Lavender Cottage (we have had a name change)... project in progress

Down to Earth post ... I beg your forgiveness my dear friends, I have neglected you all, but we been at the farm for a bit and we have been flat out at work too.

But first I must tell you all about Lavender cottage, that's going to be my little guest cottage. Finally my dear husband has cottoned on to the idea and we started building it. All out of recycled stuff and maybe a few new bits and pieces. The huge steel bases come from a cnc machine weighing a few ton, brought into Australia via boat from Japan and it sits protected in a metal cage. The cage bit will be turned into another chookhouse or shed later. My job was clean the frames of any rust using an angle grinder and to paint the metal with Grey Rust Guard. I do have a colour scheme in mind but thats for a later post.



(Before this cage was covered in a tarp and everything was neatly stacked inside. Until we got this great idea ... we had to swing the whole thing 45% so the cottage will face east towards the main cottage that we plan to live in. To the left of the pic is another storage cage with a heap of building timbers inside it, when that's gone I plan to plant a few citrus trees there. They should love the afternoon son.)


2 Bases get bolted together, then wooden panels with openings for doors and windows get built, they then get stood up and screwed together forming the walls of the cottage. Cypress wood cladding wil cover the panels, they are seconds we bought at auction. Sliding door and roof trusses comes from Scott's old home before they did renovations. The wooden floor comes from a factory and will need a little sanding and revanishing. Then another base will be the little cypress pine deck with bull nose corrogated iron roofing. I will update pics after the next weekend, we're there.

So what are we going to end up with: a large cubby house with an open plan ... 1 queensized bed, side tables, 1 built in cupboard, a shower and handbasin, laundry with a composting toilet, 2 lounge chairs and corner tv cabinet, smallish kitchen area and a sliding door leading to an outside decked veranda with steps onto a cosy courtyard.

So until nexttime
Rina

We Back from the farm

Well we back, a day early to beat the holiday traffic cause every man and his dog normally decide to take off to the country or holiday destination as soon as a long weekend is mentioned. Yesterday we woke to a very overcast day and even before 11am it started to drizzling lightly. We did not attend the local Anzac Memorial Service, but from our veranda we heard the Bugle player and The Australian Anthem. Remembering our Troops that died so long ago. Wreaths layed at the foot of the memorial Stone at the foot of the lone pine tree.

By then we had started packing up and locking the shipping containers, making sure all tools are put away until the next time. 3 months of grass and weeds where a nightmare to deal with, first cutting it down and then raking it up and carting it to the grasscutting compost area ....then running the mower over the grass again to tidy it up. Do you know why farmer's friends (blackjacks) are called that, cause they stick to you like nobody's bussiness. More work than play but we did manage to take a few hours off on route to picking up some roof trusses at our friend Scott's home in South West Rocks ... Smoky Cape Lighthouse and Historic Trail Bay Gaol ... again I took so many good pics to show you, needing 2 posts to do it.



This pic was taken about 2am, on one of my midnight strolls, just wished I could have got closer but it flew after the flash went off. It's a Tawny frog mouth.

But first we had a few night visitors I would like to show you, unfortunately Daisy was very spooked by them, normally she would sleep under the caravan but this time she slept on a carpet next to the BBQ on the veranda.I left lights on to detor the wildlife ...






99% sure this is a female possum cause of the poach on the tummy or maybe not?



This smaller possum dating up the tree caused the most trouble, scaring poor Daisy when it jumped on a crate that was not balansing properly, crate falling on Daisy. Who took off into the dark around the caravan. Possum peeking down from the top of the caravan. That sure woke us up!

Lavender Cottage has been started finally ... George's steelframe which was going to be a shed thingy(on the pic with the owl) has now turned into a small cottage. the steel frame has been removed and the walls of the cottage will be made of timber. The steel frames for the floor have remained which is great cause termites don't like steel, they have been painted with rust protecting paint ... the painter woman's job ... and by the time we left yesterday we had 1 1/2 walls up. This project will need to be done over the next few weeks and our next trip is already planned. Lucky we have a lot of the materials already on site just waiting .....

Please come back tomorrow for Smokey Cape Lighthouse
Until nexttime
Rina

Going to the farm Sonday ...

I wanna be a hermit, with my dog, cats, chooks and sheep for company Oh nearly forgot the old man, he better come with. I need someone to drive me crazy ... Rina

LOL Yeh We off to the farm for 8 days can't wait. We leave Sonday morning real early and should be there by 11 ish. (6hr drive)We been invited to a BBQ on Saturday otherwise we would have left Friday. Daisy gets to ride in the canopy as usual just need to remember to take a lead this time, she is quite the attraction on the road. People drive past doing a double take when they see a white goat in the back. Lasttime we had 11 sheep in the trailer as well and we got caught in road works (that was fun)They could have come along for the feed but the rideon needs to go up too. We haven't been there since Dec holidays and I am sure it looks wild and overgrown.











So I will see you lovely folk when we come back. in the meantime I leave you with theses pics I took Dec of the farm.
Until nexttime
Rina

Today I think i'd like to show you my very neglected garden at the farm. Yeah it needs weeding real bad! what made me decide on showing you this ... well close to work there was a council clean up (that's when we can put our unwanted stuff on the curb and council picks it up) Just as well I needed to go off to the RTA to get the car registered and just happened to be on my way. I came back with a heap of agapanthus and 2 agaves, and a smallish plastic dog kennel which will go into the chookhouse. The hens will love that to nest in.

