of Sandy and have struggled with the shed roofs They have only succeeding in getting one side of iron on the tool shed. It is very high and the long sheets of iron are difficult to manoeuvre if there is any wind.
At least it is drying up a bit. The rain has helped the grass seed I sowed in the old house site sprout up and the flowers that I have rescued from all over the place and replanted in one garden continue to make a glorious display. I do not think there is any year I have enjoyed the flowers so much. Orange, hot pink, purple and yellow make a cheery sight what ever else is going on.
Edd and I are totally exhausted. The only thing keeping us going is the knowledge that tomorrow we set of to Alice Springs for our friend’s funeral. Marg has offered to give us a lift out to Yuendumu in her car and the thought of warm weather and the chance to see all our desert friends again is over whelming. It is very sad that someone has passed away but it gives us a really good excuse to get up and go!
All our workers are nice people and we eat together and chat but every single one of them is male. I often feel as if I cramp everyone’s style by joining them. They have not yet developed the technique of ignoring my female status. Most of my life seems to have been spent in the men’s camp but usually I get treated as a boy after a bit.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
coping with bad weather
16.10.2009
The rain pours down. On the plus side even the big dam that was just a deep, nearly, empty hole is now full of water and wood duck families. Josh even saw a turtle swimming there on the one warm day we had. Perhaps it is feeding on Arden’s gold fish.
The appalling weather is no help with building. Johno, Steve and Edd have soldiered on against dreadful odds but the last few days have been impossible. Driving down Steels Creek it looks as if everyone is in the same position. Wood or steel structures frame the empty spaces that contain peoples’ hopes and dreams but the mud and hardships dominate our lives.
I try to find excuses to drive in my nice warm little car. On Monday I went for a long planning meeting with Al about the new buildings and their lay out. I had done my homework and was familiar with the contours and spaces. For the first time we got down to what seemed like hard bargaining. Avyn knows what is possible, where we would incur extra cost and has an idea about how he would like to see it all go together.
I have the knowledge of the work and practicalities of running a host farm whilst managing the upkeep of a large area. I also have some idea of Edd and my needs for future housing, what I could live with out and what I feel must be included. Our main difference is that although I believe that Al is right about aesthetics he glibly draws in gardens and treed areas that require more time to keep looking good than I have spare. We spend hours striving for a compromise until my head begins to spin and refuse to deal with more information. Al says he is not stressed and that this is the main function of his job.
Barry, Bella and the new Irish architect are working in the office but they all keep out of our debate. What on earth are they thinking? Do their clients usually argue this way? We all eat lunch together and Barry asks about chooks. He and the other guy have decided to get chooks for their back yard. I ask if the main aim is to get eggs or choose good-looking breeds that might look better but lay less. The idea that any one would have any other motives than egg production staggers them. I point out there are chook fanciers which causes more mirth. It all helps me to recover from the serious debate.
Yesterdays trip was to collect medicine from the vet. Edd’s horse has developed a nasal discharge that is worrying me by not clearing up. The vet came last week to give the puppy his injections, see the horse and start a treatment for the old buck, Rubicon’s, skin condition. I have found a new home for him if he gets a clean bill of health. He has produced such good kids that all the does we kept except two are his daughters, so we have no further use for him.
My friend, Beni had tipped me off that the libraries were giving free books to fire affected families. This proved to be true and I came home with two bags full. Josh was up for hours reading his novel and Edd was pleased with his book on Vincent Van Gogh. It is amazing how people are still coming up with treats to cheer us up. We certainly appreciate anything in this weather.
The rain pours down. On the plus side even the big dam that was just a deep, nearly, empty hole is now full of water and wood duck families. Josh even saw a turtle swimming there on the one warm day we had. Perhaps it is feeding on Arden’s gold fish.
The appalling weather is no help with building. Johno, Steve and Edd have soldiered on against dreadful odds but the last few days have been impossible. Driving down Steels Creek it looks as if everyone is in the same position. Wood or steel structures frame the empty spaces that contain peoples’ hopes and dreams but the mud and hardships dominate our lives.
