Giant strangler

A slow day today after an energetic late night last night. Our property backs onto the Mount Boss State Forest, which in turn backs onto a number of adjacent National Parks including Werrikimbe, Willi Willi and Oxley Wild Rivers. Today, as the second part of Sue’s birthday celebrations, we had planned a picnic lunch in this beautiful country at the waterfall at Wilson River Primitive Reserve. Before we left I snuck in a quick hour working on a gate for a friend.


The falls are one of the closest picnic sites to us, just a bit further up the valley. The road to the falls runs high on the ridge, daylight showing through the trees and bangalow palms on both sides, deep valleys, mountain ridges in the distance. Even though it was a Sunday and a sunny day we had the place to ourselves, with just the sound of the water and the birds breaking the silence. Bev loaded us up with leftover food as we left the party the night before so we had dips, salads, kebabs and birthday cake.


After lunch we walked to the falls past giant strangler figs, shelf fungi, mossy logs and lots of ferns. For some reason I was really taken by the colour of the rocks in the creek we followed up to the waterfall, aged basalt in a kind of browny orange, more vibrant for being under the water and complementing the green of the forest beautifully.


Noah and I fell asleep in the car on the way home. Over dinner he told Nana and I, “When my mum comes home I’ll race to her". I miss her too.


“I’m grateful that we went to the waterfall and had a nice walk.”
(Confused? Look)

Spoiled Eggs

Great morning. Mild frost, cooked breakfast, beautiful ride. Em called and Noah told her we’d had “spoiled eggs with bacon on toast”. I fitted Nugget with his new bridle and took him for a ride up the back of the block. On the way we went up a little snig track I’ve had my eye on for a while. It’s nice discovering new places on our property. The forest is just starting to encroach onto the cleared track, reclaiming it as one of its own, Acacia and Casuarina seedlings pioneering the way. I have been thinking it would be a good idea for us to have a regular day a month to tackle the weeds on our property and as I rode up the track to the top of the hill behind the big house I added another day a month, this one for track maintenance. Over time we could have a good network of interconnecting firebreaks and tracks making it easy to explore the 200-odd acres of bush we have.


At the back of the block I crossed into our neighbour’s property and went and had a look at their little shack. They’re thinking of doing it up, perhaps to help them sell the block. It’s structurally sound and would be quite cute. A good little project. Riding back I was thinking about how much I love these winter days. Warm, sunny days, clear skies, cold nights. I have to struggle to remember the insect plagues of summer and I haven’t seen a leech for months.


Late afternoon we drove down to the hall for Bev’s shindig. The kids were set free to run and roam, and before long we were stripping willows and promenading around our little hall, keeping the cold night at bay. I left the shy cynic at home and just jumped right in. The water was fine. The girls twirled their skirts, we tried waltzing to 4/4 time, and we stuffed ourselves with delicious food – all in the company of good friends and family.


Congratulations to Bev for sharing her birthday with us all, sharing her vision of this night and making it all happen in our little barra. Our barra where, as Garrison Keillor might say, all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.


We missed our daily grateful time today. Can I take a guess, without trivialising Noah’s unique experience? “I’m grateful that we comed to the hall and played with all the kids.”
(Confused? Look)

Embroidered Swirls

Cuddles on the couch this morning. Noah is still half-asleep and content to lie there staring into space while I cuddle him and stroke his hair, his little hands opening and closing, words from his internal dialogue occasionally breaking the surface.


We’re going to a friend’s birthday bush dance tomorrow, and I have the perfect shirt. Maroon with embroidered swirls on the chest. My brother gave it to me years ago and it has sat in the cupboard ever since – how often do you need an embroidered cowboy shirt? But now is the time. The only problem is I can’t find it. It’s got to the stage where I have looked through my shirts three times, each time thinking I’ll look a little more carefully and find it. In the back of my head is a little voice, gently telling me that my perfect shirt probably didn’t survive the cull when we moved over from Fremantle. Damn that voice.

So, with the missing shirt’s status reaching greater heights with each passing hour we drove into town this morning to go op-shopping. Wisdom told me that I wouldn’t find a suitable replacement yet I still clung to the idea that somewhere I would unearth a hidden treasure, just the thing to restore my rapidly diminishing status as the Beau of the ball. I don’t even need to tell you how it ended, five op-shops later. The mother of pearl buttons are nice though.


