Hi All,
Not much to report today.
Susan continued on with her preparation and painting of the decks and railings. I helped move heavier items from the verandas so they could be cleaned. I went down and dug some of the worst rot out of the big split trunk seat by the creek in preparation for bogging..
I started reproofing the car awning but exhausted the can of "stuff" While i waited for the seat to dry i popped to Hobart to pick up two more cans and an Optus wireless broadband dongle. Tonight's blog is courtesy of that device. Whist i was in Hobart the heavens opened (for rain not god) By the time i returned to Woodbridge the rain was there. Susan had retreated inside to vacuum and wash the floors. She directed me outside where i spent an hour sweeping the most trafficked deck by the entry doors and digging out the stones and dirt trapped between the boards.
Anne returned with Kevin a new helpexer from France. He is a recently qualified accountant and his English is a bit of a struggle. It is still better than my french mind you. It is good have a new person here. It freshens the dynamic. Gives us an opportunity to show what we have been doing over here and get reacquainted with it ourselves.
We had a lamb forequarter roast plus roast vegetables for tea which were excellent.
Hopefully a good drying morning so we can bowl over these outside renovations. I have just had a memory from Nubeena last summer of waiting weeks for suitable weather to sand and oil 2 motel decks.
Anyway if the weather is bad i am sure they will be plenty of other tasks to keep us occupied.
Cheers Simon
Day 375 Woodbridge Monday 6th February 2012
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| Bridge over the Tecoma Narrows |
Evening,
A relaxed day of toil today.
I finished the bridge with a minimum of fuss. There was no power at the creek and the inverter in my car wasn't strong enough to run the power tools. Besides i don't know that dragging the power cords over the creek would have been a good idea. Subsequently I ended up trimming the bridge deck with a chainsaw which was not as untidy as i imagined it would be.
Susan continued making good the railings around the bottom deck and commenced painting.
I didn't finish until about 20 to 5. I wanted to get some magnaplasm to put on my manky toe from the chemist in Margate so hopped in the car. To my surprise they actually stocked it. Feeling my luck was in I returned to Repco but their shelf was bare of the brake fluid I wanted. Strike 1. Our prepaid Telstra dongle expired today and the service here has been so poor i decided to try an Optus prepaid since their data is a hell of a lot cheaper. Time was against me so I gambled on Big W at 527. Had they actually had stock for the items they had on display I would now know if the Optus service here is any good. Strike 2.
Susan made a stew from neck chops for tea which was tasty.
Ann has headed to Clifton Beach for the night and will return tomorrow which a French Wwoofer.
There seems to be a paucity of HelpEx and Wwofer places on the east and north east side of the island so we are not quite sure of our movements. Also complicating matters is that the boat to the mainland has plenty of vacancies in February when there are 2 running. In March they go down to one boat and it is harder for oversize vehicles like us to get berths.
Anyway i am sure it will all work out.
cheers
Simon
Day 374 Woodbridge Sunday 5th February 2012
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| The winner |
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| Bridge! |
Hi folks,
We were awake and out of bed by 8 but for some reason we didn't get out into the work area until 11.
I dug my bridge holes deeper and rapidecreted 2 posts in using the spirit level to make sure they weren't on a lean.
Susan meanwhile scrubbed the front deck with the cleaning compound and started filling the holes in the railing until the "no more gaps" was exhausted.
We decided to drive up to Kingston to Mitre 10 and I would pop into Repco and get some brake fluid availing myself of this months 20% discount for auto club members. When we arrived at Repco the shutters were down. Closed at 3! It was 302. With opening hours of 10 -3 on Sunday I don't why they bother really. Typically Tasmanian and fairly typical of the business acumen that has made the state the financial basket case it is today.
Fortunately Mitre 10 was open and with more sales staff than you could poke a stick at. We drove back to Woodbridge and beyond to take the pictures for tonights blog.
They have a scarecrow season here down "the channel" with prizes for the best ones at the Middleton show so Susan snapped the ones you see here.
Returning to the house Susan did some more filling and i set the second 2 posts. I could have finished them much earlier but the temptation to continue the job before the rapidset had cured a bit would have been too much. Actually the truth is i was feeling a bit lazy but it's a good excuse!
I would have liked to have finished blogging earlier but the mobile internet here is diabolical until about 10pm.
