and yes, that’d be me.

I’m sulking because the excavator which is supposed to be digging our french drain today (which is necessary to finish our septic system – for the sewerage) is pulling trees of houses, roads, powerlines etc …… we have power, we had no damage bar 6 trees down over our back fence (and there’s no stock in either paddock so it’s a bit of work and nothing else really) … I’m still grumpy about it even though I’m trying to be gracious …. obviously need to work on grace …. they need him more than us …. but we’ve been building this house for CENTURIES and I’d really like to move in NOW

it really is a marvellous thing = makes everything so much better! Of course, there are others who have a different view at present – my parents would be ENORMOUSLY glad to be sunk under a cloud of miserable rain for a week at least – but after rain almost constantly since May – yesterday and today have been glorious!

enormous gusty freezing winds today all over the Eastern seaboard and Tasmania … we just thought it was wild, wasn’t pleasant driving out through the first few bends from here this morning as it’s through the giant forest – scary! But we thought it might get better as we went up top .. but no!

Worse! Apparently the power went out down here at noon and popped back on around 4pm … Mr Tasmania’s parents lost power around 9am and, as far as we know, it’s still not on now at 6pm … at least we haven’t had the damaging rains they got down south today to go along with the violent winds, small mercies!

We gave up on the inside jobs requiring power as we had none and, after discovering our tv aerial had literally been ripped off the house, and a heap of trees are down over our fence down near the dam, we just decided we’d do the fencing we’d planned to get to, spread the mushroom compost on the plateau, and call it a day.

That took long enough but he’s been able to read the paper and we’ve caught up for a cuppa with some friends we haven’t seen for ages, so it’s been well worth while for the electricals to go out – we got stuff done but also relax and catch up time.

Very glad that no major damage has been done though!

not mine fortunately – poor old St Kilda, it’s all over, Geelong won by 12 points .. pretty amazing effort in the last 5 minutes!

i’ve found this draft – I don’t think it ever was published – so I’ll do it now – if it’s a repeat sorry

I’ve been whinging (just a teensy bit) about the seemingly endless rain we’ve had over Winter (except for last weekend ruining the run, we would’ve had 13 wet weekends in a row, with quite a bit of rain in between those weekends). I haven’t hung washing on the line since May- thank goodness for our heat pump so I can double up and hang things in front of it and (mostly) not use the dryer!

Anyhoo, there’s other wild and unusual weather happening around the country at the moment too:

dust storms

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/dust-storm-surges-through-new-south-wales/11692

dust storm AND destructive winds

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/wild-winds-on-destructive-path/12710

earthwquakes!

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/wild-weather-quakes-hail-fires-dust/12709

enormous rains

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/best-rain-this-year-for-vic-and-sa-and-more-to-come/12707

It’s very very quiet around here … the AFL Grand Final is in it’s last 10 minutes …. actually, quick score check, last 5 minutes with ST Kilda 67 and Geelong 66 …

I’m the only person in Tasmania and Victoria, I’m fairly sure, who has not watched the entire match … Mr Tasmania is round at a mate’s watching – luckily, none of them barrack for the two teams playing so they have been enjoying (loudly and with much beer I’d say) what looks to have been a very very close game! Geelong came second in the Grand Final last year and St Kilda have only ever won one grand final – in 1963? – the sixties anyway! If St K win today the man who was captain of the team that one that final will present the cup – would be a nice thing I think …..

anyway, we continued on our finishing projects this morning, as we wait for a run of fine days to dry the ground sufficiently for the septic system to be finished (without this we cannot move in). I vacuumed the new carpet and the house (again) and wiped yet more dust from all the kitchen surfaces (lots has fallen throughout the week so air is a lot clearer too – bonus!). I also washed the floors of the laundry, bathroom, and en suite, so they look lovely and clean now – briefly I’m sure!

Mr Tasmania took advantage of the sun this morning (it’s pouring torrentially currently) to paint the floor of the garage, much to my relief, as he’s been talking about it for quite some time! One more coat, skirting boards on, and the garage is finished. There will be shelving added later but for now, it will be done – hooray!.

We also spread some of the mushroom compost I got at a bargain price about 3 months ago – it’s VERY mature, that’s all I’ll say about it, use your imaginations!