Later in the afternoon Noah and I went to our local hall to help decorate it for tomorrow’s dance, along with the rest of our friends and their kids. Noah’s playgroup. On the way, with Noah sleeping in the back, I was treated to a bird of prey struggling to gain altitude alongside the car with either a large rat or a bandicoot in its claws. There has been quite a bit of wildlife on the road lately. Literally. Squashed bandicoots, a red bellied black snake, a wallaby.


I didn’t end up doing much decorating but Noah had a ball as he usually does at the hall, running amuck with the other kids. I took my guitar and banjo and played for the kids while they had a dance. For some reason I never really seem to be able to jam very well with other musicians. I’ve experienced it so many times now that I don’t expect much when I do, and I don’t get disappointed if things don’t really come together. But late in the afternoon, just before the sun went down to leave us suddenly cold I had a fun time with Bev’s son Alex swapping guitar and banjo between the two of us, learning something new, playing Johnny Cash. And time keeps rolling on.

“I’m grateful that I danced with Nina for a little while.”
(Confused? Look)

Muchas smoochas

Noah’s usually asleep when I do my morning chores but this morning he woke early and came and helped me. Four big heads of broccoli were in danger of flowering if we left them any longer so we picked them.


Over my morning coffee I soaked them in salted water to get rid of any lurking bugs, then blanched them for three minutes in boiling water before putting them in ice water for three minutes, ready for the freezer. It’s the first time I’ve blanched anything for freezing. It was good to learn something new, a bit of nana-technology as our friend Amy might call it.


Next we made a cake for Sue’s birthday. Chocolate. Yummy, moist and just in time for morning tea up at the big house. Sue got a recipe book from Ange by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall of River Cottage fame. Yum.


Later I drove to our friend’s house to get some timber from under their house to make them a gate. I’m re-using some recycled floorboards they used in their granny flat. I was having a slow day, tired from waking before five, not in a rush. A cup of tea, catching up, muchas smoochas with her new little one. Noah is definitely our one and only but I’m sad we didn’t have a dozen kids, just for the baby cuddles. Swaying and crooning.


I’ve discovered a way to slow down my driving. I’ve got some CDs of Pema Chodron that I listen to in the car. It brings me back to what I’m doing and the beautiful country I’m travelling through as she talks about clear seeing and going to the places that scare you. Such good stuff and just what I need to hear at the moment. My head fills with thoughts so easily and the CDs, along with the advice from my good friend bring me back. “Just because you have thoughts in your head doesn’t mean you have to pay attention to them”.

“I’m grateful that we had a cake and went to Granny’s birthday.”
(Confused? Look)

Something smelly

Cold, crunchy frost this morning. Like a true icebreaker my gumboot broke through the frozen crust on the cow’s water trough. I keep the cow’s feed in the old corn shack and the cows have started mooing anytime I go in. This morning they didn’t even wait until I was in. It was warm mash for breakfast this morning, sweetened with molasses. Bessie is slowly mellowing, getting used to me, leaving her skittishness behind. I gave her a long scratch under the chin while she ate, only the second time she’s let me. The pragmatist in me tells me that they’re just cows but lately I’ve been looking to savour more of what life has to offer, and an affectionate relationship with our livestock is too good to pass up.


I’m experimenting with a different approach to work and life at the moment. Usually I try and get through the work I need to do as quickly and efficiently as possible so I have time to relax. Things that slow me down, extra problems that need my attention, things that go wrong, are all to be avoided, resented. The experiment is to embrace a life of endless work, and to enjoy it. Instead of getting through what needs to be done so I can do what I enjoy, I’m trying to really enjoy what I do, what needs to be done. There is always so much to do.

I got a lift in to work this morning and on the way Jim had to stop to drop his kids off at daycare. Wandering around the carpark waiting, enjoying the crisp air and morning sun I was struck by the windows of the Arts Centre where I have choir. Not the windows themselves but the surrounds, the architraves. It was just the subtle ornamentation that caught my attention - the tapered sides, the detail on the bottom piece. Taking function a little bit further into the realm of cuteness without overdoing it. It is a nice progression I recognise every now and then – learning how to do something properly, mastering it, then exploring ways to make it cuter, more interesting. Why stop with straight lines? I was thinking the same thought later in the day looking at the finished paving. There aren’t many straight lines but perhaps we could have made a little space for a garden bed against the studio to grow a creeper. Something smelly, in a nice way.


