The house and the veggie patch

The week started with the lads finishing fitting the windows and doors, not an easy job as it turned out. Not only were they all very large and heavy (the glass panels not the lads)  but the large glass wall for the en-suite shower were a wee bit larger than expected. And 'wee bits' can cause quite a few headaches for those fitting hefty windows!

North facing side,en-suite almost ready for it's paddock stone walls.

The lounge and bedroom 1 have wall to ceiling windows, much like frameless sash windows. They are fantastic as you can't even see the join in the middle. These will be fitted with fly screens as will all the windows. And hopefully enable enough air flow to cool the house on really hot balmy summer nights. These windows go floor to ceiling, hot air rises, once opened the idea is for hot air to flow out of the top and cool air in through the bottom. Well that's the theory we may of course just end up with chilly ankles!

There are a few minor niggles with the windows and doors which hopefully the window chap will be able to fix when he comes next week.

Loverly louvre windows, the gap is where the front door will finally go.

Just need to sort out the front and laundry doors and we're at lock up.... YEAY.... And then the fun begins.

With the windows and doors fitted the lads were off to another job due back next week to fit the much anticipated cladding. Which finally arrived Friday afternoon. Huge pieces of deep blue corrugated iron were off loaded by hand, having been cut to size. Much like it was with the roof its hard to believe there is enough for the whole house.

Kitchen Plans

After a great deal of research (all great fun) I finally managed to roughly put on paper my idea of a great kitchen. Armed with my rough drawing and dimensions of everything I could think of Rick kindly drew it up. I have (or so the internet would have us believe) the optimum surface work area, apparently 3 linear meters. Simple and no wasted space I think are the key words to describe my kitchen. In my dreams I have a carefully crafted native wood (sustainable of course) kitchen with marble or granite work surface. A quick inspection of the finances indicates Formica or laminate will do nicely.

We are trying to keep the walls bare, storing most things in the huge pantry (which I'm hoping will be Tardis like). No breakfast bar but there will be a useful island to work on. Dishwasher, which I am sure I have waxed lyrical about before is white. The gorgeous range cooker and canopy hood are black. I want to avoid the monochrome, shiny modern kitchen out of a magazine look. I am also aware the cooker may take on a bit of a Darth Vader look, not a good look in a kitchen. I'd like subway tiles as the splash backs and possibly a warm terracotta colour floor tiles and perhaps work surface. Eclectic may also be another key word to describe the kitchen style.

So with all this jotted down in my super smart, newly drawn plans, off I trotted to visit the two places here in Naracoorte which fit kitchens. In fact I did this several times. One had the door open and a sign with a mobile number on to ring if no one was at home. Which we did to find they'd also left the mobile!! The other eventually declared via another sign Closed - Back on Monday.

I took solace in the veggie patch, after a visit to the nursery. Armed with tomatoes; pumpkins; a sultana vine; a chilli plant; peppers and chook poo (thanks Deb for the last two), oh and more polystyrene boxes (thanks again Debs), off I went. There is nothing like a garden to put everything in perspective. My plan is to use the poly boxes as mini movable veggie beds. They are nice and deep so in one I've planted carrots; chives; spring onions and parsley, all very good bed mates (well so the books tell me). Apparently the chives make the carrots taste sweeter... really?! This will be monitored with close interest and if I remember reported on a later date.... 

Two of the pea pods were finally just about fat enough for us to pick and sample. Oh what a moment that was. I've not done that since I was a child. It used to be my job to pod the fresh picked peas for dinner and being asked to whistle whilst podding. You can't eat peas and whistle at the same time!

The broad beans are not there yet. I reckon they are THE slowest growing beans ever - or am I just being impatient. Oh the joys of peas and beans to come.... I can hardly wait

I've been using a solar powered butterfly to scare away the real thing. It flutters and flits around just like a normal butterfly but as much better manners as it does not lay eggs (obviously). So far so good as the savoy cabbages etc are caterpillar egg free at the moment.

