Hi Folks,
We awoke to blue skies and an almost crisp morning with some fog.
Taking advantage of the weather and after liberating the chickens, I cleaned up the remaining tree mounds with the mattock and cut around the irrigation hoses with the push mower. I also managed to rectify the misfiring 4WD mower although I don't know that pulling the choke out for a little while and pushing it in and having the mower then run OK qualifies as a troubleshooting triumph. Oh I wiggled the fuel filter as well.
The next task was to finish painting the waterproof on our camper canvas, pack it away and move the camper to next to our unit. It only took about 3 hours. I am happy as it is dry and packed.
Susan was somewhat surprised I had completed the process myself and complained she was now redundant since we always pack it as a duo.
Speaking of the devil, she did a large linen wash, some unit cleaning, making balms and wrapping soaps. I progressed the unit painting a bit more and with cooperation from the weather we may finish the whole job. We had a latish tea around 7 which gave me an opportunity to spend and hour and a half on the ride on cleaning up around the tree mounds.
That's it for the day. We are off tomorrow and having nothing planned. Speaking of a lack of planning there is a great RFS advert on the television at the moment. It is the third one down on THIS PAGE.
night folks
Simon
Day 237 Nabiac Wednesday 30th January 2013
Hi Folks,
First off the rain gauging. We had around 280mm this week.
This was the reason I was standing down at the exit of the small pond trying to catch some fish this morning. They were swept out of the pond during the rain but didn't get any further than the end of the overflow. I managed three which was pretty pathetic. However I returned after tea and cleared the puddle for a total of 42. What sort of fish?. As far as I can tell they are firetailed gudgeon but not with a lot of confidence. I used this guide.
In between times Susan and I mattocked the mounds and painted under the veranda of unit 1. While Susan was painting this afternoon I was applying 2.5 litres of waterproofing to the outside of the tent. Hopefully I will get the roof done tomorrow and we can pack it away nice and dry.
Seeing as i don't have a lot to write I will pad it out by referring to what we were doing on this day last year. We were sheltering from the rain on Bruny island and looking forward to a night sleeping in the car to avoid the torrential downpour and the 60km/h wind!
Tomorrow more clearing around the tree mounds and more painting.
Night folks
Simon
PS I see we had 4 page views from Nepal. Hi Jono and Kit!
First off the rain gauging. We had around 280mm this week.
This was the reason I was standing down at the exit of the small pond trying to catch some fish this morning. They were swept out of the pond during the rain but didn't get any further than the end of the overflow. I managed three which was pretty pathetic. However I returned after tea and cleared the puddle for a total of 42. What sort of fish?. As far as I can tell they are firetailed gudgeon but not with a lot of confidence. I used this guide.
 |
| Fish puddle |
 |
| Firetailed Gudgeon? |
Seeing as i don't have a lot to write I will pad it out by referring to what we were doing on this day last year. We were sheltering from the rain on Bruny island and looking forward to a night sleeping in the car to avoid the torrential downpour and the 60km/h wind!
Tomorrow more clearing around the tree mounds and more painting.
Night folks
Simon
PS I see we had 4 page views from Nepal. Hi Jono and Kit!
Day 236 Nabiac Tuesday 29th January 2013
Hi Folks,
We awoke in a very large sauna this morning. It was warm and about 150% humidity. As you may recall from yesterday we were on our own here after Andrew and the kids left at 9 to go to Armidale.
My first task was to rectify the alarm on the effluent treatment system. All the sprinklers on the discharge sprays had blocked up leading to a high level. A relatively simple job to clean them apart from trying to avoid the manky water. They were just about all blocked again 2-3 hours later although the level was low enough to silence the alarm. I removed all the sprayers leaving the risers to spur skywards like little fountains.
Susan meanwhile was in the shop mopping up the water ingress from the storm yesterday. There were no customers although the shop was open there was a sign out front saying the farm was closed.
At midday she gave up waiting and stated the washing for the units and made cookie dough. After lunch she sorted out the other rack in the store room.
I meanwhile started painting under the eaves on unit 1. It was sweaty work. At 4 I pulled the pin and headed to Taree to buy another 5 litres of canvas water proofer plus a trip to the supermarket.
On my return we enjoyed a splendid turkey fried rice prepared by Susan.
At dusk I walked around the 6 chicken houses making sure they were all secured from preying jaws overnight. I also took a stroll down to the dam with the led lenser torch which is more like a portable spotlight. Some interesting sights, tortoises, shrimps, eels, small fish, an army of leeches marching up the drainage creek to the small pond. Below the small dam there was a little pool with about 20 small fish in it. I scared a bird away when I approached which I think was a crane preying on them. Tomorrow I will try and net them out and return them to safety.
night folks
Simon
We awoke in a very large sauna this morning. It was warm and about 150% humidity. As you may recall from yesterday we were on our own here after Andrew and the kids left at 9 to go to Armidale.
My first task was to rectify the alarm on the effluent treatment system. All the sprinklers on the discharge sprays had blocked up leading to a high level. A relatively simple job to clean them apart from trying to avoid the manky water. They were just about all blocked again 2-3 hours later although the level was low enough to silence the alarm. I removed all the sprayers leaving the risers to spur skywards like little fountains.
Susan meanwhile was in the shop mopping up the water ingress from the storm yesterday. There were no customers although the shop was open there was a sign out front saying the farm was closed.
At midday she gave up waiting and stated the washing for the units and made cookie dough. After lunch she sorted out the other rack in the store room.
I meanwhile started painting under the eaves on unit 1. It was sweaty work. At 4 I pulled the pin and headed to Taree to buy another 5 litres of canvas water proofer plus a trip to the supermarket.
On my return we enjoyed a splendid turkey fried rice prepared by Susan.
At dusk I walked around the 6 chicken houses making sure they were all secured from preying jaws overnight. I also took a stroll down to the dam with the led lenser torch which is more like a portable spotlight. Some interesting sights, tortoises, shrimps, eels, small fish, an army of leeches marching up the drainage creek to the small pond. Below the small dam there was a little pool with about 20 small fish in it. I scared a bird away when I approached which I think was a crane preying on them. Tomorrow I will try and net them out and return them to safety.
night folks
Simon
Day 235 Nabiac Monday 28th January 2013
Hi Folks,
I think I can safely say it rained all night and all day although it has quite possibly stopped now. How much? Around 180 mm. I will get an update from Andrew tomorrow on the official farm rain gauge. Accordingly we didn't do much today. We did pack up the kitchen on the camper so that is all tidied away for when the canvas dries out. I did put an extra couple of guy ropes on but the winds weren't too bad. There are some patches on the canvas that need reproofing so I have decided to do all the surfaces apart from the ones I have redone around the sleeping area. It has had a fair battering rain wise this time out so must be due for some preventative maintenance. I will attend to that in due course after I have purchased more proofing agent although I have 2.5 litres left.