I try to find excuses to drive in my nice warm little car. On Monday I went for a long planning meeting with Al about the new buildings and their lay out. I had done my homework and was familiar with the contours and spaces. For the first time we got down to what seemed like hard bargaining. Avyn knows what is possible, where we would incur extra cost and has an idea about how he would like to see it all go together.
I have the knowledge of the work and practicalities of running a host farm whilst managing the upkeep of a large area. I also have some idea of Edd and my needs for future housing, what I could live with out and what I feel must be included. Our main difference is that although I believe that Al is right about aesthetics he glibly draws in gardens and treed areas that require more time to keep looking good than I have spare. We spend hours striving for a compromise until my head begins to spin and refuse to deal with more information. Al says he is not stressed and that this is the main function of his job.
Barry, Bella and the new Irish architect are working in the office but they all keep out of our debate. What on earth are they thinking? Do their clients usually argue this way? We all eat lunch together and Barry asks about chooks. He and the other guy have decided to get chooks for their back yard. I ask if the main aim is to get eggs or choose good-looking breeds that might look better but lay less. The idea that any one would have any other motives than egg production staggers them. I point out there are chook fanciers which causes more mirth. It all helps me to recover from the serious debate.
Yesterdays trip was to collect medicine from the vet. Edd’s horse has developed a nasal discharge that is worrying me by not clearing up. The vet came last week to give the puppy his injections, see the horse and start a treatment for the old buck, Rubicon’s, skin condition. I have found a new home for him if he gets a clean bill of health. He has produced such good kids that all the does we kept except two are his daughters, so we have no further use for him.
My friend, Beni had tipped me off that the libraries were giving free books to fire affected families. This proved to be true and I came home with two bags full. Josh was up for hours reading his novel and Edd was pleased with his book on Vincent Van Gogh. It is amazing how people are still coming up with treats to cheer us up. We certainly appreciate anything in this weather.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
things start to go up!
7.10.2009
This week has been too much. The hail yesterday was at totally the wrong time. Karl, the vet and I were trying to treat Edd’s horse who has a slight nasal discharge and Steve and Johno were struggling to set the scaffolding in place by the machinery shed frame. We have declared a day of recovery today and licked our wounds.
At the weekend Patsy rang us from Alice Springs to tell us that a lady who we first met at her out station in 1990 has died. She was one of the people that one feels privileged to have known and was our neighbour when we lived in Yuendumu. Edd and I have been feeling that it was time to visit our friends in The NT and this has given us a reason. Last night we booked air tickets we hope will get us there for the funeral. Now all we have to do is find someone willing to take over here.
5.10.2009
This is really scary stuff! Just out side of the donga there is an enormous crane lifting the massive steel skeletons of the sheds into position. Steve, Edd and Johno have the job of bolting them to their footings and then bracing them with wood so they stay upright. It seems to me an exercise where there is so much that could go wrong.
Firstly the bolts are set into the concrete footings so if they are even slightly out of place there is no way the rigid steel could fit on. Secondly they are all enormous and extremely heavy. Then, they also go up way above reaching height so even getting the chain of the crane unhooked is ghastly. I am being a total coward and have hidden in the donga with the dog.
My attempt to be useful consists of baking bread and pizzas but even this is challenging. It is the first time I have used my new equipment. I have lost all the old scoops and measures that I used for years and I have never cooked bread in a gas oven before. This is the big test. It is too hot to use a wood oven here in summer and Al tells me that electric ovens use too much power. Some how I have to adapt to gas or be totally unethical!
This week has been too much. The hail yesterday was at totally the wrong time. Karl, the vet and I were trying to treat Edd’s horse who has a slight nasal discharge and Steve and Johno were struggling to set the scaffolding in place by the machinery shed frame. We have declared a day of recovery today and licked our wounds.
At the weekend Patsy rang us from Alice Springs to tell us that a lady who we first met at her out station in 1990 has died. She was one of the people that one feels privileged to have known and was our neighbour when we lived in Yuendumu. Edd and I have been feeling that it was time to visit our friends in The NT and this has given us a reason. Last night we booked air tickets we hope will get us there for the funeral. Now all we have to do is find someone willing to take over here.
5.10.2009
This is really scary stuff! Just out side of the donga there is an enormous crane lifting the massive steel skeletons of the sheds into position. Steve, Edd and Johno have the job of bolting them to their footings and then bracing them with wood so they stay upright. It seems to me an exercise where there is so much that could go wrong.
