Forever House #23

Friday 26th July 2013 (cont)

The humpy wall to be removed and carport made for Triton

A lazy start today - about ten hours sleep.
One of the jobs I was thinking to ask Dave to do - was to build a lean-to carport off the side of one of the existing sheds, for the Triton. But as I thought about it, I realised I could open up one end of the humpy beside the caravan. The humpy used to house two four wheel drives when I bought the share. My sister Fran's then-husband, Andy, helped the kids and me to enclose it.

We don't use that enclosure for anything in particular these days. It's just another area that needs cleaning up. This is the cheapest, most obvious and easiest carport option. I borrowed Dave's battery drill to remove the roofing screws holding the humpy together and spent a large part of  the day converting that shed to a carport - which enabled me to do a good clean up, taking tools down to the other shed, pavers down to the courtyard area near Peita's wall, and chucking the very dead lounge onto the fire for the next time we light it. I even cleaned the caravan windows.

Before clean up

After - ready for the Triton to move in

At my petrol stop in Casino on the way out I made sure the Triton had half a tank of fuel, enough oil, and pumped up tires. Jeff is organising a solar panel to charge the battery in between our visits to the farm. It feels a bit like I have put her out to pasture. She's retired - but will get plenty of use when we go out there. My new ten year old Honda CRV will take us to and from the farm but I wouldn't be taking it down to the river bed or across the rivers. It's not a real four wheel drive like the Triton.


I brought out the old kitchen cabinet/bench which I had purchased at the tip Revolve Shop. I also bought a gas bottle and hose to render operational the two burner stove that Mum and Dad loaned me. I bought a water container with a tap and a kettle that whistles.

The temporary kitchen I put together in the 2nd bedroom

Ahh...coffee

I also bought a stove top coffee pot. I've wanted one of those for ages. Made my first mug of skinny flat white this morning and it was very good if I say so myself. Ive squeezed every last drop out of every bit of budget this fortnight, getting out here with everything on my lists. But I think that is all I need to spend for a good while, apart from Dave. There's heaps to go on with. I'm very grateful I have my paid work. It's a very flexible workplace and my job fits in well with my Currawinya project.

I'm really enjoying the opportunity this blog affords me to write. By making myself a protagonist I have to do stuff to write about. That's helping me to be productive at the Forever House, which in turns gives me more to write about.
Writing about what you know is a good place to start. I don't seem to have a head that thinks in fiction. It was required of me at uni, when I studied writing, to work in many other genres; and that was good exercise and I enjoyed stretching myself. However, people's life stories are what interest me, and biography is the area I want to write and record in. That is a venture I will be able to pursue when the Forever House is finished - people can come and stay while we get their story down.


Monday 29th July, 2013

ceiling sheets over the main bedroom

By the end of the weekend, Jeff and Dave had put up a heap more ceiling sheets - in fact they used all the painted ones and half of the unpainted ones. I was unable to prepare mud materials or do any mudding. I didn't want to get in their way, and they needed my help each time a sheet went up.

Dave and Jeff have become great friends

ceiling sheets over the bathroom and front verandah

Emptying water from the tank into the pond

I spent my time getting the carport organised and the temporary kitchen, gardening, mowing, and playing with the pond. I released water that was in a tank beside the humpy, into the pond. Dave is going to get the guttering sorted on the humpy so that tank is being filled, and then I will cut a channel for the overflow to feed the pond.

The lantana view

On Friday afternoon Dave had twenty minutes to spare and offered to remove the lantana beside the front veranda of the house. He dragged the bushes away using a big strong strap attached to the tow bar on his truck and it looks fantastic - we have our view back. How lucky are we to have Dave here and willing to help get this project done. And his lovely wife Gab brought over fresh scones with jam and cream for morning tea. They are treasures.

Dave pulling lantana out

The view minus the lantana

after planting and cardboarding

Jeff and I brought home three doors from the farm.  Two of them are going into the bathroom and mud room and one of them is the front door. They all need to be stripped. And the two for the bathroom and mudroom need to have stained glass designs made and installed. There were two old stained glass windows hanging around in what is now the mosaic shed. I am going to salvage what glass I can from those windows and reconfigure it into designs to fit these doors. The front door is hopefully salvageable. It needs quite a bit of work to bring it back to something usable I think. Not that I am any specialist on these things - I will just be doing my best to give them all a new life in the Forever House.