We went for a walk in the rain this afternoon around the part of the far we could get to. The other part is cut off by the creek. At the outlet of the big dam i spotted a fish splashing out of the water as it could not get pass the barrier stopping it from escaping downstream so we know there is at least one silver perch left! I pulled away the debris clogging the screen.
Other than that not a great deal to report. Susan cooked a turkey for tea tonight. From memory the second one we have had here. Tomorrow we will be here by ourselves so hopefully nothing will go wrong!
At least the rain has moved on and we have fared far better than our neighbours north of the border.
night folks
Simon
I think I can safely say it rained all night and all day although it has quite possibly stopped now. How much? Around 180 mm. I will get an update from Andrew tomorrow on the official farm rain gauge. Accordingly we didn't do much today. We did pack up the kitchen on the camper so that is all tidied away for when the canvas dries out. I did put an extra couple of guy ropes on but the winds weren't too bad. There are some patches on the canvas that need reproofing so I have decided to do all the surfaces apart from the ones I have redone around the sleeping area. It has had a fair battering rain wise this time out so must be due for some preventative maintenance. I will attend to that in due course after I have purchased more proofing agent although I have 2.5 litres left.
We went for a walk in the rain this afternoon around the part of the far we could get to. The other part is cut off by the creek. At the outlet of the big dam i spotted a fish splashing out of the water as it could not get pass the barrier stopping it from escaping downstream so we know there is at least one silver perch left! I pulled away the debris clogging the screen.
 |
| The little dam we can see from our cabin |
 |
| ditto above |
 |
| The big dam |
 |
| Pulling debris from the discharge screen |
Small normally dry creek bed
Other than that not a great deal to report. Susan cooked a turkey for tea tonight. From memory the second one we have had here. Tomorrow we will be here by ourselves so hopefully nothing will go wrong!
At least the rain has moved on and we have fared far better than our neighbours north of the border.
night folks
Simon
Day 234 Nabiac Sunday 27th January 2013
Hi folks,
A short blog tonight from the dry confines of a cabin on the farm. We had around 80mm of rain overnight and today. The ground is slowly becoming saturated. Our tent is dry inside apart from some minor leaks around the floor seam. However everything is damp. There is little breeze and just dull overcast with rain. I noticed how damp everything was when I transferred it to the cabin late this afternoon.
We elected to tidy up the store room today as an inside job out of the rain, well mostly. We emptied one shelving unit in which the particle board was quite dilapidated and with one upright showing white ant attack. Susan left me to strip the old wood out and replace the shelves and went inside the house to organise the pantry. The lowlight was when I took off the top shelf and poured all the dirt and rodent pooh over myself. The shelving took a couple of hours but turned out OK. It is very sturdy and not too ugly. The pantry looks immaculate. By the time I went to Nabiac to get take away from the shop that was closed it was 720pm. Susan knocked up some cheese and tuna on Turkish bread. We then completed the settling in and have a day off tomorrow which we will probably spend watching the rain!
I watched the ABC news tonight. The floods in Queensland are crazy. It is affecting areas we spent quite a bit of time in this time out. Hopefully all our friends will be safe and sound with limited damage. Couple of notable 24 hour rainfall figures. Kilkivan where we camped overnight in the rain 326mm in 24 hours and Gympie 234 mm in 24 hours. That is serious rain.
Anyway tonight we are dry and have power. Hopefully the winds will be moderate tomorrow. I am not too much worried about the rain and the camper although if it goes on and on then mould might be a problem. High winds have the potential to do some damage. However my analysis is that the weather is easing (famous last words)
Night folks
Simon
A short blog tonight from the dry confines of a cabin on the farm. We had around 80mm of rain overnight and today. The ground is slowly becoming saturated. Our tent is dry inside apart from some minor leaks around the floor seam. However everything is damp. There is little breeze and just dull overcast with rain. I noticed how damp everything was when I transferred it to the cabin late this afternoon.
We elected to tidy up the store room today as an inside job out of the rain, well mostly. We emptied one shelving unit in which the particle board was quite dilapidated and with one upright showing white ant attack. Susan left me to strip the old wood out and replace the shelves and went inside the house to organise the pantry. The lowlight was when I took off the top shelf and poured all the dirt and rodent pooh over myself. The shelving took a couple of hours but turned out OK. It is very sturdy and not too ugly. The pantry looks immaculate. By the time I went to Nabiac to get take away from the shop that was closed it was 720pm. Susan knocked up some cheese and tuna on Turkish bread. We then completed the settling in and have a day off tomorrow which we will probably spend watching the rain!
I watched the ABC news tonight. The floods in Queensland are crazy. It is affecting areas we spent quite a bit of time in this time out. Hopefully all our friends will be safe and sound with limited damage. Couple of notable 24 hour rainfall figures. Kilkivan where we camped overnight in the rain 326mm in 24 hours and Gympie 234 mm in 24 hours. That is serious rain.
Anyway tonight we are dry and have power. Hopefully the winds will be moderate tomorrow. I am not too much worried about the rain and the camper although if it goes on and on then mould might be a problem. High winds have the potential to do some damage. However my analysis is that the weather is easing (famous last words)
Night folks
Simon
Day 233 Nabiac Saturday 26th Janauary 2013
Hi folks,
Susan helped out at the Nabiac market this morning helping Anna on the stall. She met a few locals and bought a few goodies.
I was here hacking out weeds on the tree mounds. I had intended to pack the tent if the weather was clement. However we had 30 mm of rain here today so I did get some practice at digging drainage ditches around the tent in a downpour this afternoon. We had some very heavy showers and the tent stood up well. With the ditches dug I am sure it will be fine it the deluge arrives from the north. Reading online the weather has been severe. 700mm of rain at Gladstone and 120km/h winds forecast for Brisbane tomorrow. I am unsure how far south this weather will propagate. The bureau is forecasting 200mm, maybe. Anyway we will be in a cabin tomorrow night. It will just be a matter of securing the canvas and awaiting the sun. We have a few days i.e. about 10 so I think we should be able to manage to dry it in time.
The weather actually cleared late afternoon and the sky has few clouds now. I took the opportunity to take the push mower to the tree mounds and spend an hour cutting the grass and weeds around them. Susan cooked tea since Anna has taken her daughter to Armidale earlier than scheduled for school. The road apparently gets closed when it rains hard and they didn't want to be stranded.