In amongst there somewhere is a heap of agapanthus I picked up from another clean up, I trimmed the roots and seperated the plants and replanted them. Those lovely bomeliads with the red flowers were throw outs as well. I can't tell you the amount of neglected plants I have picked up and got them growing again in my garden. All for free!

Here is a pic of my purple caravan at the farm, note there's a pergola in front of it and using a little imagination, to the right of it is the new bush kitchen consisting of a bbq and a buttercup yellow cast iron sink on a freshly white painted framework. Just behind that is a white painted wooden wall with shelves. The roof is extended a little as well.
So can you see it ...

So what growing in Pumpkin Patch ... after the sheep trampled and eat a few things ... I think we have kumera and purple sweet potatoes, rosemary, galangha ... not much

I love to show you more until nexttime
Rina

And so the new year begins ...

Well I am back in Sydney again. Could have stayed the extra week but DH reigned in his stray wife, I think it my cooking he missed Now I just reread my last post on Aussies Living Simply, and I already told you all about my new secondhand gas fridge, what a lovely fridge, so pleased with it. Remember We don't have power or townwater on our block

The sheep had a great feed ... only they wrecked all my corn and potatoes and munched all the sweet potatoe vines, but that ok it will all grow out again... in pumpkin patch veggie enclosure. Then finally we had their new "Crownland" area properly enclosed with strands of wire on new posts ... it poured on and off for days while DS and DH were doing all the work. But when they moved in we never hear any more Bahs from them again....The area has lasted well with 11 sheep eating. Only one more problem Dogs and Dingos, someone warned me about them just as DH was heading back to Sydney, so I bought a roll of dog wire and asked a local farmhand to put it up for me. I learnt more from him about fencing the correct way ... he had a good giggle anyway. Glen did some more work clearing around the containers mostly lantana with a tractor and bucket.

DH built the framework to my new bush kitchen with my old buttercup yellow cast iron zink, which (framework) I promptly painted white, now he just needs to enclose it, make some doors and add a extra shelf and connect the plumbing. I bought the zink at auction a few years back and being so heavy and awkward to move, George kept threating to bump it. 2 weatherboard walls went up and roof extended to enclose the kitchen. Now all I need is a little gas water heating system to run for the zink and shower ... that also waiting to be installed someday soon I hope ... then I could go feral no more washing in the round tub and boiling water on the gas.

Orpingtons have just increased by 2 chicks ... Tally now 7 chicks this summer ... first time mum will be looking after them. I am ok with this as they are strong little ones. Lets hope there a few pullets amongst them.Nelson the Ram got lucky and 3 ewes joined him in his paddock, he's very excited curling his top lip up sniffing the air and piddling everywhere .......... just wondering what they got to say about it all. (sorry got a headache)

That's it for now

Rina

New arrival and update on weekend's to do list.

Little Ginger has hatched out 1 little orpington chick. She is a great mum but I wonder what she's going to do when in a few weeks it going to be twice as big as her.





Yep it the fence again, all 50 posts down this side, all except 4 concreted in, and now we heading across to Pumpkin Patch. thank goodness we just about done. Nexttime I going to do a post count. Bets are on we should be nearing 250 posts.



Daisy follows you around where ever you working. She even hitched a ride on the little trailer behind the rideon, did go extra slow so not to spook her.






The lambs travelled really well up to the farm and back, the lucerne helped get them loaded for the trip back. When one jumps in the trailer the rest just follow.



Miss Daisy throw a little hissy fit, cause she got demoted to livestock. If I had not been there , there was no way I would have believed it. She refused to look around or get up when she was called. Just faced the "naughty corner" not even moving a muscle or an ear ... had the sulks big time.

Cruising around Bellbrook and our favorite spots

When we have heavy rain for a few days, this bridge could be easy 1mtr under water, leaving the poor folk on the otherside stranded.





Early morning pic of the Maclay River, just miss a fish jumping check out the water disturbance ... must have been a big one.





Picnic spot in the park,it was here we had a welcoming picnic for the new comers to our villiage.




Bellbrook Hotel and pub, every town needs one ...



Beautiful arts and craft products sold here.







Two of the lovely properties as your heading out of the Villiage.







World famous Freddo Pies definately the best pies we ever tasted.Their sausage rolls are to die for





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Lunch at Smithtown's Riverside Hotel overlooking The Maclay River, it's the same river that menanders past Bellbrook. It flows towards South West Rocks, one of the prettiest sea side towns. Anyone joining us for lunch ... best ribs and just to top it off some sticky date pudding, Yummy.

I hope you enjoyed this day out with us
Until nexttime
Rina

Lavender Hill ... our slice of heaven

Another weekend at the farm, we left Thursday 4am for the 6hr drive to Bellbrook. But first we stopped off a Nabiac for a quick cuppa with Tipsiepixie from ALS. She is doing great since our last visit, her garden is looking great and she also gave me a quick run down about Wicker beds, the vegetable kind. So I thought a few photo's of the farm would make a nice change. While the whistling kettle was warming on the hotplate, I went snapping pics, leaving George to make the coffee. I love the misty mornings. Maggie the magpie joined us for breakfast, she must have been handraised to come this close, but we have never touched her only given her some scraps which she happily takes. She brought her hungry juvinile baby with her, my but it noisy. Warning many people have been bombdived by magpies around this time cause of the babies.

























Well thats just a little taste of life Up River. I still can't believe the place was so overgrown when we first started. Still got a bit to clear. We have had 80mm of rain since the last time we were there, and the grass is growing like crazy. Roll on December, them sheep are going to have a feast.
Please excuse the state of the garden but there really was no time to do any weeding, we had posts to concrete in.

Until nexttime when I will take you on a tour of Bellbrook
Rina