Forever House #22

Thursday 25th July, 2013

The Triton in 2004/05

It was a momentous day and sentimental drive out to the farm. It was the last trip out to the farm in my faithful old 1999 Triton ute. She was bought in April 2004 just before the kids and I moved out to the farm. She did a last slog for me today, after a slow start, and nine stops along the way. She did herself proud with the very heavy firebox and kitchen bench in the tray, and a trailer loaded with 2 sets of outdoor furniture and a green cupboard - the final items from my spending spree at Casino several weeks back. The car also had all the usual paraphernalia that I always take, plus food shopping and Bunnings shopping. The car has made many such trips before, but more in the vein of building materials, kids and dog Beckie. She is now retired, and will continue to get us around the farm, collecting rocks, crossing rivers and all manner of adventures. But no longer a registered town car.

Regular cargo

8.30pm. I've been here half an hour and I'm finally sitting at the caravan table, having moved in, made the bed up and now sipping on a cup of Ecco. My sister Peit left me with her head lamp when she was here, so I went via the loo to have a look around in the house. Everything is as I left it, which is a very comforting thing about Currawinya.The only noticeable change is Dave's new bit of scaffolding so he and Jeff can sheet to the edge of the generous eave on Saturday.

Getting around Currawinya

Part of the coloured park bench set

When I collected the stuff in the trailer from McKees this afternoon, the green cupboard and wrought iron outdoor set were as I remembered them. However, the coloured park benches are a little more fragile than I'd hoped. I think they'll be fine - Dave has straightened out a bent leg - hopefully that is all they needed.



Getting the firebox out of the car is one of the hurdles this weekend. Jeff is not convinced it is going to scrub up - so that's my challenge - but ultimately if it doesn't serve us, we'll have to get a combustion stove anon. Together with the fuel stove in the kitchen I think we're pretty right for warmth. Hopefully the mud walls will do their thermal thing - absorbing the sun's warmth during the day and holding it through the evening. The insulation in the roof will also help keep the house at an even temperature. If this winter is any indication of winters to come, it's certainly not as freezing as I have experienced in the past...

Wrought iron set in situ

Choc coated almonds and Ecco for dinner - even easier (if much more wicked) than the baked beans on toast I had planned. Never mind, I've got lots of healthy food for Jeff and me to eat over the weekend. He arrives by dark Friday. We're having green Thai chicken curry (Casino Bi-Lo style - tubed corriander); salad rolls, and poached eggs. Jeff has to bring out his pillows, bacon and beer - all his special requirements. I can't contact him from here to tell him that I left the camp light at home. I hope he sees it there charging... I had to buy a cheap battery LED light - the cheapest rechargeable was seventy dollars. Should have bought extra batteries though - this one seems to be getting dimmer by the minute.

Morning visit from the Currawinya herd

Apart from food shopping, I bought everything on my Currawinya shopping list - and some. A hoe and metal rake, more coloured tiles for mosaics, and adhesive, long handled garden cutters to use on the lantana. Five hardy plants to add to Peit's garden. As I wandered around by head torch light tonight it was hard to tell what plants we planted originally have survived or not - but there were some that did. Peita's wall survived perfectly well. 

I was reminded tonight after unpacking and laying back on the bed with a big sigh - there is nothing to distract me here. I have to relax - why wouldn't I love it. There's something about being in nature (and off the grid) that allows you to be different to how you are at home in your everyday. This place is a holiday. It never takes me long to feel like time has slowed down - in the moment.

Forever House #21

Monday 22nd July, 2013
Over July August and September I won't be able to get to the Forever House as often as I have been recently, due to family commitments largely. I'm heading out for four days at the end of this week - and will be doing mud in the bathroom area up to the lovely new ceiling that is now in situ in that area. The weekend after that is the Byron Bay Writer's Festival - a three day weekend that my husband Jeff and I never miss. Then, my Mum is turning eighty and we are having a week long celebration at Evans Head which will take up the following two weekends. During that week my rock-wall-building-sister Peita, her daughter Hannah and my daughter Danika - who are all descending on the far north coast from Sydney, the Central Coast and Melbourne for Grandma's birthday - and I, will head out to the Forever House for two days/one sleep, so that the girls can make a mosaic each and Peit and I can make a start on the paving that will compliment the rock wall in that sun drenched front courtyard we are making. We may also be graced by Peita's husband Ivor's presence - five in the caravan will be a true test - we managed four one night during my recent week out there - so I guess one on the floor and we'll be wall to wall bodies.