I have retired the solar panels for the moment due to the cloud. We are running from the mains. This would be one of those times if we didn't have mains where a generator would be required. Either that or not run the laptops at all! God forbid!
That's all the news another early night coming up! It's a very pleasant 24 degrees at 1015pm
night folks
Simon
Susan helped out at the Nabiac market this morning helping Anna on the stall. She met a few locals and bought a few goodies.
 |
| Anna and Josie |
I was here hacking out weeds on the tree mounds. I had intended to pack the tent if the weather was clement. However we had 30 mm of rain here today so I did get some practice at digging drainage ditches around the tent in a downpour this afternoon. We had some very heavy showers and the tent stood up well. With the ditches dug I am sure it will be fine it the deluge arrives from the north. Reading online the weather has been severe. 700mm of rain at Gladstone and 120km/h winds forecast for Brisbane tomorrow. I am unsure how far south this weather will propagate. The bureau is forecasting 200mm, maybe. Anyway we will be in a cabin tomorrow night. It will just be a matter of securing the canvas and awaiting the sun. We have a few days i.e. about 10 so I think we should be able to manage to dry it in time.
The weather actually cleared late afternoon and the sky has few clouds now. I took the opportunity to take the push mower to the tree mounds and spend an hour cutting the grass and weeds around them. Susan cooked tea since Anna has taken her daughter to Armidale earlier than scheduled for school. The road apparently gets closed when it rains hard and they didn't want to be stranded.
I have retired the solar panels for the moment due to the cloud. We are running from the mains. This would be one of those times if we didn't have mains where a generator would be required. Either that or not run the laptops at all! God forbid!
That's all the news another early night coming up! It's a very pleasant 24 degrees at 1015pm
night folks
Simon
Day 232 Nabiac Friday 25th January 2013
Hi All,
The humidity is enshrouding us as the remains of tropical cyclone Oswald meander down the coast of Queensland. There are some interesting rainfall predictions i.e >200mm. I am hoping against good judgement that the rain will hold off until Sunday allowing us to pack the canvas and head to the cabin for the remainder of our stay here.
We toodled up for a day in Taree today. Susan left early with Anna's car which had to be serviced. I followed with the ute and trailer containing the buggy to have it's starter motor issues rectified.
After offloading the buggy and trailer I caught up with Susan. We wandered around and were doing some shopping in Woollies when the opticians rang to say my sunnies had arrived. We chatted to the happy smiling ladies and said our goodbyes since it is unlikely our paths will cross again. Unless my glasses fall apart before we depart the area of course. The sunnies are very stylish. I am now breaking in my new multifocals or to be more correct training my eyes to adjust to them. The best test is to walk along shelves in shops looking at items and the price tags as your focus distance keeps changing. Another good exercise is to visit the local art gallery which is something we also did this afternoon after a 20 minute downpour had subsided. We had prior to this gone to the cinema. However one film that we might have watched had already started and the next was "The Life of Pi" which I had seen 3.14159 times already. We stopped for lunch at Fish Fish Fish where we had a respectable meal. Some time after we had left Susan deduced she had been over charged and returned to reclaim $5.
There were two exhibitions at the gallery, a set of underwater pictures of a search for wrecks off the Great Barrier Reef and Red Rock & Rust Belt which was a comparison between Petra and Detroit. The link shows the pictures and explains the idea.
The buggy (alias quad bike) was not fixable as there was no replacement starter motor available (apart from removing one from the line of new buggies sitting out the front) so I returned to Nabiac with an empty trailer. Susan arrived 5 minutes after me with Anna's car.
We sat for some time listening to the talking book in the Pajero before having tea. As previously noted sitting here this evening it is quite humid and the odour of grass rotting under the PVC floor is gaining momentum. The main door fly zip is becoming more dysfunctional and I am hoping it will survive until we return to Adelaide and our local canvas shop.
I am trying for an early night tonight. Must be some sort of a record not yet 10 pm and the blog is written and published.
Cheers
Simon
The humidity is enshrouding us as the remains of tropical cyclone Oswald meander down the coast of Queensland. There are some interesting rainfall predictions i.e >200mm. I am hoping against good judgement that the rain will hold off until Sunday allowing us to pack the canvas and head to the cabin for the remainder of our stay here.
We toodled up for a day in Taree today. Susan left early with Anna's car which had to be serviced. I followed with the ute and trailer containing the buggy to have it's starter motor issues rectified.
After offloading the buggy and trailer I caught up with Susan. We wandered around and were doing some shopping in Woollies when the opticians rang to say my sunnies had arrived. We chatted to the happy smiling ladies and said our goodbyes since it is unlikely our paths will cross again. Unless my glasses fall apart before we depart the area of course. The sunnies are very stylish. I am now breaking in my new multifocals or to be more correct training my eyes to adjust to them. The best test is to walk along shelves in shops looking at items and the price tags as your focus distance keeps changing. Another good exercise is to visit the local art gallery which is something we also did this afternoon after a 20 minute downpour had subsided. We had prior to this gone to the cinema. However one film that we might have watched had already started and the next was "The Life of Pi" which I had seen 3.14159 times already. We stopped for lunch at Fish Fish Fish where we had a respectable meal. Some time after we had left Susan deduced she had been over charged and returned to reclaim $5.
There were two exhibitions at the gallery, a set of underwater pictures of a search for wrecks off the Great Barrier Reef and Red Rock & Rust Belt which was a comparison between Petra and Detroit. The link shows the pictures and explains the idea.
 |
| I didn't read the info accompanying this sculpture |
 |
| I presume it was a man's dream of what to do when the family is bugging him |
 |
| An outside sculpture |
 |
| Ditto above |
We sat for some time listening to the talking book in the Pajero before having tea. As previously noted sitting here this evening it is quite humid and the odour of grass rotting under the PVC floor is gaining momentum. The main door fly zip is becoming more dysfunctional and I am hoping it will survive until we return to Adelaide and our local canvas shop.
I am trying for an early night tonight. Must be some sort of a record not yet 10 pm and the blog is written and published.
Cheers
Simon
Day 231 Nabiac Thursday January 24th 2013
Hi Folks,
A pleasant cool evening with a clear sky after some light rain.
I was cleaning my new glasses this morning and holding them up to the incident light discovered they have a serial number on each lens. I rang the optician and yes they do have a number on them from the free form manufacturing process. It does not seem to affect ones vision as it is light and obviously not in a critical location. However it was a surprise and I am not sure why they don't put it nearer the edge. Anyway it is small potatoes in the scheme of things. My google research indicated brand name sunglass manufacturers have serial numbers on lenses (and frames) to counteract pirating.
