Today was another crazy amazing day. Friends of ours were having a major blitz to get some of their house built and Martin was up helping them for the day so it was just the kids and I along with a head full of plans. And as per usual, the best laid plans and all that… lol
Started off baking up a storm 72 cheese and vegemite scrolls and 2 loaves of sourdough bread. Finally got moving and up to pick up some more compost. Arrived at the house and started to take down the dog shelter which will be repurposed into a temporary hen house and later a wood shed. In the mean time, the reinforced mesh had to come down so we can finish cleaning up and then mow in there. To my surprise, I found an egg! A quick float check in a bucket of water revealed that it was fresh so I returned it to its rightful owners, our neighbours whose Isa Brown houdinis had been finding their way onto our block. Looks like the fence was fixed just in time, well as far as it goes for their egg supplies at least.
I was interrupted in my work by the arrival of my kitchen. MAJOR SQUEEEEE! 😀 😀 😀 Installation will happen next week but every beautiful piece of it is here.
The afternoon was made considerably easier by Orik having a nice long nap and the kids playing relatively nicely. I dug 2 holes for my veggie garden gate posts and laid in my last no-dig garden bed (just need to get some more mulch to top them off) – a long one to run alongside the veggie garden fence, using the fencing for trellis for this years beans. I am hoping to sink in another post and string up some fencing wire, possibly ringlock (I’ve been having lessons in fencing terminology) this week. I also finished ripping down the last 2 feet of wooden fencing so that is FINALLY done. Another job knocked off the list.
The best bit was the kids running around in the garden, helping to wet the paper for the garden beds, jumping on the trampoline like fiends and helping dig the post holes too. We had some funny as moments – I caught Jasper trying to cram 4 pieces of slice in his mouth all at once, Allegra’s major fixation with an indigo blue plastic bottle she found somewhere and her love of tipping out water (usually into car seat cup holders or internal car door handles 😦 ) and Orik who is loving playing in (and probably eating) the dirt. I just can’t wait until we are moved in and they can play in the garden every day.
Anyway, given everything that was going on (add a trip to Trentham and dropping some compost off to friends) I kinda sorta forgot to take any photos. So, despite getting nearly everything done that I planned, my plans for a photo montage post just didn’t happen. So in the interest of having SOME photo’s…
Ringlock fencing
An Isa Brown chicken
The post hole digger I used before I found that friends have a petrol powered one. Looking forward to not needing to use this again.
Rabid Little Hippy 
I am constantly having to send the long suffering husband out into the garden while I am frantically trying to type out some sort of logical progression of a post “Take photos man…I don’t CARE what you are taking photo’s of…just take them!” You will find that when your kids are out in the country and running around amusing themselves that they will sleep like logs. Life starts to centre into day and night rather than city life being a blur of our own manmade pursuits. Dirt is powerful and something that every single child should be allowed to eat at least a handful of. My kids (now adult) are all healthy and not allergic to anything and all ate enough dirt to render them gollums internally. It feels amazing to spend your first night in your new home and we forgive you the lack of photos. We are enjoying your processes and your obvious happiness…who needs photos when your words are colourful enough? 🙂
Sadly, we haven’t yet spent our first night in the home. If only that was our excuse. I’m no great photographer anyway but it is nice sharing the progress of the gardens with you all.
As for dirt and kids, it’s been a journey for me, one I think I will post about. 😉 It’s worthy of it’s own post.