I have started giving Noah chores. I got the idea from a Steve Biddulph book on raising happy kids. His argument is that kids need to learn about real life, about having responsibility, about contributing and taking pride in their work, learning self-sufficiency, and of course being praised for their achievements. So now Noah sets the table every night for dinner, and I’m teaching him to put the duck and the chooks away at night. He enjoys collecting the eggs too. We’ve only had one good layer for a while now, Gladys our silver pencil Wyandotte, but this week we’ve started getting a second egg from one of our other 5 hens. I wonder who it is.

“I’m grateful that I helped put Marmalade and the chooks in bed."
(Confused? Look)

Frazzled

I’m working a fair bit at the moment. Still paving, in Port Macquarie. Earning money to send to Em. It’s a long drive there and back, nearly an hour each way. It’s one disadvantage of where we live. I remember the first time we drove out here, thinking how the road just went on and on, the same thought in my head “It’s a long way out”. There is a flip side to it though. We’re amongst beautiful bush and wildlife, pockets of rainforest, clean water. Space.


Yesterday Noah’s friend Nina was going to come over with her dad and pick up their chickens we had been looking after. He went and sat outside to wait for them, disappointed to find out later that they had changed their mind and didn’t come. So today she came and spent the day with him. Mum had a big day, looking after the two kids, a few visitors, making lemon curd, getting dinner ready. When I walked in the door she had that frazzled look that I know well. It made me think that I was probably responsible for her having that look in the past.


The work is good, except for when I miss the bolster and hit my hands. My finger and thumb on my left hand aches. Lunch makes up for it though. Bev always puts on a good spread. Yummy bread, brie, avocado, tapenade. I’m spoilt. And a crossword to do together over lunch. It was another beautiful drive home this evening into the setting sun and the distant hills, nursing a pear cider and listening to Gillian Welch.


“I’m grateful that everyone comed over for a little play”
(Confused? Look)

Melody soaring

Today was Noah’s first day back at preschool. It was a bit of a rush getting ready, with Noah dragging his feet, trying to take photos of himself. He was supposed to start last week but his cousins were here visiting. I’d spent a bit of time psyching him up for the transition into the big kids room, explaining he’d a have a different teacher, that there would be different kids and he’d make new friends. He was unfazed by it all. Then we got there and they told us he was in the same class as last term. My mind instantly went into overdrive, thinking about how I could handle his disappointment, what angle to push. But it was totally unnecessary. He was just so accepting.


He does have that quality about him. There are times he freaks out but generally he goes with the flow. Em’s in the US for a month and he’s OK with it. Nana looks after him when I go off to work and he doesn’t blink an eyelid. The other day I did get two big, spontaneous hugs though that made me wonder. One was after I came back from my early morning ride, having not been here when he woke up. The other was after I had been at work all day. The kind of hug where he hangs on very tight and for a long time. Good hugs.


Today I was paving again, chipping mortar off of old bricks. Compacting and levelling. We had to find a new home for a blue tongue lizard after we destroyed the concrete it was living under. I left work early to pick up Noah and get home in time so I could go to choir. It was my first time. I’ve been meaning to join a choir for about twenty years so it was good to get around to it. The choir is called Bella Bago and is run by a local woman who lives nearby. I’m going for the spine tingling. Harmonies intermingling and melody soaring over the top. I wasn’t disappointed. I keep thinking of songs that could be adapted for a choir, making arrangements in my head. Not the usual fare but more contemporary songs. Fleet foxes. Mumford and Sons. We did a Leonard Cohen song which was fun. I ended up with the basses, probably because that’s where all the other guys were, but I may be a tenor.

I missed dinner so I didn’t get what Noah was grateful for today. He uses the word “lovely” in a lot of his. And his grammar is usually a little bit off. So I expect it would have been something like “I’m grateful that Nina comed over and we had a lovely day”. I’m grateful that I got to sing in the choir.
(Confused? Look)

Buck me

Nugget has a big head. I got up early so I’d have time to do the chores and go for a ride before I went to work. Trying to get Coco’s bridle on Nugget’s big head turned out to be an exercise in optimism, even after adjusting the straps. So I went for a ride on Coco instead. I know Coco is supposed to be a bit more difficult than Nugget but life is short and adventure and experience beckons. And it turned out she is more difficult. The worst was when I had to open the gate, and was trying to get my foot back into the stirrup when she decided to try and buck me off. I’m going to buy a new bridle for Nugget tomorrow. We went for a short ride anyway, checking out the view from above the big house (Noah’s grandparent’s house), practising my trotting. I’ve got a lot to learn. I figure there’s a point in the future where it all starts to click and it’s just a matter of clocking up the hours until then.