Glass bead flower for the dunny window

And another

By the time I get out to the farm next it will be almost three weeks since I was last there. (Sounds like my last confession! If you were raised Catholic you'll know what I mean.) I have been trying to be productive towards the Forever House during that time - around my four-day-a-week-job and commitments at home. I had hoped to have the stained glass window for the Forever House loo done and ready to install. I got a bit further along with that - soldering together the glass bead flowers so that I can tweak the cut lines around the flowers. I ordered some more copper foil, solder and flux on-line, but it has not arrived over a week later. So that has held that project up a little.

Thank you Suzy and Peter for our firebox

I did manage to write three blog posts which takes time of course. I was at my friend Suzy's on the weekend collecting the fire box that she and her husband Peter are donating to the Forever House. It has lived in their shed for six years, so they are pleased it will find a new home. Peter was saying that he likes looking at the blog pictures but is not sure he wants to read all the writing! He thought keeping the blog going must be a full time job. It is a commitment for sure - and for the record, the pageviews surpassed two thousand this week - I guess the written record is for me in the end, and if any of you out there in blog land are enjoying reading it then that's great - or maybe its the pictures that tell the story for many. These stats blow me away actually - over the five months I have been writing the blog the break up of pageviews per country are:

• Australia 1647
• United States 112
• United Kingdom 97
• Russia 73
• Germany 37
• South Korea 16
• Spain 8
• Mexico 5
• Indonesia 4
• India 3

So hello to you, whoever and wherever you are. Thank you for your interest in my Forever House.

reminiscent of park furniture when I was a kid

to sit outside French door windows at front of house

On Thursday this week I'll attach the trailer to my trusty Mitsubishi Triton, and tow a number of items out to the farm. this is the final trip for my Triton - I am going to leave it out at my block to use as my farm car. So while I can I am towing as much as possible out there. My new car will tow a trailer but it is not the ute my Triton is. I'm taking the firebox from Suzy, and two outdoor settings I bought at McKees Antiques at Casino several weeks ago. I will collect those on the way out. One consists of two white wrought iron seats and matching table, which will sit outside the French door windows at the entry to the house. The other is a coloured timber outdoor setting, very reminiscent of park benches that used to be around when I was a kid. I think that set will sit on the front verandah where we have been burning the brazier.


I also bought a sweet green cupboard that I will use in the mud room outside the bathroom door, to hold linen. I'm conscious of having cupboards that are vermin proof - because although I will be making every effort to keep the house itself vermin proof - those pesky little mice and the Australian native version called antichinus, can pop up anywhere they can squeeze through a tiny gap.

to hold linen in the mud room outside bathroom door

This Thursday I will also try to fit on board a four door/four drawer kitchen bench/cupboard I bought from Revolve at the Lismore tip to set up as a camp kitchen in the Forever House, where we can boil a kettle and make a cuppa without having to use the caravan stove and cart cups and stuff back and forth between the house and the caravan. Mum and Dad have loaned me a little two burner gas stove which will sit on the bench. Eventually that cupboard may be used anywhere - it too seems quite vermin proof, and painted up it could be quite a sweet piece. Maybe in the laundry end of the bathroom or maybe in the mosaic shed.

Wicker lounge to be refreshed for the Forever House loungeroom

There is a further piece I bought from McKees that will make its way out to the farm eventually - but it is a bit premature yet. It is a wicker lounge that I need to sand gently and re-paint white, and then cover a foam mattress which I will cut from the old mattress off the caravan bed which we replaced with an innerspring mattress. It will be a lounge by day and a spare bed by night should it be needed. It has the same rolled arms as the armchair that is also earmarked for the farm - one of two that Jeff brought with him when he moved in with me. We can't fit it in our Tucki home - so it will love to go to Currawinya I am sure. It is currently in the garage awaiting it's final resting place like several other pieces of furniture that will go out to the farm.



Jeff will follow me out on Friday and spend two days continuing on with the difficult job of putting up the insulation and ceiling sheets, with Currawinya Dave and my help. I will spend Friday preparing materials so that I can mud should Jeff and Dave not really need me for the ceiling. I'll be able to spread my time between mudding and ceiling anyway - it's all contributing towards progress.

Forever House #20

Friday 12th July 2013
I think the pictures can tell the story of the week that was out at the Forever House.

Peita's rock wall - assisted by Danielle to start.

Briefly; as I had hoped there was so much achieved - unexpected things such as my sister Peita's incredible efforts to build a rock wall at the front of the house, and a garden of natives, including installations that have been waiting by to find a place. Our youngest sister Danielle is married to a Cornish man and she lived in Cornwall for a decade. She watched a couple of dry rock walls being built and was quite confident about how it should go. Peita was a willing and very able student - after Danielle left Peit paced herself over three and half days to complete it. The Great Wall of Currawinya she calls it.