Firstly the bolts are set into the concrete footings so if they are even slightly out of place there is no way the rigid steel could fit on. Secondly they are all enormous and extremely heavy. Then, they also go up way above reaching height so even getting the chain of the crane unhooked is ghastly. I am being a total coward and have hidden in the donga with the dog.
My attempt to be useful consists of baking bread and pizzas but even this is challenging. It is the first time I have used my new equipment. I have lost all the old scoops and measures that I used for years and I have never cooked bread in a gas oven before. This is the big test. It is too hot to use a wood oven here in summer and Al tells me that electric ovens use too much power. Some how I have to adapt to gas or be totally unethical!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Dot has babies
17.9.2009
Things are really happening now. Steve has arrived and marked out the sheds and Mike is digging out the footing trenches with one machine whilst his mate is making massive round holes for the big shed foundations with Craig’s digger. Apparently Edd’s friend Trevor and his son are coming down today to do the concreting.
I have my eldest grandson, Arden, staying this week because he has school holidays. Josh has let him sleep in his donga and Arden is putting up with Josh working nights and keeping funny hours. His main aim is to catch the huge gold fish he is sure are in the big dam. So far he just keeps loosing his bait. He thinks he has seen big black eels who are the suspected culprits here. This takes up a lot of his time but he has also done some helpful jobs in the garden and feeding animals.
We have three new babies. Dot had triplets last week; two does and one buck kid, all sable coloured. Fortunately they are all polls so we have no dehorning to do this year. Mum and kids are thriving well and have their own private pen in the polyhouse. The chooks are laying more eggs too. Someone must have told them spring is here.
The first days of the week were beautiful. Warm, calm, sunny, weather totally suitable for the enjoyment of garden work. Mike has transported some topsoil left over from the shed site to replenish the soil around the old house site. I also raked down the topsoil onto the excavation cut, as instructed by Mike who likes things to end up looking right.
29.9.2009
The happy spring weather did not last long. We have had about the worst time for the whole winter. It has been windy, cold and has poured down with day after day of rain. Any normal year I would be in my nice cosy home looking at all this water with joy but as there are no roofs to catch it, and no cosy home it is hard to be anything but miserable. The only thing stopping me feeling very sorry for myself is that our neighbours on the hill have the rain as well as the wind blowing through the shed they are living in. Luckily our dongas are dry so I have to admit that by comparison we are well off.
The poly house floor is now a black swamp. Luckily the goats have built up enough deep litter to be on a dry island but getting to them is a bad experience. I do the morning milking and at last Edd’s leg has healed enough so that he can do the evening feeds. At least this way we only face the horror once a day each. The other good thing is that Mike put the stone down on the new road so we can still drive close to the dongas .
The men all worked last week despite the rain. Ben and his father, Trevor, (Edd’s friend), poured the slab for the machinery shed last Friday in appalling conditions. The forecast suggested Friday would be the best day for the week but this was wrong and instead it was the worst day we have had for years. We decided to keep going because all the plastic and reinforcing was in place ready to go and the thought of it all filling with water was worse than a rough floor finish. Craig lent us a pump to pump the water out of the footings that had filled up. That worked OK. How would we manage without Craig? He is always willing to lend us the right piece of equipment to overcome our latest insurmountable hurdle. Ben is the sort of young man that one would rather like to keep. He seems capable of doing a brilliant job against all odds and at the same time, behaves charmingly. Up to now I have not found a concrete specialist who does not have to be avoided during and after work. Because of this I have had all my small concrete jobs done by Gary or Andrew from Merrie’s clan. It is not really their speciality but at least they are pleasant to have around. Gary seems capable of doing any practical job if one is really stuck
Saturday, September 5, 2009
2.9.2009
Spring has arrived bitter sweet this year. There are wattles in flower but usually at this time we have clouds of golden flowers. This year these yellow covered trees are few and far between. The plums are blooming. White blossom covers the trees before even leaves arrive. About half our plums have survived and there are still plum trees down the steels creek road but sadly so few. When my children were young we sent them out with the horse and cart to pick the small wild plums that lined the road. We used the abundant free fruit for jam before our own trees were old enough to produce enough.