All things planted and then just like an early UK spring the temperatures dropped to minus - ARRRGH - for 3 nights on the trot. Poor things looked very sad but amazingly are holding their own.







Lesson learnt - early September here is  a wee bit like an early May in dear old blighty.

Batts, Landys and an old trailer

A great deal of time over the weekend was spent by us putting in the insulation batts, this was followed by an amazing storm, it really blew a hoolie. Sp it was with some trepidation we ventured down to the block ready to climb fences and perhaps trees to rescue any escaped batts.  What a nice surprise and relief to find only a few of them had slipped and sagged a little but there was only one small section which had been blown open to the elements. Quite amazing really considering how strong the wind was. It was easy to find the escapees only one of the batts had wandered off towards the veggie patch the rest had been blown into the house.

Other than that wee bit of excitement not much else happened this week on the house with the lads working off site finishing another project.  We did meet with Sid to discuss the different merits of the two styles of flashing offered. This flashing is to edge the outside walls, neatly finishing the corrugated iron cladding. The traditional one would need precision cutting of the iron sheets which would possibly irritate if it wasn't spot on. Where as the other flashing would cover the iron edges, both will give a nice finish to the house corners. We've gone for the one with the least chance of irritating errors.

Landys first outing
to be specific as she has been on plenty of adventures in the past, this was her first outing with the Historic Vehicle Club. After our last topless jaunt around the town and being caught in the rain we've been checking weather reports thoroughly. Eventually deciding on the soft canvas top being the best option, of course it didn't rain! The monthly Coffee Run seems to have come around very quickly, not quite sure where that month has gone. The outing to Apsley had to be put off last month due to a power outage (as they say here). We convoyed to Apsley a lovely sedate pace (for some of us anyway) through this glorious countryside. Spring has sprung so a lot of the huge gum trees are a mass of pale flowers and the generous verges have a highly scented sprinkling of naturalised freesias. Beautiful.......

Landy looking very smart sporting her canvas top (just in case of rain)

Apsley is a tiny Victorian town, population of 324 in 2011 but there is not a lot of evidence of that many people now. Sadly in 2011 the pub closed it's doors as did the local general store, which didn't leave a lot other than homes. 12 Apsley families clubbed together, brought the pub and refurbished it and fairly recently they had the grand opening, 600 people attended! It's great to see the results of their hard work and determination, the bars are made out of beautiful huge slabs of red gum. And we were told that it  has been hugely improved inside.

A grand morning out and a delight meeting other members of the club.

More Landy News
Rick has been hard at work on Penny, the last Landy to arrive looking forlorn in the 'stable'. I think I may have mentioned the gearbox problem turned out to the the least expensive one to solve. Re-installed attention was turned to cleaning the rest of her up. At last at the weekend she was back together enough and looking so much happier, for a trundle around the block.

We had doggy sat Fred for the day and he is always excited about going anywhere, even a trip around the block. So he was first in the back of Penny and looked very at home, managing to restrain himself from trimming any of the seat covers with his teeth. As you will have noticed we have chosen natural air-conditioning, I have been promised doors and floor for the longer trips. Oh and a seat which has been fixed.

It was slightly alarming seeing the drive shaft whizzing around whilst I hung on to what was left of the dashboard and my feet jammed on to what was left of the frame it was great fun. Penny in this condition is quieter than Dora!

All too much excitement for Fred, he made himself a dug out in the cool sand for a wee bit of shut eye.

An old trailer

And last but not least, I've been toying with the idea of having chooks at the block for a long time now. It makes perfect sense to me as they'll help keep the excess herbage down, produce heaps of fertliser and eggs and eat bugs. BUT they will need a chook tractor, light enough for me to move them around, a trailer being the best solution. Except I didn't know anyone with a really old trailer they didn't want anymore.... well I thought I didn't. Once again Deb has come up trumps and very kindly donated her old rusty trailer for me to convert. Am I excited or what.