Peita Wendy and Danielle in the mosaic studio

And the things we had planned also got done - seventeen mosaics were made all up, six by me. Wendy, Danielle, and Peita made two each, Mum, Dad, Rosa, Sara and Dave's wife Gabbie made one each. Peita, Danielle, Wendy and I painted three coats on each of ten ceiling sheets. Jeff Dave and Ken put up about six or eight whole sheets; enough ceiling (with insulation) was done to allow me to complete mudding the bathroom and mud room to lock up, and then turn the bathroom into a usable ammenity. And the power cable was run for the whole house.

The ceiling will continue at whatever rate we can manage - it needs Jeff, Currawinya Dave and me, at least, working together. The mud walls will be completed as the ceiling extends over them.

So enough Blablabbing. The pictures. These are mine until my phone went flat late in the week. I will upload some more beautiful pics that Rosa took during the two days she and her family were with us. Next Post.

Lunch in the dining room

Ceiling sheets prep coat - Peit

Ceiling Sheets  prep coat - Danielle

the Cornish dry rock wall lesson

Planting the first little found plant

and Peita is on a roll

My double tile - all tiles must contain a piece of the salmon floor tile

Tiles by Danielle Wendy and Peit

Peita Mum Dad and me - happy mosaic-ers

it took three ute loads of rocks

Currawinya Dave

Ken and Jeff cabling

Ceiling over the bathroom

the meeting of the cables

ceiling and light cable in mud room

Peita's completed Great Wall of Currawinya and garden

me in the garden

Peita's second tile - flowers

My camp fire and stars

Rosa's dragonfly

Gabbi's Cataract and Clarence River Junction

Forever House #19

Sunday 30th June 2013

Wood shed of sorts - it worked - the wood dried

End of the Financial year. It'll be great if I get a tax return. I can do with all the budget I can get at the mo.
I didn' really know what I was going to do today. Decided to take that trip to Mallanganee Tip. That was a good job - to get rid of all that garbage and scrap metal. On the return trip along Paddy's Flat Rd I picked up a trailer load of damp bits of tree. Figure it will dry out and be useful at some time with all the people coming out. Keeping a pile of wood is a constant of course - especially for an outside fire. Always good to have some hardwood.

When I unloaded it I made a lean-to over the wood stack, between two trees well-placed. Maybe that will assist to keep the stack dry. I've still got a ute full of pine pallets to take out tomorrow morning. I think they'll be stacked under the eave, to be used in the 20ltr tin brazier on the front verandah.

I dropped over to see if Quan was home. It's an amazing driveway in to her place, especially after a bit of rain, as there has been. It's always a relief to find her home when you make the trek. She was working with her offsider Colin, on her long awaited covered deck. It has come a way - with a roof and railing and beautiful feature posts being sanded - a bit boat like. There's a place for a pot belly fire. It's so good to see Quan getting some stuff done to make her home more comfortable. I showed her the pics of what I have been doing over at my place. She was suitably impressed. She particularly seemed to get a kick out of my Portugal tile made with pieces I scavenged along a walk while there last October. I've asked Quan to come over and make a mosaic. It is important that everyone who has a connection to my house should make a tile. I worked out a rough calculation, using no science at all, that I will need about fourty five tiles to lay around the traffic areas of the house.

Keen mosaic-er me - my first effort

a cup?

I came home from Quan's and started fossicking in the shed with all the mosaic makings. That shed is now referred to as the mosaic studio by the way - not a whiff of rat left after sweeping and burning the kitchen cabinets that had become their disgusting nest. I couldn't wait to get started on the mosaicing, so got to smashing some of the least favourite crockery, saving some of the prettier stuff until I/we know what we are doing. And I cut out pieces of flyscreen on which to lay the designs. Before I knew it, using the camp light as darkness prevailed, I had two made; one featuring a plate and the other a cup. It seems I've started with a kitchen theme. I've got heaps of makings and Peita, my sister, is bringing more coloured tiles up on the train from the Central Coast.
As usual, out here at the Forever House, it was too much fun and I'm really looking forward to collecting a stack of tiles over this week out here. I've got a trip back to Lismore tomorrow. Lots on my agenda. Then tomorrow night,about eight thirty should see Peita and me back at the caravan and almost ensconced. Neither she nor I will have to venture out of Currawinya till Sunday arvo - a week away. Others will come and go during that time. By the end of it there will have been a lot of activity and a huge leap forward for mankind, on a small scale.