But amid all the new blossom the silent bud less trees stand out. The oak by the house shows no sign of life now. The honey loquat trees we took thirty years to grow remain leafless skeletons. There is a terrible sadness in having to walk past these trees each day but we leave them just hoping a miracle might happen. Of the goats , only Dot is pregnant to give us young kids to join the three lambs. I am usually so busy at this time with the weakest babies in the house for extra care and so many births to supervise. This year we avoided pregnancies knowing that the conditions would be so tough .
Looking out over the surrounding hills the damage is all apparent. In some areas the gum trees have a green coating of leaves all over their trunks but in many places there are just bare blackened sticks. They stand out even more now all the dead leaves have blown away. Moss has colonized the ground beneath them and stands out as patches of vivid creamy green.
We are having problems with the vegetables. Hungry cockatoos have destroyed lots of young plants so Edd has tied red and white tape over head to try and frighten them away. The potatoes and even one tomato plant have survived the winter . Usually the winter frost has killed off all their leaves by now. It has definitely been a very different winter to the winters we have had for the last thirty years.
Not all is gloom. The Steel for the sheds was delivered today and we can now use the road past the dongas in all weathers since Mike put down the stone on it. The chooks have recovered from the flying shed episode and are laying more eggs than before. Josh has started working night shifts installing smart card machines in buses. At least he doesn’t have to get up before six and drive to Dandedong every day.Unfortunately , Edd hurt his leg unloading the shed steel and is finding walking hard now.
I have finally thought up a plan for a house we would like to live in. We have decided it is probably best to build our own home first and the guest accommodation afterwards when we see how much money we have left. We are really worried that we might start a project that goes over budget and be left in a situation we can’t get out of. We have an official appointment to talk to our eldest son, Al, in his new role as our architect.
28.8.2009
There were horrific winds yesterday. They blew right through our donga walls and took every bit of warmth the heaters could generate with them. I went to bed early to keep warm but as soon as I fell asleep I dreampt the donga had blown off its mountings and woke yelling for Edd to check he was OK! Actually the donga swayed a bit but stayed in place. The chook shed was less lucky and blew right over killing one poor chook. We struggled in the wet and dark to get it back upright and lashed it in place as best we could with ropes.
Things are not working well. For unknown reasons we are unable to get onto the internet. Even are supplier can’t get on! Also the computer key board has stopped working. This I could fix. In fact with the cold winds still blowing I was glad to drive into Melbourne and get a new one. Edd got some help from our neighbour , Brian , and worked on the fence lines. Brian has machinery that makes putting in the fence post a possible job.
It is hard to stay positive in these conditions but last week we had some wonderful sunny days and I was able to continue the work of clearing up in the garden. I am laying the broken bricks as paths around the flower beds. I am a bit disheartened about the vegetables. The cockatoos arrived one day and wrecked most of the work we have done so far. They don’t even eat the vegetables , they just break them off and leave them lying on the ground. I suppose they are hungry enough to try anything.
Edd went off on Sunday to visit his friend up at Dookie. A very generous farmer up there gave us a ton of oats so Edd had to collect them. He was also able to see the man who is making the iron frames for the sheds. It will be good when we can start to rebuild something here. There is now one, new, house being built in Steels Creek but the rest of us are still struggling to put up sheds and fences and clear up fallen trees.
The best news is that Simon is brewing beer again in his new brewery in Lilydale. There were a few teething problems but now the new equipment seems to be working well. Brewing has moved up to a bigger scale now and the large stainless steel vats look very impressive. Bo has struggled to keep her restaurant going. She has been trying all sorts of ideas. On Monday we went to her ‘industry night’. Beni and Graeme did a talk about their new wines and all the group shared a meal afterwards. It was great fun .
Spring has arrived bitter sweet this year. There are wattles in flower but usually at this time we have clouds of golden flowers. This year these yellow covered trees are few and far between. The plums are blooming. White blossom covers the trees before even leaves arrive. About half our plums have survived and there are still plum trees down the steels creek road but sadly so few. When my children were young we sent them out with the horse and cart to pick the small wild plums that lined the road. We used the abundant free fruit for jam before our own trees were old enough to produce enough.
