Hard work hurts...

 

Having spent three months in lockdown and not able to travel to the farm, it was always going to be difficult to get back into the swing of the build. We have now had two visits back – one to clean up and assess where we were at, and a weekend of hard graft.

 We finished the grouting on the western deck – not so much fun in the rain!, and capped it off with aluminium. We installed the laundry stairs, and completed the deck. It was a wonderful moment – all of the framing is now covered! Jane welded up most of the last panels, and also did the handrail for the laundry stairs. Looking forward now to getting back out and getting this all installed so that we can get our occupancy.

Jane levelling off the stair treads, the finished article - only waiting for a hand rail, the tiles, and Quentin - able to lean against a rail. The first step is mostly taken care of now!!!

 MacK and Hugo were completely worn out by their weekend. They run from the time they get up until it is time to go to bed. They have spent time at the river, and making ‘knives’ in the shed with Sam. It is a great place to be a kid!

 Waking up on Monday morning was tough – everything hurt! Running fit and working fit are two very different things.

A picture says a thousand words - this is a novel!

Sometimes it is better just to let the pictures do the talking. The collages that follow are some of my favourites from the past couple of months. Enjoy!

Clockwise, from top left: Jane gave me a voucher for Axxe. We had fun, before heading to Capital Brewing for beers (shouldn't do it the other way around, if you are going to throw axes!); Jane, MacK and Hugo at the entry gate to the farm block; Rocket and the lads on a walk; Rocket in the cone of shame - post a foot surgery to remove a massive splinter!; Jane demonstrating her rendering technique on the columns in the living room.

Clockwise, from top left: I made it a mission during lockdown to get my croissant recipe and method sorted. Very happy now - they are a little too good; Finished product; When we have guests joining us on the farm for working bees, we tend to pull out the asado, and cook over coals. Glorious!; This was a little brunch treat that I particularly enjoyed, and will become a staple. Pan fried foccaccia, pesto, ash brie and grilled tomato; Jane's favourite treat. Although I may have a winner, when doing plain croissants, and serving with a bowl of warm chocolate ganache!

 

Progress on the house build. Clockwise, from top left: A mock up of our bathroom vanities, courtesy of Jane's welding prowess; our combustion heater - wow. What a difference in winter!; This room is almost finished (needs a floor), but shows the design finish; Out bathrooms are tiles (just need a bath now); We have stairs at the front of the house. Minimalist, in keeping with the woolshed design aesthetic; Leigh and Tom came up to help replace the 100kg window pane... ; the finished wall in the living room, with corrugated iron ceiling. Love this space; My first tiling space - the western deck. As at now, it just needs grout and edge capping.  

Hugo - Lockdown meant we had to come up with new and innovative ways to learn. He ably assisted Steve Brown in building the fire surround, and helped make scones during lockdown. In case you are wondering, he is way to big to bathe in the kitchen sink any more...

MacK - Now knows how to make bread, and obviously doesn't get his athletic genes from me... Of the five events they did in his year group at school athletics, he came home with four firsts and a second. Lockdown meant they didn't run the zone competition.

We were lucky enough to get to the snow for a mini break this year. Peter and Phyl took MacK for a week to do ski school, while Jane, Hugo and I went for a weekend. It was lovely to get away,a nd we have some good snow up there. Jane especially loved skiing in a -14 degree whiteout blizzard!

 

And lockdown is done

 

2021 has been a hell of a year thus far. Our momentum on the house build was great, and we were racing toward an occupancy certificate – and then disaster. Covid hit Canberra, and with it an immediate plunge into lockdown. We went into lockdown in mid-August, and have just come out in the last couple of weeks. We tried to apply for exemptions to get to the farm, but were continually denied. It wasn’t worth it to run the gauntlet – both Jane and I would have been putting jobs on the line, and the fines were astronomical. We just had to sit tight and wait. And wait…

We home schooled, and learned new levels of tolerance. MacK learned to bake bread, and definitely has baker’s hands, and I worked on perfecting my croissant dough. Both the boys have decided they are fishermen (not sure how that works, given both Jane and I don’t fish…), and love to throw in a lone whenever they can.

We haven’t posted since February, despite our best intentions. The year has just been too busy with the build schedule, travel to and from the farm, school and work. It is fair to say we are exhausted! The boys have grown – MacK is almost as tall as Jane, and Hugo is bigger than the majority of his class mates.

The house is now almost liveable – We now have tiled bathrooms, and we have commissioned one of the indoor showers. One of the kitchens is complete, and we have hot water inside! It is a far cry from the early days, when we would cook in the shed, and shower from a canvas bucket. I am amazed that Jane has maintained her sense of humour – the winter nights when she would sleep on the floor under a gas heater with a beanie on would test most, but are fortunately now just a memory. We now have a combustion heater in the living room and real beds! Luxury…

Both Jane and I are developing new skills from the build. Jane has mastered her rendering recipe and technique – and loves time playing in the mud. The walls of the house look fantastic and are as tactile and earthy as we had hoped. She has almost finished welding balustrades and handrails and then she can get back to welding for fun! I have had a crack at tiling both walls and floors, and we have definitely made the right decision to tile the dry areas ourselves. I am a bit messier than the professionals we had in, but the savings in time and cost is huge!

Out to the end of the year, our focus is getting ready for an interim occupancy certificate assessment. Just waiting on one of our tradesmen to finish outstanding works. Lockdown slowed us down, but we should be able to reschedule again now! We had planned to move to the farm in January – this will now be pushed out to April, at the end of the first school term. We will get there!