The local resort opportunity was just a mirage that evaporated today so i think we shall head to the east and north east coast sooner rather than later. The lack of response to our phone call and email to Cania in Queensland is making that look like a dud too. If people want you they are generally pretty keen to get in touch so i have crossed them off mentally.
night folks
Cheers Simon
Night folks
Day 373 Woodbridge Saturday 4th February 2012
Hi All,
Well we arose at 530 and headed of in the white van "gopher" to Salamanca. The market went pretty smoothly. We were a little bit delayed setting up as we have to wait for the fruit and veg van to move so we can erect our marquee in its spot. The rest of the day was good under sunny skies and a light breeze. Traffic was lighter than usual with crowds a little less. We put this down to a market now operating at MONA. I have no idea why they chose to do it on a Saturday. The relaxed nature of the day made it possible for us to peruse the stalls in shifts.
We packed and left by 330pm pausing at Kingston for some food, grog and rapidset concrete. A further bonus we got paid for the day not a fortune but most welcome.
Once again i am wrestling with a poor internet connection. We connect to the Bruny Island tower which may have something to do with it. Anyway it's giving me the irrits.
Susan knocked up another nice tea roast chicken and veg plus salad.
That's it! A blog too short to be boring (I hope).
Catch you tomorrow.
cheers Simon
Well we arose at 530 and headed of in the white van "gopher" to Salamanca. The market went pretty smoothly. We were a little bit delayed setting up as we have to wait for the fruit and veg van to move so we can erect our marquee in its spot. The rest of the day was good under sunny skies and a light breeze. Traffic was lighter than usual with crowds a little less. We put this down to a market now operating at MONA. I have no idea why they chose to do it on a Saturday. The relaxed nature of the day made it possible for us to peruse the stalls in shifts.
We packed and left by 330pm pausing at Kingston for some food, grog and rapidset concrete. A further bonus we got paid for the day not a fortune but most welcome.
Once again i am wrestling with a poor internet connection. We connect to the Bruny Island tower which may have something to do with it. Anyway it's giving me the irrits.
Susan knocked up another nice tea roast chicken and veg plus salad.
That's it! A blog too short to be boring (I hope).
Catch you tomorrow.
cheers Simon
Day 372 Woodbridge Friday 3rd February 2012
Hi folks,
Full steam ahead today.
First up it looks like there might be an opportunity to manage a resort here in Woodbridge. Very early days yet so we will see.
Today i started on the bridge. First up i had to split some permapine rounds with the circular saw for the slats. Then cut the rebates for the rails. All this is being done with some very second hand wood.
I was also collecting the sawdust to mix as a filler with an epoxy 2 pack to fill some large pieces of out door furniture.
Susan was draughted into the kitchen for pouring and packaging tomato chutney. Plus lots of labelling.
After lunch she went to Middleton with Ann to set up the marquees for tomorrows market. On her return she harvested black currants and cooked tea.
After lunch I started digging the holes for the bridge posts. Should have been an easy job except for the 20cm willow roots. The ground was pretty wet with the hole depth being below the creek bed. I managed to dig down one side and apply the chain saw. Of course when the chain cuts the mud you get coated with the manky mud that smells remarkably like sewerage.
We had lamb ribs for tea with roast veggies. We do eat well here.
Tomorrow early start 530 to do the market at Salamanca. It's good fun apart from setting up and packing up. I have been instructed by Ann to buy myself a carton of beer tomorrow on the way home, plus rapidset cement for the bridge. We must also do some food shopping so we will be pooped tomorrow night.
Early night here
cheers Simon
Full steam ahead today.
First up it looks like there might be an opportunity to manage a resort here in Woodbridge. Very early days yet so we will see.
Today i started on the bridge. First up i had to split some permapine rounds with the circular saw for the slats. Then cut the rebates for the rails. All this is being done with some very second hand wood.
I was also collecting the sawdust to mix as a filler with an epoxy 2 pack to fill some large pieces of out door furniture.
Susan was draughted into the kitchen for pouring and packaging tomato chutney. Plus lots of labelling.
After lunch she went to Middleton with Ann to set up the marquees for tomorrows market. On her return she harvested black currants and cooked tea.
After lunch I started digging the holes for the bridge posts. Should have been an easy job except for the 20cm willow roots. The ground was pretty wet with the hole depth being below the creek bed. I managed to dig down one side and apply the chain saw. Of course when the chain cuts the mud you get coated with the manky mud that smells remarkably like sewerage.
We had lamb ribs for tea with roast veggies. We do eat well here.
Tomorrow early start 530 to do the market at Salamanca. It's good fun apart from setting up and packing up. I have been instructed by Ann to buy myself a carton of beer tomorrow on the way home, plus rapidset cement for the bridge. We must also do some food shopping so we will be pooped tomorrow night.
Early night here
cheers Simon
Day 371 Woodbridge Thursday 2nd February 2012
Hello,
Quiet day today. This morning i tightened all the bolts on the shelf unit placed it in position and put the shelves in. All the leftover bits were stacked in the trailer to be returned to the mechanics shop from whence they came. Before placing them in i removed the tree stumps in the trailer and split and chainsawed the larger ones into more manageable sizes.