But amid all the new blossom the silent bud less trees stand out. The oak by the house shows no sign of life now. The honey loquat trees we took thirty years to grow remain leafless skeletons. There is a terrible sadness in having to walk past these trees each day but we leave them just hoping a miracle might happen. Of the goats , only Dot is pregnant to give us young kids to join the three lambs. I am usually so busy at this time with the weakest babies in the house for extra care and so many births to supervise. This year we avoided pregnancies knowing that the conditions would be so tough .
Looking out over the surrounding hills the damage is all apparent. In some areas the gum trees have a green coating of leaves all over their trunks but in many places there are just bare blackened sticks. They stand out even more now all the dead leaves have blown away. Moss has colonized the ground beneath them and stands out as patches of vivid creamy green.
We are having problems with the vegetables. Hungry cockatoos have destroyed lots of young plants so Edd has tied red and white tape over head to try and frighten them away. The potatoes and even one tomato plant have survived the winter . Usually the winter frost has killed off all their leaves by now. It has definitely been a very different winter to the winters we have had for the last thirty years.
Not all is gloom. The Steel for the sheds was delivered today and we can now use the road past the dongas in all weathers since Mike put down the stone on it. The chooks have recovered from the flying shed episode and are laying more eggs than before. Josh has started working night shifts installing smart card machines in buses. At least he doesn’t have to get up before six and drive to Dandedong every day.Unfortunately , Edd hurt his leg unloading the shed steel and is finding walking hard now.
I have finally thought up a plan for a house we would like to live in. We have decided it is probably best to build our own home first and the guest accommodation afterwards when we see how much money we have left. We are really worried that we might start a project that goes over budget and be left in a situation we can’t get out of. We have an official appointment to talk to our eldest son, Al, in his new role as our architect.
28.8.2009
There were horrific winds yesterday. They blew right through our donga walls and took every bit of warmth the heaters could generate with them. I went to bed early to keep warm but as soon as I fell asleep I dreampt the donga had blown off its mountings and woke yelling for Edd to check he was OK! Actually the donga swayed a bit but stayed in place. The chook shed was less lucky and blew right over killing one poor chook. We struggled in the wet and dark to get it back upright and lashed it in place as best we could with ropes.
Things are not working well. For unknown reasons we are unable to get onto the internet. Even are supplier can’t get on! Also the computer key board has stopped working. This I could fix. In fact with the cold winds still blowing I was glad to drive into Melbourne and get a new one. Edd got some help from our neighbour , Brian , and worked on the fence lines. Brian has machinery that makes putting in the fence post a possible job.
It is hard to stay positive in these conditions but last week we had some wonderful sunny days and I was able to continue the work of clearing up in the garden. I am laying the broken bricks as paths around the flower beds. I am a bit disheartened about the vegetables. The cockatoos arrived one day and wrecked most of the work we have done so far. They don’t even eat the vegetables , they just break them off and leave them lying on the ground. I suppose they are hungry enough to try anything.
Edd went off on Sunday to visit his friend up at Dookie. A very generous farmer up there gave us a ton of oats so Edd had to collect them. He was also able to see the man who is making the iron frames for the sheds. It will be good when we can start to rebuild something here. There is now one, new, house being built in Steels Creek but the rest of us are still struggling to put up sheds and fences and clear up fallen trees.
The best news is that Simon is brewing beer again in his new brewery in Lilydale. There were a few teething problems but now the new equipment seems to be working well. Brewing has moved up to a bigger scale now and the large stainless steel vats look very impressive. Bo has struggled to keep her restaurant going. She has been trying all sorts of ideas. On Monday we went to her ‘industry night’. Beni and Graeme did a talk about their new wines and all the group shared a meal afterwards. It was great fun .
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Community get togethers bust winter blues
7.8.2009
Heavy showers, high winds and the return of mud. Not a recipe for easy living. Mike has still not put stones on our new drive, so we continue to wade across the mud flats every time we want to get to the cars, our animals or the toilet. Edd has replaced some of the fencing round the chooks and vegetable garden but it has been too wet to get gear up to the boundary fence on the hill and complete the work there. Today we stayed indoors and worked on the endless paper work that is needed for trying to reclaim as much as possible.