I spent the day working at a friends place cleaning up bricks for her paving. Recycling. It’s a true pleasure re-using materials when I’m building. The dairy we live in has a lot of things that have been re-used. The shack was full of windows that I cleaned up and re-puttied, I brought second-hand doors from Fremantle, the kitchen sink was in the shack, the bathroom sink was in the garden, the stove was stored in the existing dairy, the tin and gutters for the laundry and verandah were off the big house, a lot of timbers were re-used when I redid the framing, the woodstove is from a friend in Fremantle, I bought the rangehood, the hot water heater and the bathroom cabinet second-hand from the tender centre, the benchtops were made from the mezzanine floor in the old dairy, the architraves were made from old floorboards from the verandah of the big house, the outside light fittings are from living room in the big house, the kitchen cabinets were salvaged from the old dairy, the window frames were made from old floor joists, the extra windows were made from an old oregon beam Rob had from a butter factory in Murrwillumbah, and we removed, cleaned up and re-used the old weatherboards that were on the dairy. We saved a lot of money, the main cost is the time. But, as I said before, it’s a true pleasure.


I drove home into the setting sun, trying to remember to slow down and admire the view. Enjoying the journey is a good philosophy but ironically it’s hard to do when driving. Nana made the dinner tonight which is a new experience for Noah as you can see.

“I’m grateful that we might have a lovely dinner.”
(Confused? Look)

Tails, spines and wings

An early start this morning. The Farmer’s Market in town is only on once a month and today was the day. Unfortunately I hadn’t really thought ahead so I already had a fridge stocked with food. Mum found things to buy though, including some aniseed lemon myrtle that she used to make a tea cake. I remember my first impression when I saw the Farmer’s Market here, thinking how small it was. Emma and Angela have gone to one in Washington and were blown away - lots of organics, 150 stalls, great buskers. But it’s important to support our one and stay positive. From little things big things grow. We bought lots of cheap avocados and bananas, as well as some locally made pecorino, honey, marmalade, jam and chocolates. We also watched a cooking demonstration for a while where they used produce from the stalls at the market.


After lunch I met up with a guy to give him a quote on some work on his shed. The shed is up a side road I’ve never been up before so I was really keen to have a look. Explore the valley, see new things. The site is at the top of a hill with uninterrupted views to the north, really great. To the right was our valley, with our little house a few kilometres away somewhere, and to the left was Kindee. In the middle was the hill where our friends live and where we were expected for dinner.


Noah spent the afternoon up at their house playing with his friend. The boys decided they were nocturnal dinosaurs and got dressed up in the fantastic costumes they have there – tails, spines and wings. Over dinner we talked about the idea of setting up a LETS system for our friends in the valley, weighing up the pros and cons, alternatives, drinking yummy pear cider, eating cheesecake and tarts. Our friends have a composting toilet too and I was impressed to see they’re using bark as a source of carbon. Using what’s on hand. Then bumping down the mountain, opening gates in the cold, cold night air. Clear sky and lots of stars. One of the things I’ve learnt in life is that you don’t make your mother get out of the car to open gates in the cold and the dark and the mud. As I write this Noah is asleep in bed still wearing his costume.


“I’m grateful that we comed here to play.”
(Confused? Look)

A quick haircut

After a quick haircut this morning I went to work at a friend’s house in the valley. Handyman work. Fixing doors and steps and railings. Working with wood. A cup of tea when it rained. A dog to keep me company. It’s one of my favourite things, having a cup of tea next to me while working, dry while it rains outside. The dog was a bonus. So was the bucket of lemons I got to take home. I'm trying to get mum to make either lemon curd or a lemon meringue pie. Perhaps both. We have a lot of eggs too.


When I came home Noah and mum were in bed in the dark. Playing with torches. They told me to go away. Sure. It gave me a chance to try out my new banjo strap. The banjo is so much more fun to play standing up. I keep meaning to look for a banjo teacher nearby. Someone who can really play. Bluegrass. Fast.


