Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Forever House #32

Saturday 12th October 2013
Time line for first 16 of 50 weeks left to complete house

I spent some time last night on a time line for the remaining work on the Forever House. I got as far as the end of January 2014 - sixteen weeks from now. I'll see how realistic my estimations are and fill in the remaining weeks as I go. While it's summer and daylight saving, as I have said, I am going to work on my glass projects at night after work as well as on the weekends I am not at the farm. The time line certainly indicates this is necessary to get me to my goal - a finished Forever House @ October long weekend 2014.

Pile of dirt thanks to Stan (and block wall )
After a sweet sleep, and breakfast this morning, I headed down to the house and commenced shovelling dirt. Stan provided me with the gift of a pile of dirt when he brought his digger over last weekend and dug the pad for the water tank. I decided to use it even though I didn't really have a means of sifting it as it went into the barrow. I tossed many larger stones out but left plenty smaller ones in and don't think the mud was any worse for them. As I shovelled my first barrowload Currawinya Dave surprised me by pulling up ready for a day's metal work.

Building block wall Easter 2009 (Spencer cross-eyed...)


Dave's building a framework above the cement block wall that Jeff, my kids Spence and Danika, and I built Easter 2009. Jeff had the pile of blocks when I met him, and they are saving a hell of a lot of mudding as the wall that surrounds the loungeroom incorporating the front door. There weren't enough blocks to take the wall all the way to the 3metre ceiling - and so Dave is filling that gap with a framework. I won't try to describe what will happen inside and outside the framework to bring the house to lock up - this will unfold as we get to it.
     
Dave with his summer hair cut doing metal

It was great having Dave around for the day being productive on my behalf. I told him about my Triton getting a flat tyre and asked to borrow his jack on account of my jack not working; so being the gentleman he is, his first job, was to change it for me. As we were doing that, around 9.30am, a cloud of flying ants rose in waves from the ground. Dave identified them as termites. That made me very glad that my house is not built of wood.




Termite nest from where the flying ants rose in waves
Dave loaned me a webbed strap that he found on the side of the highway somewhere having fallen from a semi trailer. He uses these straps to pull lantana out, tied to the tow-bar of his car. I figure if each time I am here, I pull out a few bushes, then in a year's time I'll have made a significant dent in those on my share.


I'm at the caravan table writing by twilight, having worked till 5.30pm and rewarded myself with a lovely swim wash sit down at the river. Tea was cold lemon and garlic chicken kebabs, lettuce tomato and cucumber in wraps. And now I sit in my still damp cozzie to stay cool, with a cup of tea and pen in hand after a momentous day.



My day's goal of mixing and laying one row of mud around the external wall of the mudroom and bathroom was met - taking nine loads of mud. And the VERY EXCITING NEWS is that I have mudded UP TO THE CEILING around more than half the bathroom. Another row tomorrow will mean the external wall of the bathroom and most of the mud room will be up to the ceiling. Nine years of mudding - starting at this very corner of the house and finally!!! a ceiling installed and mud right up to it.WHOOT WHOOT!
So 7.20pm - I'm weary. Might read till sleep and wake early and do it all again tomorrow before home time. I'm certainly testing this almost fifty-five year old bod (happy birthday to me on the 22nd Oct). I was  saying to Dave today how amazing it will be to come out and enjoy Currawinya and the house when it's finished - and then I wondered if I'll miss the work...

The following photos show that with six load of mud, I did get the second row laid on Sunday. Being a skillion roof, and the rows of mud being reasonably level, it will take another tiny row next time, over the mud room door, to complete this stage.
Post Script - Dave rang me at home on Tuesday night to tell me he spent another day at the house and completed enough of the framework to install the first set of French doors! I am so excited and can't wait to see them. He said he will spend another day or two continuing this work, installing another small window and another set of French doors hopefully before he heads south to work on the wheat harvest in South Australia for a couple of months. All very very good.
Bathroom wall at end of Verandah
Outside Bathroom western side of house


one wall where the shower will be in bathroom
adjoining wall where shower will be