All I need to do know is build their house, being high enough off the ground they shouldn't be bothered by foxes or snakes and if I'm careful enough with their feed hopefully that won't attract attention from other unwanted pests. I just need to draw it up and build it.... hmmm.... simple... if that's the way your brain works! 

A plan is forming I just need help from my friends... once again, seeing as knitting a chook tractor is really not a practical option!!

The start of my chook tractor, thank you Debs.

Leaps and bounds

Yeay the roof is now done and thankfully we did have enough iron for it, with not much to spare though. It all looks super smart even the guttering which is the same colour as the roof and you can't see how it's attached.  Very clever..... or am I just easily impressed?

The colour we chose was the most reflective and energy efficient (of course) we could get. The bonus we hadn't thought of previously is how it changes colour with the mood of the weather. Being spring the weather is very unpredictable, we have had several days of intense dark stormy skies with intense sunshine just ahead of the storm. All reflected by the roof and very beautiful to watch.

At last after many sleepless nights, numerous discussions, consulting books and the internet followed by yet more discussions, a decision has finally been made regarding the louvre sections of the roof. They will be static so require nothing more than the correct angle on setting them up. They will be made in Perth to our specifications, including powder coating them to match the roof and guttering, and shipped across. Coming in at a tiny fraction of the cost of the all bells and whistles version which seemed to be able to do everything but make the coffee... ok slight exaggeration there. The gaps have been measured, fittings discussed and the louvres ordered.

The house has now been wrapped in it's first layer of insulation.This stuff, a fetching shade of blue, is thin, has foil on the inside to reflect heat/cool back into the house and tiny holes in it to allow for any condensation to escape. The holes, as far as we can tell are what set it apart from the standard wrap normally used! 

We had a call late one afternoon about delivery of  the window and door frames, which we were expecting, but we were also expecting a wee bit more notice. We were told they'd be delivered the next day, with the builders off site it was lucky we were there to assist with the unloading. I am still surprised at just how big and heavy the north facing windows are. 

The north facing ones are glazed with Smart Glass which is not as good (thermally) or expensive as double glazing but should still be very effective for our needs. The builders arrived the next day and started putting them in. It took several attempts but they managed most of them in the end.  Just the heavy north facing ones left to fit once the whole team is back at the block.

Next bit was down to us, the fibre glass batts, or fluffy candyfloss (known as fairy floss here) type insulation was duly delivered.  Each pink plastic bag holds five sheets of  the compressed batt, which I have to say is so satisfying to open.... oh the joys of small pleasures. Bread knives at the ready, it was our job to cut them to size for the external walls and attempt to hold them in place with poly-strapping. Easier said then done and a really itchy job once the fibre glass worked it's way onto your skin. It also I discovered adds a lot of extra body and texture to your hair too though I'll not be recommending it.

Bedroom 1 with the en-suite shower door laying flat on the floor

The laundry, louvre windows fitted just awaiting the backdoor now.

The difference was immediate, the rooms once echoed and were dark from the foil wrap are now much lighter, cool, quiet and calm.  Rick also spent quite a bit of time whizzing up and down the ladder, climbing over roof joists, sealing the sagging insulation on the roof, small things perhaps but it could make all the difference.

Landy

Ricks dear old 1964 Landy has finally been registered through the historical vehicles club which means we can take her out for a spin now, limited to just 90 days each year.

With next weeks coffee run in mind Rick dusted her off, we eventually managed to get the hard top off and decided to take her for a short spin.  It was beautifully sunny at the block and although dark stormy skies were threatening in the distance we thought we'd miss the rain.  Off we set, firstly running out of petrol luckily not far from the block and the spare petrol which we keep for the wippa snippa and slasher.  Duly topped up off we went again and straight into the rain... it was hilarious... nothing to do but laugh.  And made even funnier when Rick kindly parked under the filling stations awning to give me and Landy a bit of shelter to discover the rain changed direction and was coming at us horizontally.  That will teach us to go topless!! Fingers crossed it'll be fine weather for the next outing.