We have a wood stove. A cute Jotul stove with burgundy enamel. I got it back in Fremantle, traded it for a mirror that we rescued from a house across the road that was about to be demolished. I get excited about the excess heat that it generates, more than enough to heat this small space. For our next house I’d like to get a big woodstove that we can bake in, cook on, and heat our hot water. We could even have radiators in the bedrooms. In the meantime I get a lot of joy cooking on our little stove, boiling the kettle, or heating our towels and pjs. Saving fossil fuels, saving money, using things more than once. Tonight I used the stove to heat soup and make a cup of tea.


“I’m grateful that we sleeped in the night with the light off in my bedroom”
(Confused? Look)

Roadkill Wallaby Enchiladas

Today we said goodbye to my brother and his family. We went into town, walked along the foreshore, played in the playground, were screeched at by a tree full of corellas. I don’t see my brother much so it has been unusual that we didn’t really get a chance to talk. Mum pointed out that four kids under five just take priority. And that she raised three boys as a single mum.


Which reminds me I have to go and get the snip. I asked for a referral and was told I’d have to wait a year on public health. I would have thought that a reduction in the birth rate would be a good thing, a high priority for the government. It’s not hard, half an hour with just a local anaesthetic. Instead we have the pyramid model of supporting a large ageing population by encouraging an even larger younger generation. Five thousand dollars tax free from the government per child. A generation which eventually gets old and requires an EVEN LARGER younger generation. I thought pyramid schemes were illegal.


Joel Salatin has a book out called “Everything I want to do is illegal.” I haven’t read it but I know how he feels. We had Roadkill Wallaby Enchiladas tonight. I’m not sure if it’s illegal but it wouldn’t surprise me. Raw milk is another. You can choose to smoke cigarettes but you can’t choose to drink unpasteurised milk. I’m sure there was a good reason for these laws once but I like to think they won’t last long. Like the law in New York that states that citizens may not greet each other by putting one’s thumb to the nose and wiggling the fingers.


I’m expecting peak-oil to have far-reaching consequences, with the need to rethink what we eat as central to these changes. Which is part of the reason we’re here in this beautiful country. Slowly, slowly learning how to feed ourselves and our community. Slowly following our dreams and slowly making it happen.

“I’m grateful that we went to the water with the coloured rocks and had a lovely day.”
(Confused? Look)

Snowball

I’m interested in the point in time where things go wrong. It’s not an obvious point, usually quite the opposite. The point where you were distracted just as you were about to put the lifejackets in the boat, and later when you noticed you thought it would be ok, the weather was good, only a short trip. Or forgetting to pack a jumper for your holiday. The little decisions that snowball innocuously into disaster. I was thinking these thoughts as I led Nugget through the forest this morning, leading him around logs, pushing through vines, looking for the track. Looking and looking. Then leaving him back on the firebreak so I could have a good scout around and returning just in time to see him disappear down the hill, his broken halter on the ground.


Fortunately it was such a beautiful morning and had been such a fun ride so I had enough good humour to set off after him, walking, smiling, calling. Later when we made our way back up looking for the path again Nugget stubbornly refused to go past a little trail so I decided we might as well follow it. He was right. It’s a strange feeling exploiting an animal in order to climb steep hills and travel without effort. But I love it. My body is no longer a limiting factor.


Mum, Noah and I spent the day with our visitors again, this time in town. We went to the beach and stuffed ourselves full of chips. I have been to Flynn’s beach quite a few times before but this was the first time I’ve huddled under the lifeguard’s tower, eating chips and staying dry as the rain fell around us.

Later, at home, we were too full to contemplate a real dinner but I made some soup anyway, using up our big heads of broccoli from the garden, as well as more of our fresh cream. When I went out in the dark to pick the broccoli I surprised a tawny frogmouth that was on the path next to the garden beds. Noah came and shone his torch on it so I could get a photo.


“I’m grateful that we went to the beach and had chips”
(Confused? Look)

Totally forgotten

The cold bit me this morning when I went out to do the morning chores. The thick mist had an eerie yet peaceful quality as I carried the cows their buckets of mash – pollard, molasses, lucerne chaff and a mineral mix. I give them this every second day, they get hay on the other. I’m not very experienced with our cows yet and I’m trying to make sure they maintain their condition over the winter months when there isn’t as much feed in the paddock. I’d like to plant some fodder trees for them but I need to do some more research. Most of the trees I’ve seen suggested are weed species around here – honey locust, tagasaste, mulberry. It’s a similar story for chook fodder, and we urgently need to get some trees established for them.