On to the days business. Susan cut the grass around the house before making up unit 1. I had three small repairs to get me through to the time for the buggy to be available. These of course went well into the after noon. Fixing the frame on the A frame sign, modifying the solar oven for drying citrus and repairing the potato bin. The potato bin had some very unsavoury potatoes in it. They smell almost as bad as off bait prawns. Repairs completed I went out to the tree mounds and merrily swung the mattock for a while hacking out paspalum and other assorted weeds. I was a bit too merry and ended up repairing a irrigation line that I also mattocked (I know this is not a real word).
Susan knocked up another chow mien for tea, after popping to town to buy the ingredients, to the same recipe as last time. There was much refilling of bowls. Her culinary prowess is one of my great joys of being on the road.
Tonight she tried to do some more planning of our movements over the next 5 weeks. This is a frustrating job for her since she has to deal with me! First to get me engaged in the conversation and then I always want to holiday more and work less than her. However we generally get there in the end. Although I do have an axe in my head at the moment. It is still a bit up in the air apart from the fact we will be at Mansfield and Kyneton in the timeshare(s) from March 1st for 14 days. I always like to leave a bit of slack in the schedule for flexibility. However if there is not enough planning then the result can be a shambles. We have a bit of country to see between here and Mansfield and it would be a shame to rush it or not be able to adjust our schedule a bit in light of what we discover on the way. Once we have some feedback from people on the way we will settle the timings.
Night folks
Simon
A pleasant cool evening with a clear sky after some light rain.
I was cleaning my new glasses this morning and holding them up to the incident light discovered they have a serial number on each lens. I rang the optician and yes they do have a number on them from the free form manufacturing process. It does not seem to affect ones vision as it is light and obviously not in a critical location. However it was a surprise and I am not sure why they don't put it nearer the edge. Anyway it is small potatoes in the scheme of things. My google research indicated brand name sunglass manufacturers have serial numbers on lenses (and frames) to counteract pirating.
On to the days business. Susan cut the grass around the house before making up unit 1. I had three small repairs to get me through to the time for the buggy to be available. These of course went well into the after noon. Fixing the frame on the A frame sign, modifying the solar oven for drying citrus and repairing the potato bin. The potato bin had some very unsavoury potatoes in it. They smell almost as bad as off bait prawns. Repairs completed I went out to the tree mounds and merrily swung the mattock for a while hacking out paspalum and other assorted weeds. I was a bit too merry and ended up repairing a irrigation line that I also mattocked (I know this is not a real word).
Susan knocked up another chow mien for tea, after popping to town to buy the ingredients, to the same recipe as last time. There was much refilling of bowls. Her culinary prowess is one of my great joys of being on the road.
Tonight she tried to do some more planning of our movements over the next 5 weeks. This is a frustrating job for her since she has to deal with me! First to get me engaged in the conversation and then I always want to holiday more and work less than her. However we generally get there in the end. Although I do have an axe in my head at the moment. It is still a bit up in the air apart from the fact we will be at Mansfield and Kyneton in the timeshare(s) from March 1st for 14 days. I always like to leave a bit of slack in the schedule for flexibility. However if there is not enough planning then the result can be a shambles. We have a bit of country to see between here and Mansfield and it would be a shame to rush it or not be able to adjust our schedule a bit in light of what we discover on the way. Once we have some feedback from people on the way we will settle the timings.
Night folks
Simon
Day 230 Nabiac Wednesday 23rd January 2013
Howdy folks,
After the usual amount of procrastination we headed off up the road to Taree so I could pick up my glasses. The usual friendly service was in evidence. I am currently breaking my eyes in to the new prescription. I have one more visit to pick up the sunglasses. Mind you by then I will have received my credit card bill and will be organising a trip to Thailand to sell a kidney to pay for them.
After a coffee we stopped to have a free battery check before I commit my self to purchase a new non genuine starter motor for the Pajero. The battery checked out OK although I wasn't overly confident in the testing. Funnily enough the starter was running much better today.
We left Taree behind and journeyed to Ellenborough Falls. The view was spectacular and we had a nice cheap lunch at the cafe. The lady running it was friendly, amiable and chatted about life in nearby Elands. We did not descend to the bottom as I had a nice headache and Susan a gut ache. However the view from the top was great. The falls drop is 200 metres second only to Wallaman falls west of Ingham in Qld. We didn't visit them in 2010 I think because of the drive distance involved. Although according to Whereis it is only 43km which doesn't seem a lot.
We continued on our way along the tourist drive which doubles back through Tapin Tops National Park. It was a very pleasant drive back through the forests while we listened to "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest" We encountered several locals driving in the opposite direction at what seemed to be precipitant speed. Returning to Taree we bought nibblies and 4kg of LPG. I was a bit surprised to find the bottle nearly empty when I looked this morning considering we filled it at Dunoon at the start of December.
Returning home we sat in the car for a while listening to more story.
The weather has been most sullen today. A concrete sky but no rain.
night folks
Simon
After the usual amount of procrastination we headed off up the road to Taree so I could pick up my glasses. The usual friendly service was in evidence. I am currently breaking my eyes in to the new prescription. I have one more visit to pick up the sunglasses. Mind you by then I will have received my credit card bill and will be organising a trip to Thailand to sell a kidney to pay for them.
After a coffee we stopped to have a free battery check before I commit my self to purchase a new non genuine starter motor for the Pajero. The battery checked out OK although I wasn't overly confident in the testing. Funnily enough the starter was running much better today.
We left Taree behind and journeyed to Ellenborough Falls. The view was spectacular and we had a nice cheap lunch at the cafe. The lady running it was friendly, amiable and chatted about life in nearby Elands. We did not descend to the bottom as I had a nice headache and Susan a gut ache. However the view from the top was great. The falls drop is 200 metres second only to Wallaman falls west of Ingham in Qld. We didn't visit them in 2010 I think because of the drive distance involved. Although according to Whereis it is only 43km which doesn't seem a lot.
 |
| Filming from the platform |
Ellenborough Falls
We continued on our way along the tourist drive which doubles back through Tapin Tops National Park. It was a very pleasant drive back through the forests while we listened to "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest" We encountered several locals driving in the opposite direction at what seemed to be precipitant speed. Returning to Taree we bought nibblies and 4kg of LPG. I was a bit surprised to find the bottle nearly empty when I looked this morning considering we filled it at Dunoon at the start of December.
Returning home we sat in the car for a while listening to more story.