Susan busied herself in the vegetable patch planting seeds and weeding and mulching. At the same time she took the opportunity to catch up on our growing laundry pile.
After work i zoomed down the road to Hobart and picked up some new replacement clamps for our tent poles and some waterproofing spray for the car awning which had an odd leaking pattern the other day consistent with the material being contaminated when rolled in the storage bag. I think i did it when I was spraying lube on the zip. I did try to be sparing but obviously the lube has disrupted the proofing some how.
Susan knocked up a casserole for tea using the left over lamb and eggplant. It was delicious.
The main discussion of today was our plan for the next few weeks. It went along these lines,
Susan "So what's our plan bubby?"
Simon " Hmm dunno"
And repeat in various forms several times. I will sleep on it. We need to decide when we depart here and where next to helpex. We do have an idea which way we are going in Tasmania so it's not quite as vague as it seems.
Tomorrow i am building a bridge over the creek just big enough to take the push mower. That is if Ann and i ever finish our discussion over the best construction method! Grins.
night folks
Cheers Simon
Quiet day today. This morning i tightened all the bolts on the shelf unit placed it in position and put the shelves in. All the leftover bits were stacked in the trailer to be returned to the mechanics shop from whence they came. Before placing them in i removed the tree stumps in the trailer and split and chainsawed the larger ones into more manageable sizes.
Susan busied herself in the vegetable patch planting seeds and weeding and mulching. At the same time she took the opportunity to catch up on our growing laundry pile.
After work i zoomed down the road to Hobart and picked up some new replacement clamps for our tent poles and some waterproofing spray for the car awning which had an odd leaking pattern the other day consistent with the material being contaminated when rolled in the storage bag. I think i did it when I was spraying lube on the zip. I did try to be sparing but obviously the lube has disrupted the proofing some how.
Susan knocked up a casserole for tea using the left over lamb and eggplant. It was delicious.
The main discussion of today was our plan for the next few weeks. It went along these lines,
Susan "So what's our plan bubby?"
Simon " Hmm dunno"
And repeat in various forms several times. I will sleep on it. We need to decide when we depart here and where next to helpex. We do have an idea which way we are going in Tasmania so it's not quite as vague as it seems.
Tomorrow i am building a bridge over the creek just big enough to take the push mower. That is if Ann and i ever finish our discussion over the best construction method! Grins.
night folks
Cheers Simon
Day 370 Woodbridge Wednesday 1st February 2012
Hi Folks,
Back into harness at Woodbridge today. A latish start as i had to revamp my resume so we could apply for some winter work up in Queensland. We are thinking that we could expand into relieving/assistant type positions in caravan parks as a way to travel and get paid. Anyway it is early days yet.
After sending off our application we moved on to sorting out the wood pile. Splitting logs with the block splitter, chainsawing long bits and unloading a trailer load of kindling.
After lunch we ventured up to Grandvewe Cheesery to pick up a fold down wooden crate. We also to the opportunity to taste some sheep cheese. Ann bought a couple of cheeses. I am always surprised by the price of boutique cheese. Perhaps i am just a supermarket gourmet.
We returmed home and restarted on the riddle of the Steelbilt (Brownbilt) shelving that i failed to assemble before we left. Even with the help of Susan the exercise was futile. We did end up with some shelving but it was not stable. Apparently when it was removed it was solid (before it was dismantled). Anyway it remains task on the to do list.
We had a superb roast leg of lamb for tea tonight followed by passionfruit on vanilla ice cream. I can feel the kilos creeping back on already.
Night folks
cheers Simon
Back into harness at Woodbridge today. A latish start as i had to revamp my resume so we could apply for some winter work up in Queensland. We are thinking that we could expand into relieving/assistant type positions in caravan parks as a way to travel and get paid. Anyway it is early days yet.
After sending off our application we moved on to sorting out the wood pile. Splitting logs with the block splitter, chainsawing long bits and unloading a trailer load of kindling.
After lunch we ventured up to Grandvewe Cheesery to pick up a fold down wooden crate. We also to the opportunity to taste some sheep cheese. Ann bought a couple of cheeses. I am always surprised by the price of boutique cheese. Perhaps i am just a supermarket gourmet.
We returmed home and restarted on the riddle of the Steelbilt (Brownbilt) shelving that i failed to assemble before we left. Even with the help of Susan the exercise was futile. We did end up with some shelving but it was not stable. Apparently when it was removed it was solid (before it was dismantled). Anyway it remains task on the to do list.
We had a superb roast leg of lamb for tea tonight followed by passionfruit on vanilla ice cream. I can feel the kilos creeping back on already.
Night folks
cheers Simon
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