My brother and his family were out here again today. More of the same except today I gave the kids a ride on Nugget. I’m getting quite attached to Nugget. I’m going to miss him when he has to go. I wonder how hard it is to pick a horse’s temperament, thinking ahead to the time when we’ll look at buying some horses of our own. He’s a good horse. He walked the kids around the paddock, ignoring the others screaming, crying, running. I led Mum around too and my sister-in-law had a short ride by herself.


As they were all leaving I realised there was an extra child outside playing on the swing. It was our neighbour’s son. I had totally forgotten that I’d arranged to meet his bus after school and look after him for an hour or so until his mum picked him up. Apparently when the bus pulled up at the gate and there was no-one there the bus driver got out and walked him up to the house, leaving him in the care of the swarm of kids on the trampoline.


I’ve been reading Pema Chodron and listening to her speak. She talks of coming back to being right here. Staying with yourself through everything life throws at you without the accompanying thoughts and judgements, the conceptual analysis, just clear seeing your emotions. It is quite hard but useful. I'm used to Emma being close and I miss her.


The clear day today has given way to a cold night, and my little wood heater is struggling to ward off the cold. I only have a small tank to store wood in, enough for about a month and unfortunately the last lot of wood I got is still a bit green. I’m expecting a frost tomorrow.

“I’m grateful that my cousins came for lunch again and that I got to watch Nana on a horse”
(Confused? Look)

Sleeping with my son

This morning started foggy, misty, hinting at rain, cool but warmer than the clear mornings. By mid-morning the sky was clear blue and it was warm in the sun. Just in time for my brother and his family who are visiting from Canberra. The weather clearing just in time for guests parallels my cleaning efforts. In a way I’m glad for guests because it forces me to clean the house, leaving a most unrepresentative sample. Which is not to say we live in filth … in fact I’m fairly sure you know exactly what I mean and there’s nothing more to say. Blogs have a little of the same feel to them as well. A bit like the Queen thinking the world smells like wet paint. I’ll try and make sure I get some muck in here.


My brother, his wife and 3 kids arrived in time for morning tea. I’m not the world’s best at entertaining but fortunately the kids were all the entertainment we needed. Running around, bouncing on the trampoline, chasing the duck, feeding the cows, holding chicks. Simple. A good way to establish an unusual relationship. Cousins. Close in kinship but not always close geographically. Noah has been looking forward to them coming even though he can’t remember them. It took about five seconds after they arrived for them to go running off together, distracted by piles of rocks and cows. Lots of running.


Later we went to the airport to meet mum. Noah hugged her tight for a long time. She’ll be here for most of the month Em is away. I’m glad she’s here. She’ll be his best friend, and she loves spending time with him. Win-win. And it’s good for me too. Good to have your mum around. Chicken soup for the soul. She’s sleeping in Noah’s bed while she’s here and Noah is in bed with me. Yes, I’m sleeping with my son.


“I’m grateful that we had a lovely dinner and that Nana’s come”
(Confused? Look)

Alchemy

We have 10 rats in our freezer. For science. The problem is every time I put the trap out I catch a rat. At first I thought we just had one.


Another beautiful day. Overcast. Misty rain. We spent the day cleaning the house, getting ready for guests. Vacuuming the rug, emptying the toilet, cleaning the bins.


I’m trying to establish a routine with the cows, getting them used to being around people. Calling them, feeding them. Trying to trade skittishness for chin scratches. Noah called them up from the bottom of the paddock to get a thin handful of grass. “Bessie! Violet! Grass! Grass!” I think they like the attention. Maybe they’re hungry.


Today I used up all the cream I have been saving and made butter, my first time. Alchemy, turning base elements into gold. Em usually does it. I wasn’t sure if I had churned it for long enough but Noah looked at it and assured me it was right. I expected the colour to be a deeper yellow.


We cleaned the back area, unearthing the laundry, banishing tools. There’s an old corn shed here that I’m going to use to store my tools. I still dream of turning it into a workshop but there’s no power and the floor is being eaten away by termites. Someday we will rip the floor up, get rid of the termites and restore the whole structure. It’s made with beautiful hand-adzed timbers and deserves to be preserved.


“I’m grateful that Granny and Grandad stayed for dinner.”
(Confused? Look)