Sustainable House Open Days 

Started on Sunday 7th and an off grid permaculture home at Keppoch, about an hours drive from here had opened their doors. It was fascinating, the lovely couple Pam and Matt have been living in a clearing, first in a tent, then shed and very recently the house they have built on 500 acres of land. A perfect haven for all native flora and fauna as well as unfortunately some of the introduced pests.

Their permaculture garden and commitment to sustainability was admirable and inspiring. They were both at pains to point out the life they have chosen is not for everyone and neither were they preaching that everyone should adopt it. They were very open about the learning curves, lessons and not to be repeated projects they have gone through.

Due to a visit from the in-laws they have only just commissioned the inside loo, the waste of which will eventually be transformed into compost. Their 'normal' loo was a 'short' drop sited among the fruit trees.  A combination of beautifully draining sandy soil and the fruit trees acting as filters meant all pathogens were dealt with very effectively. Very inspiring but you may be relieved to read not something we are considering doing at the block!

'It is possible that my whole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others!'

This sign made me smile.

It was also Landys second outing and although very windy was a gorgeous sunny day.

Challenges...

It's been a week of challenges but all in all everything came good in the end.  

There was a late call to say the septic tank was going to be delivered early the next day and confirmation was needed of exactly where it was going on site.  Rick shot off to the block to direct proceedings and arrived at about the same time as the septic tank men.  

It's huge! We really had no idea just the size of the hole required for the installation.  

All going well until they dug through the power cable!  Hay ho, apparently covered by the insurance and no biggy as it seems to have been sorted in no time.  Our block now has a few more holes and looks for all the world like we have manic giant wombats living there.

Brad the stone mason cracking on with the retaining wall.

Nigel, who seems to be the roof-man, sorting out the roof

And the story so far, roof on, one gable end done, beautiful stone wall finished and capped with the grey bull-nosed tiles.  Inside it looks huge and is already starting to feel like a home.... very exciting.

Veggie Patch

Meanwhile on the veggie patch.....

The sheep did a grand job keeping the grass down earlier this year and of course fertilised as they grazed.  Add sun and rain to this potent mixture and the grass etc., grows like the clappers... possibly a mile a minute. It is very hard to keep up with, Rick has been putting in a few K's doing the rounds with the Slasher (aka mower) and I decided it was high time I made friends with the Wippa Snippa previously known to me as a strimmer.... but this one, I discovered, is far more heavy duty... heavy being the operative word.

Me making friends with the Wippa Snippa.

My first experience with a petrol driven one I very quickly learnt that it starts much quicker once it's turned on and starter primed!  It was also blooming heavy to lug around let alone aim at the long grasses effectively.  Time to sort out the harness, which I managed to do a wee bit tight to start with and soon found you can't slash effectively with the engine under your armpit!  Got there in the end though and now the long grasses and weeds quake at the sound of my approach!!

Then there was the ice bucket challenge.  My advice is never ask Deb to assist with the pouring of the ice, it felt like it was going on forever.... very funny though... and I really am grateful for her help and to Rick for recording the event effectively....... really

Kalangadoo

On Sunday we met up with the nice folk from the Family History group, they had organised a day for members to visit 'old' homes and learn a bit more about this beautiful region.  It was really interesting, Kalangadoos claim to fame is being the last place in South Australia to have an operational Morse code machine.  It was also apparently the last place in Australia to have a night cart!

We visited a beautifully restored family home, still lived in so didn't venture inside.  The work they had carried out was not for the feint hearted but it looked like new.  The house was made from over 500,000 bricks which had been handmade on site.  Mind boggling to say the least.

Then on down a few muddy tracks to another home in the process of being restored.  We were of course fine with the track, not much our trusty Dora can't take on but we managed to loose a few of the group in a muddy puddle.  Whoops

And finally we ended up on top of a trigger point with fantastic views over the limestone coast. Watched over by a few surprised teenage cows and sheep. A few of the sheep seem to have the Colegate ring of confidence!