The weather has been most sullen today. A concrete sky but no rain.
night folks
Simon
Day 229 Nabiac Tuesday 22nd January 2013
Evening folks,
We start tonight's blog with the pictures. Mystery pictures
Answer,
This is honey but not your normal honey. It is produced by stingless native bees that are the size of small flies. It is known as sugarbag honey. About 1 kg per hive per season as opposed to european bees which produce about 80kg. The Australian record is an average of 357kg from 400 hives in a 12 month period.
In other activities today. I started on tidying up more tree mounds. The weather was hot so it was slow as I took breaks to beat the heat. I got half a dozen done along with the mowing and mulching around them. It makes the garden area look really smart so we will continue this on Thursday. Susan's main job today was making up unit 2 since the guests left today.
We had a nice lasagne tea. Weather here is quite warm and heavy cloud with rain storms out west on the radar. Touch and go whether we will get a dumping as we are right on the edge. At least there is a hint of a cooler breeze.
Day off tomorrow and have no idea what we shall do!
night folks
Simon
We start tonight's blog with the pictures. Mystery pictures
 |
| Any guesses to this substance that Susan bottled today? |
Answer,
This is honey but not your normal honey. It is produced by stingless native bees that are the size of small flies. It is known as sugarbag honey. About 1 kg per hive per season as opposed to european bees which produce about 80kg. The Australian record is an average of 357kg from 400 hives in a 12 month period.
In other activities today. I started on tidying up more tree mounds. The weather was hot so it was slow as I took breaks to beat the heat. I got half a dozen done along with the mowing and mulching around them. It makes the garden area look really smart so we will continue this on Thursday. Susan's main job today was making up unit 2 since the guests left today.
We had a nice lasagne tea. Weather here is quite warm and heavy cloud with rain storms out west on the radar. Touch and go whether we will get a dumping as we are right on the edge. At least there is a hint of a cooler breeze.
Day off tomorrow and have no idea what we shall do!
night folks
Simon
Day 228 Nabiac Monday 21st January 2013
Hi folks,
I wasn't sure what day it was when I awoke today not because I have lost even more of my mind but because the day of the week has no real relevance any more. However the traffic volume on the road should have given me the clue that it was Monday.
A bit of a restless night after last nights indigestion attack. Things seem to have settled down now.
Onto the days business. I spent the day mulching, lot's of mulching, fertilising and generally driving the buggy around. I also popped the wheel back on the wheelbarrow and tightened up a couple of tables. Susan on the other hand had a more varied day. She picked lemon balm, planted seedlings, finished cleaning the shop, cooked slices, finished the cabin washing and prepared the shed for the bus group tomorrow.
The weather was pleasant with some nice overcast in the afternoon to keep the temperature under control. The ground is now a bit damp after the 17 mm of rain we had yesterday.
That's about all the news. Another good day in the country!
Cheers
Simon
I wasn't sure what day it was when I awoke today not because I have lost even more of my mind but because the day of the week has no real relevance any more. However the traffic volume on the road should have given me the clue that it was Monday.
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| Early morning snapped by Susan |
A bit of a restless night after last nights indigestion attack. Things seem to have settled down now.
Onto the days business. I spent the day mulching, lot's of mulching, fertilising and generally driving the buggy around. I also popped the wheel back on the wheelbarrow and tightened up a couple of tables. Susan on the other hand had a more varied day. She picked lemon balm, planted seedlings, finished cleaning the shop, cooked slices, finished the cabin washing and prepared the shed for the bus group tomorrow.
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| Kookaburra in the herb patch. The only bird large enough and slow enough for me to photograph |
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| Installing tree guards |
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| Yes that is a sweat soaked shirt |
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| When I nod my head hit it! |
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| All done! |
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| Jasper |
Cheers
Simon
Day 227 Nabiac Sunday 20th January 2013
Hi Folks,
A damp soggy evening here. Light rain started to fall just after we started working on the garden beds and continued on for most of the day. We aborted the gardening after some initial mowing, brush cutting and mattocking and went to Unit 1 where Susan cleaned and made up the room and I painted the strip under the veranda that didn't get finished the other day. I also cleaned a lot of stray paint left by previous painters from the water heater.
That was about the day really. Too wet to get enthused. We managed to leave a window open in the tent this morning so there is a small wet patch that has mostly dried.
Andrew made an excellent carbonara style pasta tea tonight with lots of cream, mushroom and bacon . Unfortunately I over indulged and am now paying for it with severe indigestion. Maybe it was because I omitted to have a beer.
We hope to see the sun tomorrow!
cheers Simon
A damp soggy evening here. Light rain started to fall just after we started working on the garden beds and continued on for most of the day. We aborted the gardening after some initial mowing, brush cutting and mattocking and went to Unit 1 where Susan cleaned and made up the room and I painted the strip under the veranda that didn't get finished the other day. I also cleaned a lot of stray paint left by previous painters from the water heater.
That was about the day really. Too wet to get enthused. We managed to leave a window open in the tent this morning so there is a small wet patch that has mostly dried.
Andrew made an excellent carbonara style pasta tea tonight with lots of cream, mushroom and bacon . Unfortunately I over indulged and am now paying for it with severe indigestion. Maybe it was because I omitted to have a beer.
We hope to see the sun tomorrow!
cheers Simon
Day 226 Nabiac Saturday 19th January 2013
Hi folks,
Most of the time I look like an old goat. Today I smell like one. Andrew had to trim the billy goats horn since it was curling around pressing into his head. The procedure is Andrew tips him onto the ground and I hold him down while Andrew uses a wire saw to cut bits off. The first couple of cuts near the end were OK being just little nibbles to clean the space. A bigger cut followed and that was good too. The last cut however spurred the goat into action with the strength of 20 goats or maybe he just caught me by surprise. I hung on for a brief period when he sprang to his feet but decided to let go. Andrew put him back down on the ground and finished the cut with me holding on tightly. He was then shuttered in a pen just in case he got grumpy(the goat not Andrew) That's how I come to be covered in eau de goat, goat hair and dust from dirt in the pen.
The rest of the day we spent working on the planting mounds that contain the fruit trees, hacking out weeds, trimming the edges and mowing in between and carting in more chip mulch and spreading it. We also planted 6 new trees. This was all done under periods of light rain. At least being cloudy meant pleasant working conditions. We both did a fairly physical days work with more tomorrow. I shall take some pictures to show the tidy up. I used the Husqvarna brush cutter today. What a lovely piece of equipment, very smooth and easy to start.
That's the day. We have had steady light rain this evening but that has now stopped.