Laundry end of bathroom - verandah thru window to right














Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Forever House #31

Friday 11th October 2013
Fifty one weeks to go till the October long weekend in 2014. The count down is on now. I'm out at Currawinya alone - arriving around 3.30 this afternoon. It's hot hot hot. Although has cooled down a little by now - 7.30pm. I'm in the van by candlelight and wearing the head light (which my sister Peita left for me on one of her several visits this year) for writing by. Jeff's 'gorn fishin' with some family menfolk - so he took the camp light. I've been here with others so often of late it feels a little strange being home along in my little van. My plan is to continue mudding around the bathroom and mud room - hopefully I'll get two rows done by the time I leave on Sunday afternoon.

Not sure what these bugs are but there were squillions
When I got here today it was too hot to think of anything but a swim. But not before using the bug spray I brought out with me to disrupt the flying bugs that have made the humpy their home over the past month or so. They have definitely lessened as I sit here now - I've just had to sweep up around the van to get rid of those that have died since I sprayed. I also found one tiny dead mouse on the floor of the van as I unpacked. It had munched a good chunk of foam out of the lounge before it died - not sure if that's what killed it, or the baits I leave in the van to dissuade vermin. I sound like I'm bad with poisons - but I used to not use them and the rats moved into my van a few years ago. So I weakened, and ever since I have found the van as I left it each time I return  - which is a much better way to arrive than being greeted by yucky old rats and their stinky mess.


Cat fish rings in my swimming hole
After unpacking and sorting out the bugs and mouse, I got out the trusty Triton from the humpy. It started first time which was good because it has been a bit temperamental since it came out here to live. Currawinya Dave worked out it is the starter motor on my last trip out here. Disappointing seeing that was reconditioned just before bringing the car out in Early August. It seems the job may not have totally fixed the problem. Backing out was a bit tricky on my first effort - I thought the brakes might have been stuck, so I gave her a bit more accelerator and out she rolled, and down to the river we drove. The river level is down quite a bit, about up to my underarms at best - it is usually over my fingers when I hold them up above my head while standing on the bottom. Nonetheless, it was very refreshing and I lapped up and down before hopping out and heading back up the hill to get productive.
For whatever reason I walked around the Triton when I parked down by the Forever House... and heard the dreaded hiss of a punctured rear left tyre. Damn. I quickly got back in and drove the car back up to the humpy so that it wouldn't be stranded in the hot sun with a flat tyre. I looked in the humpy to see if the difficulty I'd had reversing was due to some sharp object and there was the culprit - a jagged piece of wood. The tyres for that car are $262 each so that's a real bugger having only replaced the four of them less than a year ago. So I got what I thought was the trusty jack out of the back of the ute and tried to get it under the car before the wheel had totally deflated - but the jack wouldn't work. Not sure what the problem is with that. In an effort to do what I could, I found the lever that releases the spare from under the car, wound it down and pulled the very dusty wheel out, hoping Dave and Gab might call by tomorrow and I can borrow his jack.

Not much more I could do there, so I got into water carting mode, carrying twelve buckets of water from down at the full tank, and filing the blue plastic forty-four gallon drum that is my water storage for mudding.
I looked in the new tank to see if any rain had gathered since putting it there two weeks ago, but nothing. We need rain in the Northern Rivers Region; it's been very dry for a while. Unusual after having what felt like continuous rain for the best part of four years. It's always drier here on this side of the Hogarth Range - which is part of the Great Dividing Range - compared to the other side on the coast where I live at Tuckurimba.                                          

Bathroom external door
In an effort to continue being productive at home over the last two weeks, I've been working on the three-panelled window that will go into the exterior door of the Forever House bathroom. I've pulled apart and cleaned up an old stained glass window that I have talked of previously - and now I am cutting that into three panels and adding some extra glass around the edges to make the panels fit the width of the door window panels.
One of three panels completed and I'm on to the 2nd and 3rd
  I wondered through the week if I could stop watching television for the year to give me the best chance of completing all the glass projects I have lined up. But of course that is a little unrealistic while we have the huge television sitting up there large as life in our loungeroom in our very small house.  I've run the idea of storing the TV past Jeff but his reaction was pretty much "nah". However, I can certainly make an effort to limit my telly watching, now that I've realised that achieving my goal to complete the Forever House by October next year is actually only fifty weeks away... and there is sooo much to do. We've just turned our clocks forward for six months or so for daylight saving. I can spend a couple of hours after work most days, chipping away at foiling and soldering. That's already having an impact. The bathroom door is progressing nicely.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Forever House #30

