What did you do with your Summer?

Ours has been rather busy so far! I finished work for Defence Recruiting on 11 January, and have spent all but three days up on the farm. Those three days back in Canberra weren’t exactly restful for either Jane or me – she had to work (must keep the wheels of industry turning!), and Floyd came back with us, so there was an extra lad to entertain. They were great, and all three play well… but it has been a hot Summer, and they are tired.

Lazy summer days for our boys...

On the build front, we have now completed all the gyprock installation, and started the plastering. I think that will be a slow job! The tile underlay for the western deck is laid, and we have a confirmed plan for the balustrading. In even more good news, the first of the balustrade posts has been installed and we have the rest of the fittings here to install the rest. As soon as it cools a bit (we are currently in heatwave conditions) Jane will be free to start welding the balustrade panels. And then the decks will be both traversable and safe! There were two major construction efforts that were starting to weigh on my mind, but we now have a way forward with both.

Clockwise from top left: The eastern deck has been an eyesore for a long time. Cleaning off a couple of years of accumulated rubbish! The finished product is just perfect! Doing just enough to have a beer on the deck before stopping for the day. 

The cool larder is almost complete (save tiling). I had hoped not to take as long as we did, but there were challenges. In any case, we are on the home straight with it now, and it looks really good. The air exchange system works a treat, and I now know how I will add cool air into the wine cellar when/as I need to. The other bugbear has been the living room ceiling. When that is done, all the “construction” type stuff is complete, and we are into plastering, tiling, painting and flooring – the finish stuff. We have now confirmed exactly how we are going to do that as well – and it will be significantly easier than what we originally had planned.

The evolution of a cool larder. There is insulation under a fibre cement floor, and the walls and ceilings are lined with foil lined foam insulation. The walls and ceiling are timber lined, and our air exchange system is installed and working.  

In other, non-building news (because our lives do have other aspects, although it is hard to know sometimes), we are all getting ready for the year ahead. I have a new job, at Army Headquarters in a strategic policy-based role. Jane is still at the hospital, but has been able to change her rosters to accommodate Hugo’s school schedule. MacK is entering the leadership cohort at school this year, and is rapidly growing into a young man. He stands well over five feet (in the old money) and walks the earth in size 9 (mens) shoes. He is a solid kid to go with it, and appears to know his own strength when playing with Hugo (most of the time!). He has developed a fascination with blades (knives, swords and axes) that extends to him wanting a forge installed on the farm so he can make his own blades. I suppose everyone has to have a hobby! And then there is Hugo. Our wee man – he is just gorgeous, and brings great joy. He seems to have a singing ability that he can’t have got from either Jane or me, but will see if that develops over time… He is looking forward to starting pre-school this year – five days per fortnight, and I think he will do well. He is naturally curious and is demonstrating an affinity with numbers.

I had a great day with MacK and Hugo at the National Dinosaur Museum - where you can also climb inside an astronaut suit...

Back to the farm for a moment – While we are currently in a heatwave cycle (and some are suggesting that the La Nina pattern is already over), we have had good rains over the last 8 months. The citrus orchard is just amazing… The kumquats are even better than they have been in the past, and we look like we will get grapefruit for the first time. The oranges are all fruiting, and I can’t wait for the lemons to ripen! I only hope that the mandarin that I have in now (my third experiment) will survive and decide that (unlike its predecessors) that it would like to stay for a bit. The other fruit trees are thriving, and we might even get a couple of pears later this year. Back in Canberra, I have mulberry cuttings that are starting to show signs of life, so I might be able to provide Jane with the fruit she deserves yet!

I am finally getting the hang of laminated pastries - reckon these will be a fairly regular output from our kitchen in coming years.

Simone had a glut of plums in her orchard, and we were very happy to take them off her hands. I pulled out a favourite childhood memory, with a spiced plum sauce

I just love the sunsets we get on the farm - I don't think we can ever get tired of them