Night folks
Simon
Most of the time I look like an old goat. Today I smell like one. Andrew had to trim the billy goats horn since it was curling around pressing into his head. The procedure is Andrew tips him onto the ground and I hold him down while Andrew uses a wire saw to cut bits off. The first couple of cuts near the end were OK being just little nibbles to clean the space. A bigger cut followed and that was good too. The last cut however spurred the goat into action with the strength of 20 goats or maybe he just caught me by surprise. I hung on for a brief period when he sprang to his feet but decided to let go. Andrew put him back down on the ground and finished the cut with me holding on tightly. He was then shuttered in a pen just in case he got grumpy(the goat not Andrew) That's how I come to be covered in eau de goat, goat hair and dust from dirt in the pen.
The rest of the day we spent working on the planting mounds that contain the fruit trees, hacking out weeds, trimming the edges and mowing in between and carting in more chip mulch and spreading it. We also planted 6 new trees. This was all done under periods of light rain. At least being cloudy meant pleasant working conditions. We both did a fairly physical days work with more tomorrow. I shall take some pictures to show the tidy up. I used the Husqvarna brush cutter today. What a lovely piece of equipment, very smooth and easy to start.
That's the day. We have had steady light rain this evening but that has now stopped.
Night folks
Simon
Day 225 Nabiac Friday 18th January 2013
Hi folks,
Obviously every one has been paying as little attention to the day count in the title as me. I realised tonight there was no way we could be up to day 3 hundred and something since we left home last June. It appears my bodgie eyes probably combined with a late night transformed the 0 in 207 to a 9 with the count going from 207 to 298. I'll try to be more vigilant in future.
As you are no doubt aware Sydney had its all time record maximum today. This meant it was also warm here around the 40 mark. The chickens don't like the heat and another one passed away.
Susan was minding the shop the this morning since Anna was out. Not many visitors due to the heat. When visitors want the farm tour Andrew comes and guides them. While Susan was luxuriating in the air conditioning. I was out in the sun reattaching an awning to the chicken caravan which was blown off in the last storm. I was simultaneously running the water tanker trying to keep the kiwi fruit vines alive. The engine is a bit smoky on the trailer so I kept it just ticking over lest some zealous neighbour called the RFS.
Susan directed me to take a break so that I could be available for honey spinning this afternoon. This we did after I had put a new tube into the wheelbarrow tyre which was not overly co-operative in being refitted. However it is on and the tyre hasn't gone flat yet.
Spinning and bottling the honey took the rest of the afternoon and we did not finish the clean up till after tea. Both groups of guests popped in to see what we were doing although they missed the spinning. We bottled 75 jars which is about 35kg of honey.
We hopped into the pool before dusk for a nice swim although the water was pretty warm. As I type this we are just zipping the tent up as warm rain is falling and has now stopped after 5 mins. Should make for a sticky night!
cheers Simon
Obviously every one has been paying as little attention to the day count in the title as me. I realised tonight there was no way we could be up to day 3 hundred and something since we left home last June. It appears my bodgie eyes probably combined with a late night transformed the 0 in 207 to a 9 with the count going from 207 to 298. I'll try to be more vigilant in future.
As you are no doubt aware Sydney had its all time record maximum today. This meant it was also warm here around the 40 mark. The chickens don't like the heat and another one passed away.
Susan was minding the shop the this morning since Anna was out. Not many visitors due to the heat. When visitors want the farm tour Andrew comes and guides them. While Susan was luxuriating in the air conditioning. I was out in the sun reattaching an awning to the chicken caravan which was blown off in the last storm. I was simultaneously running the water tanker trying to keep the kiwi fruit vines alive. The engine is a bit smoky on the trailer so I kept it just ticking over lest some zealous neighbour called the RFS.
Susan directed me to take a break so that I could be available for honey spinning this afternoon. This we did after I had put a new tube into the wheelbarrow tyre which was not overly co-operative in being refitted. However it is on and the tyre hasn't gone flat yet.
Spinning and bottling the honey took the rest of the afternoon and we did not finish the clean up till after tea. Both groups of guests popped in to see what we were doing although they missed the spinning. We bottled 75 jars which is about 35kg of honey.
We hopped into the pool before dusk for a nice swim although the water was pretty warm. As I type this we are just zipping the tent up as warm rain is falling and has now stopped after 5 mins. Should make for a sticky night!
cheers Simon
Day 224 Nabiac Thursday 17th January 2013
Hi folks,
A warm day today with the promise of more heat tomorrow.
We arose early and were in Taree by 845. I spent a goodly amount of time in the opticians (Baker, Payne & Webb), looking at frames, getting my eyes tested and going through options. I have on order a new pair of multi focals and some readers. Replacement sunglasses gave me the most problem from the point of view of justifying the expenditure. The staff were friendly and persuasive and in the end I bought a new pair as well. All on the credit card of course!
After some other minor business we returned to Nabiac and called into the pub for the $8.80 lunch special. A revelation considering our misadventures of late. Susan had a curry and I had battered fish. The food was good and cheap. We returned to the farm. We spent time sitting and listening to the audio book. We then toodled out into the field with Anna to help her harvest some honey which is now waiting for us to spin it tomorrow.
It is now 11, the blog is written and the audio book is rattling along in the car with the doors open and the narrators voice booming into the night. I wonder if we will get to bed at a reasonable hour since it has reached what seems to be a climax and we want to hear the end!
night folks
Cheers Simon
A warm day today with the promise of more heat tomorrow.
We arose early and were in Taree by 845. I spent a goodly amount of time in the opticians (Baker, Payne & Webb), looking at frames, getting my eyes tested and going through options. I have on order a new pair of multi focals and some readers. Replacement sunglasses gave me the most problem from the point of view of justifying the expenditure. The staff were friendly and persuasive and in the end I bought a new pair as well. All on the credit card of course!
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| Would you buy a used car from this shady character? |
It is now 11, the blog is written and the audio book is rattling along in the car with the doors open and the narrators voice booming into the night. I wonder if we will get to bed at a reasonable hour since it has reached what seems to be a climax and we want to hear the end!
night folks
Cheers Simon
Day 223 Nabiac Wednesday 16th January 2013
Hi Folks,
The sun returned today with not a cloud in the sky. This morning we spent trying to plan our movements over the next couple of months and also observing Rod the beeman who had come to replace queen bees in hives where required. We suited up and watched. The bees are delivered by mail in individual little plastic cages with a couple of other bees for company. the hive is stripped down and if the queen is found to be past her prime in terms of egg production she is removed and killed and the new bee inserted in its cage. After a couple of days the worker bees eat through the wax plug holding her in and she starts her life of making bees. It was interesting to watch and we learnt a few things.