Sunday 29th Sept continued
Matt relaxing with a mag while we girls made mosaics
As we completed the tank connection and sat with Gab and Dave chatting and congratulating ourselves on a job well done, my sister's car pulled into the Share, and out popped my sister Peita, her daughter Zoe, Zoe's boyfriend Matt, and our nine year old niece Flora. The changing of the guards. Dave and Gab left to go to an end of avocado season party. Jeff had done what he came out to do and had to go back home to work at his business - but not before the rest of my family and I dragged him down to the river where we all had a well deserved and refreshing swim. Delicious to be back in the river after winter.

Zoe - really enjoyed doing this
There were a few snakes about - red belly blacks mainly - the hot weather has brought them out. Very important that we stomp when we walk, and have a sixth sense around keeping an eye out at all times for snakes.

Jeff bade his farewells; Matt got comfy with a magazine; and Peita, Flora, Zoe and I got set up for mosaic making (after inhaling lunch). Look at these works of art! Mine will be a compass when I source ceramic or brass letters for the North South East and West.
Mine

Flora's masterpice

Peita's third mosaic - the sea


Zoe and Matt have been overseas for a couple of years so this is the first time Zoe has been here for four years, and the first time for Matt. Flora came out when she was little but has no memory of it. And Peita has been here about six times this year - she is a regular. The house is being used more and  more as a social space - food prep and eating meals. Its starting to feel like a house.

Zoe Flora Peita Matt having dinner on the verandah
five sleeping in the caravan - fun!

Zoe Flora Me (Donna) and Matt

What little girl doesn't love filly's
Monday morning we went to Gab's for a cuppa where Flora got to feed the filly's that Gab has taken from the wild herd. And I took a photo of her and Dave's bedroom wall - this is the timber that comes as packing at the timber yard in Casino and gets burned normally. We are salvaging enough for our needs. I will have it inside the metal walls in both bedrooms.

this timber wall is how our non mud internal walls will look
The excitement builds. This October long weekend marks one year till the Forever Housewarming. A time line is needed now!

Post script: Due to this trip being planned and my family driving a long way to be here this weekend I was unable to attend the funeral of a friend from long ago - Steve Allett - who died suddenly and too early. His passing is a terrible blow for his wife and children and his friends. Rest in Peace Steve and thankyou for the fun times we had and and memories we made on and around sailing boats when we were hanging out.
Love Donna xxxx

Forever House #29

The tank to be relocated from here to the new pad
Sunday 29th September, 2013
We are moving a tank from it's current location on top of a tank stand Andy built, a long time ago. I seem to write that phrase alot!  

The Water back-story:
Back then, we placed it at the highest point of my Share, and laid a two inch poly pipe all the way from the Cataract River at the bottom of the share, three hundred metres or thereabouts, to give the eventual house gravity fed water. We built the stand from scavenged poles, flitches and other materials from around Currawinya, and Andy cobbled it together in true bushy builder style.
We dragged the tank behind the car from the shed that is now the mosaic studio. I bought a smaller tank for that shed - and it still sits there, full of water and largely unused. Once on the stand, we filled the large tank with water pumped from the river. That full tank sat there for a long time...! largely unused. Over time floods came and went, on one occasion sweeping the $5000 fire pump away. Thank God, Peter Mac was able to salvage it for me; although, there has been no great need to put it back down at the river and set it up for pumping again. To be honest, the idea of having to do that each time I want water does not excite me much.
The other thing that resulted over time, is that the tank stand buckled under the weight of the full water tank, and we had to release the water for fear the stand would collapse.