I’m starting to have some good ideas about kitchen gardens and layouts for the area out in front of the kitchen/dining room – it was a slopey area once but has had all the stuff dug out for the house dumped on it and flattened, so now is a very clayey plateau. I don’t think I really want it to go back to lawn so am mulling over plans for raised garden beds, gravelled meandering paths, non lawn lawns (lawn chamomile, pennyroyal, dichondria etc), pretty dwarf trees (nut trees maybe, and some crabapples?) … ideas anyone? We have a cool to cold climate up at the house, not quite coastal, sheltered from a lot of the winds, it does frost, and we face north’ish, hilly, apparently we can grow passionfruit, nectarines are supposed to do well, there are many lemon trees around, and of course Tasmania is renowned for it’s apples … this end is a food bowl …. any ideas gratefully received

Did I mention we now have carpet? Lovely lovely lovely carpet. I’m so relieved it looks good – it’s very hard to tell from a small sample whether you’ve picked the right thing or you’re delusional and have basically laid down something that would look bad in a pub! Phew!

Our two shower screens went in today and they look fabulous, we’re so pleased. They’re freestanding, 1200mm long, 10mm thick, so very solid and they have just finished off the bathrooms – 1 step closer! Actually, all I have to do is wipe the floor down in the ensuite and it’s totally done. A wipe down and one more towel rack (when we did the fixings out from underneath all my boxes) and the bathroom is done too.

and yes, finally, I have 9 days off in a row. We have an enormous list of things to do but I will be able to find some lovely relaxing bits in the middle of all that, which I’m very excited about! First part will be sleeping in tomorrow – yay! And I get the afternoon off ’cause it’s the AFL (Australian Rules Football for those who don’t know) Grand Final tomorrow – Geelong and St Kilda – and Mr Tasmania is meeting up with some mates to watch ….

Unfortunately, I think I’m starting to enjoy watching AFL … my grandfather would be very pleased with me as he was a Victorian (where it all started) and played 1st grade as a young man (in and around World War 2 and after). Mum has always watched. I’ve never really been into any of the codes, AFL, Rugby League, Rugby Union, or soccer (football) .. I played soccer when younger, and I can follow the codes, and appreciate great playing, so I don’t look like a complete ignoramus … but AFL I’m (smack me!) actually starting to enjoy! I picked a team, but a name only, so people will stop asking me … and I can’t picture myself EVER buying even a team scarf … but I guess I won’t be completely mind numbingly bored when a game is on … and the Footy Show (AFL version) is FABULOUS …. ah well, could be worse

Oh yes, in other states it’s the League Grand Final this weekend too I think … I never really watched that either …

We now have carpet ! hooray!!!!!! I would post pictures but I’m on the ‘other’ laptop and ‘our’ laptop is currently downloading to the portable hard drive so can’t – sorry! nice to have a technical reason for a change rather than I’m too tired – ’cause i’m not!

I’m stuffed, after a yummy butter chicken dinner, but not tired – SUCH a nice change. I got so much done at work today- indeed, this week, should go on holidays more often (next week off), I really do work FAR better to a deadline!

and the dust storm over Sydney is unbelievable! My parents live south of sydney, but around 600metres higher and a bit inland … they’ve had more orange to yellow than red BUT it has been super freezing cold all day and a howling gale – mum took the phone outside for me to hear the wind and it was eerie – instead of blustering winds that you could almost see blowing the trees about it was a weird whistling almost solid sound – she said it’s basically just been blowing ’straight’ and loud all day – I’d be on the earplugs by now I reckon!

And with earthquakes in melbourne, cricket ball sized hail stones in Crookwell, torrential downpours in southern tasmania (almost 4 inches / 93mm in an hour in one area!) … well, climate change, end of the world, change of seasons … I don’t know but it’s interesting!

Hello all, we decided today (as its the last day of Mr Tasmania’s school hols) to take the day off from the house – I must admit we did got up finish weeding the last 20 metres of the grevilleas that he had started yesterday, but that was okay, it gave the dog a run around and we literally didn’t even take the car through the gate, just turned it around and positioned it for a quick getaway! We did leave in the middle when it started pouring and did our shopping then came back and finished and left very satisfied.

Hence, I have had time to sit down and be a normal non house building person and transfer 106 photos from my camera to the computer, upload to flickr, upload to f/book, and now update here – so NICE being a normal person on a weekend … I was going to be ever so slightly industrious and put a load of washing through – but we’ve had to fill the tank and, as it comes from the very muddy at the moment creek, it needs time to settle otherwise dirty clothes come out washed but mud stained … not really the look I’m going for to be honest. So, I’m relaxing. He’s gone for a walk with the dog, I’m sitting in the (now) glaring sun catching up with the world – lovely

Anyhoo, there are more over on flickr (Mrs Tasmania) but here’s a couple to catch you up

and it’s pouring …. what a blessing yesterday was though, no rain at all so all the drains and digging could be done and covered and the solar panels could go up on the roof with no danger of slipping for the guys (’cause they’re Tasmanians so there’d be no being tied on would there!) funny boys … anyway, yesterday was a blessing, no doubt about it!

Newer Posts »