After lunch we went for a drive to Black Head, Red head (of course) and Old Bar which are all seaside locations. Susan expressed the craving for an ice cream in a cone. At Old Bar the closest seaside town to Taree we spied a gelato & expresso shop so parked and wandered up to the open doorway only to be curtly informed they closed at 4. Perfectly understandable on a summer afternoon in holiday season. Makes me think all this information I hear about struggling small businesses is rubbish since they never seem to be open up here when I want to use them. Fortunately the Gelato bar was open in Tuncurry.
We returned to the farm and sat in the shade of the car listening to the audio back before Susan prepared a pasta and bacon tea.
Tomorrow off to Taree as I have an opticians appointment at 930am.
night folks
Simon
The sun returned today with not a cloud in the sky. This morning we spent trying to plan our movements over the next couple of months and also observing Rod the beeman who had come to replace queen bees in hives where required. We suited up and watched. The bees are delivered by mail in individual little plastic cages with a couple of other bees for company. the hive is stripped down and if the queen is found to be past her prime in terms of egg production she is removed and killed and the new bee inserted in its cage. After a couple of days the worker bees eat through the wax plug holding her in and she starts her life of making bees. It was interesting to watch and we learnt a few things.
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| The old queen..... |
Bee work. The video is a little bit jumbled but I think you get the idea. The queen is in the bottom box and kept there by the grid. She can then only lay eggs and make new bees in the bottom. leaving the top boxes for the honey.
After lunch we went for a drive to Black Head, Red head (of course) and Old Bar which are all seaside locations. Susan expressed the craving for an ice cream in a cone. At Old Bar the closest seaside town to Taree we spied a gelato & expresso shop so parked and wandered up to the open doorway only to be curtly informed they closed at 4. Perfectly understandable on a summer afternoon in holiday season. Makes me think all this information I hear about struggling small businesses is rubbish since they never seem to be open up here when I want to use them. Fortunately the Gelato bar was open in Tuncurry.
We returned to the farm and sat in the shade of the car listening to the audio back before Susan prepared a pasta and bacon tea.
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| Best sunset tonight we have seen in a while |
night folks
Simon
Day 222 Nabiac Tuesday 15th January 2013
Hi Folks,
Not much to report today. The weather was cloudy all day not cold though with occasional drizzle. 2 Cloudy days is enough to stretch the solar power friendship especially when the weather is still warm. I resorted to plugging in the battery charger to the camper in addition to already using it on the car to run the fridge. Experience has shown me that you need to have a generator tucked away for when the sun gods aren't smiling. It saves a lot of mucking about when 240 volts isn't available. Especially if you still want to run your laptops!
The word for today was painting. We both did it for most of the day. The units are mostly done outside. I took a break to fix a towel rail and a couple of doors which were scraping the floor in the accommodation.
Other than that not much to report. We have two days off. I am trying to get an eye test since it is now apparent that my old glasses were good for my eyes 6 years ago and not now and since we have couple more weeks here it will be a good opportunity.
night folks
Simon
Not much to report today. The weather was cloudy all day not cold though with occasional drizzle. 2 Cloudy days is enough to stretch the solar power friendship especially when the weather is still warm. I resorted to plugging in the battery charger to the camper in addition to already using it on the car to run the fridge. Experience has shown me that you need to have a generator tucked away for when the sun gods aren't smiling. It saves a lot of mucking about when 240 volts isn't available. Especially if you still want to run your laptops!
The word for today was painting. We both did it for most of the day. The units are mostly done outside. I took a break to fix a towel rail and a couple of doors which were scraping the floor in the accommodation.
Other than that not much to report. We have two days off. I am trying to get an eye test since it is now apparent that my old glasses were good for my eyes 6 years ago and not now and since we have couple more weeks here it will be a good opportunity.
night folks
Simon
Day 221 Nabiac Monday 14th January 2013
Hi Folks,
Weather: Rain overnight about 15mm. Cloudy all day no rain.
Simon today: Painting, painting and more painting. Unit 2 is nearly finished outside.
Susan today: Pick up sticks, washing, cleaning dehydrator, cooking tea, weeding kitchen garden.
Postscript: Some more information on the building featured yesterday as garnered by Susan. The tower & Change of owner.
News: Our departure date from here 31/1 or 1/2 approx.
Cheers Simon
Weather: Rain overnight about 15mm. Cloudy all day no rain.
Simon today: Painting, painting and more painting. Unit 2 is nearly finished outside.
Susan today: Pick up sticks, washing, cleaning dehydrator, cooking tea, weeding kitchen garden.
Postscript: Some more information on the building featured yesterday as garnered by Susan. The tower & Change of owner.
News: Our departure date from here 31/1 or 1/2 approx.
Cheers Simon
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| Sacred kingfisher, photo on dusk |
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| Sacred kingfisher photo on dusk with flash |
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| Would be interesting to drive this |
Day 220 Nabiac Sunday 13th January 2013
Howdee folks,
Happy Birthday to my co-traveller! We are both now the same age for a couple of months.
It was a warm sweaty morning as we prepared for a days outing. We were just in time to catch the arrival of the vintage car group although a few models were, I thought, a way from being vintage.
We headed west to Gloucester which is a small to medium size town with a few quaint little buildings. We found a charity book sale in a large shed which occupied a fair amount of time although in the end nothing was bought. We had our lunch stop at a small cafe chosen after a bit of humming and haaring. It was ok. The meal was nothing startling. My open porterhouse was a little bit gristly and definitely medium rather than medium rare. Susan had chicken with lime and chilli with rice. Her comment was that the chicken was very dry. Coffee was excellent.
After consulting the map we headed southwards towards Stroud and diverted to the oldest timber truss bridge in NSW. No longer open it had white ant evidence. There wasn't much of a viewing area and for a historical landmark it wasn't well delineated or cared for.
We moved eastwards after Stroud heading towards Bulahdelah. We turned off to view NSW largest tree. At 76 metres it is shorter than the 87m of the big Tree in Geeveston Tasmania but still impressive.
As we travelled eastwards towards the highway Susan spotted the building pictured on a distant hill. It looks like a resort of some sort or a training building for the fire brigade or the SAS.
It was still humid so we found it pleasant in the car with the aircon on. We were enjoying our audio book per usual. We are still on "The Girl who Played with Fire". We arrived at Forster where the cloud was heavy and threatening. After a quick walk to the beach we chose a fish cafe for tea. It was a bit disappointing at the prices charged. A shared entree of various char grilled seafoods tasted of the grill plate and was pretty uninspiring. Susan had a Thai beef salad that she found remarkably light on Thai flavours. I had John Dory which was juicy and came with the ginger soy and honey sauce I selected. It came with chips which were decidedly dark and not overly nice. I declined dessert. We were going to try and squeeze in a movie but time beat us so we returned to Nabiac and some reasonably steady rain. We sat in the car listening to the book to allow it to get heavier so we would get wetter!