Yesterday was more interesting. The Governor of Victoria came to visit the community centre where I go to do art one afternoon a week. We provided rather better food than we usually do for afternoon tea and various community members joined us to do the greeting bit. As far as I could make out it all went without a hitch. We did not get much art done, but the stitchers who joined us got me up to date with all their family news. We have past connections with most long-term residents here because our children all went to school together once upon a time. I always feel embarrassed because there are so many names that I should remember but never can.
The general dreariness of the season was relieved last weekend when all the locals at our end of the valley were invited to Erin and JB’s donga for a party. Their house and vineyards were totally destroyed by the fires so friends and neighbours joined them that day for a working B on the remaining vines. In the evening tables and chairs were set up in the donga and fabulous food appeared along with wine and even candles. Everyone chipped in to make a great community party. It reminded us long-term residents how years ago we all lived in sheds and make shift places, all getting together and laughing.
We are so lucky that all these younger people have been able to move into the valley, and that they want to stay here despite the horrors of last year. There is now a new house being built by the Steel’s Creek road on the way into Yarra Glen. Someone told me about two thirds of the houses were lost in the fire so it is good to see that someone has started to replace them. It is a worry that it is going to be a wood frame house on stumps , but perhaps they will add fire proofing features later.
A third lamb has been born. A tiny ewe for the Finn sheep. We now have three lambs, Lance, Alberto and Paris! I am rather hoping that the last two ewes are not pregnant. They are a little young to have lambs but we had no chance to separate them from the rams after the fires. The sheep are still in the paddock with the big dam. It is pretty well grazed but at least they have room to move around and seek sheltered corners when the weather is bad.
The swales Mike made across the paddock channel excess run off into the big dam which has started to fill up a bit. The idea is that light rainwater stays in the channels and slowly soaks into the land. This does seem to have started to happen but it is too soon to assess the results yet.
Heavy showers, high winds and the return of mud. Not a recipe for easy living. Mike has still not put stones on our new drive, so we continue to wade across the mud flats every time we want to get to the cars, our animals or the toilet. Edd has replaced some of the fencing round the chooks and vegetable garden but it has been too wet to get gear up to the boundary fence on the hill and complete the work there. Today we stayed indoors and worked on the endless paper work that is needed for trying to reclaim as much as possible.
Yesterday was more interesting. The Governor of Victoria came to visit the community centre where I go to do art one afternoon a week. We provided rather better food than we usually do for afternoon tea and various community members joined us to do the greeting bit. As far as I could make out it all went without a hitch. We did not get much art done, but the stitchers who joined us got me up to date with all their family news. We have past connections with most long-term residents here because our children all went to school together once upon a time. I always feel embarrassed because there are so many names that I should remember but never can.
The general dreariness of the season was relieved last weekend when all the locals at our end of the valley were invited to Erin and JB’s donga for a party. Their house and vineyards were totally destroyed by the fires so friends and neighbours joined them that day for a working B on the remaining vines. In the evening tables and chairs were set up in the donga and fabulous food appeared along with wine and even candles. Everyone chipped in to make a great community party. It reminded us long-term residents how years ago we all lived in sheds and make shift places, all getting together and laughing.
We are so lucky that all these younger people have been able to move into the valley, and that they want to stay here despite the horrors of last year. There is now a new house being built by the Steel’s Creek road on the way into Yarra Glen. Someone told me about two thirds of the houses were lost in the fire so it is good to see that someone has started to replace them. It is a worry that it is going to be a wood frame house on stumps , but perhaps they will add fire proofing features later.
A third lamb has been born. A tiny ewe for the Finn sheep. We now have three lambs, Lance, Alberto and Paris! I am rather hoping that the last two ewes are not pregnant. They are a little young to have lambs but we had no chance to separate them from the rams after the fires. The sheep are still in the paddock with the big dam. It is pretty well grazed but at least they have room to move around and seek sheltered corners when the weather is bad.
The swales Mike made across the paddock channel excess run off into the big dam which has started to fill up a bit. The idea is that light rainwater stays in the channels and slowly soaks into the land. This does seem to have started to happen but it is too soon to assess the results yet.
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