Jess's tank and the helpers who helped bring it down the hill
The Forever House roof gradually took shape, two hundred square metres of water collection capacity right there. For every one mil of rain, each square metre provides one litre of precious water if caught. As I said earlier, the next attempt at providing water to the Forever House site was when I bought a 22000litre tank from my cousin Jess and his partner Kartyarni  when they sold their share up on the heights of Currawinya. With the help of many we moved that down the hill to find its resting place at the southern corner of the house. That has been a wonderful thing. It feels great to have it there, full of water. That's where I cart my water from for mudding. So another large tank collecting the other half of the roof's water will be amazing.
I felt the back-story needed to be told to show the efforts that have already been expended around water, by myself and the wonderful people who have helped me at each stage along the way.

 ~

Down comes the tank - destined for greater things
The work done this weekend almost completes the meandering route the water has taken to get to the Forever House.The pictures tell the story of moving the tank from the stand to its final resting place beside the house.
Dave brought us a trailer load of sand for our pad

In transit from stand to new pad

Sliding the tank off the trailer on to the pad
Ta Da!!! Tank ready for the next dump of rain



Forever House #28

Jeff and Donna relaxing by candle light on the front deck
Saturday 28th September, 2013
Here we are Jeff and I, on the front verandah of the Forever House - both showered (of a fashion) and having eaten heated up vegetable lasagna brought from home. It's 7.45 pm. When we arrived at 1pm, Dave was here, almost finished re-attaching the guttering to the humpy. He hasn't been here for a while - very busy picking avocados locally. I am very glad Dave and Jeff are here this weekend to get the water collection situation sorted out. It's getting dry and the fire season is fast approaching if not already here. I have been wanting to sort the water out and this weekend is the moment.  
humpy guttering doing its job now

Tank placed at southern corner of roof - May 2009
The Forever House has a skillion roof - all the water running towards the one low edge. Some years ago my brother in law (at the time) Andy attached  guttering to that seventeen metre long edge. The guttering falls from the centre towards each end. In May 2009, we placed a tank at the southern end of the house. That is the main tank from which household water will eventually be pumped. Currently, half our precious rainfall is being collected in that existing tank and it is full, while the other half of the rainfall runs like a waterfall onto the ground just in front of where Jeff and I now sit. Hence the extremely out of control lantana that was growing there until recently when Dave pulled it out - giving us back our distant view.


location marked out for new tank at western corner of roof
This weekend is about placing another tank at the western end of the roof - out of the line of sight when looking through the windows of the house, and set back from the verandah view. A pathway will run between tank and house and along the high side of the tank towards the mosaic shed. There will be room for a vehicle to pass down the other side of the tank. The newly placed tank will sit higher up the block than the existing tank so that a transfer pipe will allow water to gravity feed across when needed. The tap outlet will be close to the pathway beside the house.

By 4.30 this afternoon, Jeff, Dave and I impressed ourselves with our achievements - but all credit goes to darling Stan, and Daphne for releasing him for about an hour. After Jeff and I had marked out the 3400mm circle on the ground and started to pick, crowbar, hoe and shovel the ground - it took us a very short time, in the afternoon sun, to realise that digging the tank pad by hand was going to take forever if it didn't kill one of us first.


If looks could kill!
Stan had agreed to come put us out of our misery
Level pad ready for sand and finally tank
Jeff was huffing and puffing whilst periodically glaring at me. I was blood red in the face, willing the western sun to drop behind the tree, and trying to convince him and myself that we'd have it done in no time. We both knew Stan and his four-in-one tractor were just across the river and would be able to knock the job over in a very short time... But, I hadn't forewarned Stan and I know he and Daphne have so much work of their own to do... Eventually though, I could see that if we wanted to get the job done over the weekend we really did have to go and ask Stan if he would help. And thank you from the bottom of our hearts Stan (and Daph and that flash red tractor) for dropping everything and coming to our rescue. By 4,38pm we had worked that pad into a level stamped hard base ready for Sunday morning. Dave and Jeff earned their icy cold Coopers Pale Ales.