After rereading the above it makes me sound like a grumpy old man. I'm not, well maybe a bit, It's just I expect a bit of competency in food preparation. I guess I am a bit spoilt by Chef Susan. In my younger days I would have complained or passed comment but I just added them to my mental "do not return to" list. This comes into play when people ask how the meals are at "such and such"
It is still raining lightly on and off so hopefully the paddocks will perk up a bit.
After midnight again so hay time.
night night
Simon
Happy Birthday to my co-traveller! We are both now the same age for a couple of months.
It was a warm sweaty morning as we prepared for a days outing. We were just in time to catch the arrival of the vintage car group although a few models were, I thought, a way from being vintage.
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| Cars in the carpark |
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| View approaching Gloucester |
After consulting the map we headed southwards towards Stroud and diverted to the oldest timber truss bridge in NSW. No longer open it had white ant evidence. There wasn't much of a viewing area and for a historical landmark it wasn't well delineated or cared for.
 |
| The plaque from 1988 when the bridge mattered |
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| About the best side view you can get with out trespass |
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| Old age and neglect x2 |
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| It is quite long |
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| Tree facts |
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| The tree |
As we travelled eastwards towards the highway Susan spotted the building pictured on a distant hill. It looks like a resort of some sort or a training building for the fire brigade or the SAS.
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| ello ello ello what's all this then? |
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| Not a Pisa like tower, just poor camera alignment |
After rereading the above it makes me sound like a grumpy old man. I'm not, well maybe a bit, It's just I expect a bit of competency in food preparation. I guess I am a bit spoilt by Chef Susan. In my younger days I would have complained or passed comment but I just added them to my mental "do not return to" list. This comes into play when people ask how the meals are at "such and such"
It is still raining lightly on and off so hopefully the paddocks will perk up a bit.
After midnight again so hay time.
night night
Simon
Day 219 Nabiac Saturday 12th January 2013
Hi folks,
It was quite lovely when we arose at 7. Air cool and crisp sun shining. By 9 it was hot and by 12 baking.
First up the shipping container was moved from the front car park. I took the opportunity to have a look at Andrew's concept yesterday. The side has been cut out and welded in a frame which can be raised or lowered with hydraulic rams. Inside he is converting it to living quarters for woofers/helpexrs It is not finished but it has great potential. His feeling is that it won't be an economical commercial proposition. It is very cleverly done. I'll try and get an inside picture.
After some pottering with the irrigation in the recycling paddock I was out in the east paddock with the water trailer helping some trees cling to life. It was jolly warm and I was perspiring a lot. After lunch I started painting the front of unit 2 after investigating why the towel rail had fallen off the wall and replacing it.
Susan worked most of the day up until 630! made filling for Enchiladas for tea, stripped cabins and did loads of washing, watered gardens, cleaned the shop, cleaned the shed and set it up for the vintage car club tomorrow and finished sewing the chairs.
The weather this afternoon was a bit odd. A large storm cell went through Taree with the weather radar showing black areas which is the heaviest precipitation possible. We only caught the edge but had some fierce winds. The up shot was the power was off here for several hours and in most of the Manning Valley. After tea we relaxed in the pool as more light rain began to fall and until it was invaded by children.
The light rain has stopped and now it is warm and humid. It is also bed time,
night night
Simon
It was quite lovely when we arose at 7. Air cool and crisp sun shining. By 9 it was hot and by 12 baking.
First up the shipping container was moved from the front car park. I took the opportunity to have a look at Andrew's concept yesterday. The side has been cut out and welded in a frame which can be raised or lowered with hydraulic rams. Inside he is converting it to living quarters for woofers/helpexrs It is not finished but it has great potential. His feeling is that it won't be an economical commercial proposition. It is very cleverly done. I'll try and get an inside picture.
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| On the way inside |
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| I think it needs to go back a bit more |
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| Yup back a bit |
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| Contact! |
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| The eagle has landed! This is the front. |
Susan worked most of the day up until 630! made filling for Enchiladas for tea, stripped cabins and did loads of washing, watered gardens, cleaned the shop, cleaned the shed and set it up for the vintage car club tomorrow and finished sewing the chairs.
The weather this afternoon was a bit odd. A large storm cell went through Taree with the weather radar showing black areas which is the heaviest precipitation possible. We only caught the edge but had some fierce winds. The up shot was the power was off here for several hours and in most of the Manning Valley. After tea we relaxed in the pool as more light rain began to fall and until it was invaded by children.
The light rain has stopped and now it is warm and humid. It is also bed time,
night night
Simon
Day 218 Nabiac Friday 11th January 2013
Hi folks,
A warm steamy evening, a portent of a 41 degree day tomorrow. Should make for some fun painting.
Yesterday and last night the horses were in the corral adjacent our camper. This morning their dung was rather smelly and they seemed to have deposited it adjacent the closest fence. However the wind blew from the south alleviating my nasal distress and obviating the need to shovel it away.
First job off the rank was to Gerni the mirrors on the solar oven. This made a fair difference to the reflectivity. However traditional sponge and water might have been better except for the fact the mirrors would have to be dismantled for access. The rest of the day was mainly spent painting. This is like building the pyramids however it will get finished especially since we have a window of 3 days with one unit empty.
Susan meanwhile was back on the sheets, watering the gardens, emptying and tidying the used pots, sewing up a couple of lounge suites and doing the family washing as well as cleaning the beeswax pots and driving to town to buy food. She also vacuumed out Anna's car.
That was the day. The internet has been flaky tonight making me grumpy, hard to believe I know. Susan watched the movie "Bucket List" which she enjoyed.
Cheers Simon
A warm steamy evening, a portent of a 41 degree day tomorrow. Should make for some fun painting.
Yesterday and last night the horses were in the corral adjacent our camper. This morning their dung was rather smelly and they seemed to have deposited it adjacent the closest fence. However the wind blew from the south alleviating my nasal distress and obviating the need to shovel it away.
First job off the rank was to Gerni the mirrors on the solar oven. This made a fair difference to the reflectivity. However traditional sponge and water might have been better except for the fact the mirrors would have to be dismantled for access. The rest of the day was mainly spent painting. This is like building the pyramids however it will get finished especially since we have a window of 3 days with one unit empty.
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| The square pyramid being transformed from brown to blue |
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| Susan's pictures from the garden |
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| longer view |
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| And even longer |
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| Mood shot from yesterday at Bennetts Head |
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| Flower from yesterday |
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| Grey beard from yesterday at Cape Hawke |
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