Land Warming

After an awesome party for Josh's birthday with 7 people hanging out and having fun, the property now feels more like a 'real' place to settle in and live. One night of drunken debauchery, dancing around the fire made of a torch just to keep warm as the temperature dropped into single digits. One relaxed day of bushwalking, cricket, and chilling out. One night huddled inside the caravan playing made-up board games, toasty and warm with hot chai. More bbq'd meat than we all could eat.

Next trip down is in a few days, when we are planning to take all our stuff and then not go back to the city until a good reason comes along. Important tasks are to fix the driveway, finish installing the greywater trench and composting toilet, brushcutter the house site, and liaise with people to help start the clearing and groundwork for the house. Finally the real work will begin!

Digging a hole big enough for a dead body

We tried to finish the mini-greywater trench and compost toilet installation over our week visit, but partly due to rain, rain, rain and more rain, and partly due to it taking more than half that week for the caravan to get moved, we didn't get it finished. We did dig a big hole though, and found LOTS of rocks inside it. Also the compost toilet delivery was messed up in both timing, delivery address and also vital parts, so that totally was not our fault. Now we are back in the city we will need to do yet another trip to Bunnings to try and make sure that we have ALL of the little bits and pieces needed for putting all the various pipes together. Also Josh has to kick his own ass to make sure he completes the Owner-Builder Course asap, and when that is done then it is time for another trip to the bush.
     Below is the rock that Josh realised that he couldn't dig out. From the bottom of the 1.5L water bottle to the bottom of the hole is all one big rock. And I am sure that it goes further in every other direction too.

     We had the grease-trap in the pic delivered along with some other useful hardware, such as a shovel and a wheelbarrow, from the local rural supply store. The driveway was fine for their small truck but we will need to do some serious upgrading for the 2.4m wheelbase semi-trailer which the kit home will be delivered on.
     A week seemed like a long time, but the list of stuff we DID get done is a lot shorter than the list of stuff that we DIDN'T get done. The good news is that even when it is raining, it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL down there amongst the trees, and the native mice, and the baby birds - all cute and fluffy, and completely unafraid of humans! Then the sun comes out, and aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.