Problem signs

Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.

Here is the sign for the front of the chook house.

Today we also completed the two human access doors to the chook run and finished the dwarf stone wall around the base of the chook shed.

Watch out girls, the chooks are coming!

Hung and Dung.

Today I finally got around to hanging the gate that I made ages ago.

It looks great.

So I took a photo to share with you all but I didn't notice at the time (because I'm use to seeing it) the massive pile of horse dung.

Tomorrow's job, shift the horse poo and get a better shot of the gate.

By the way, that is no regular horse poo.

It's racehorse poo! So it'll no doubt be great compost. I am worried about our organic certification owning to the probability of the racehorse poo being laced with amphetamines and other racing contraband.  

Just imagine the tomatoes next year! 

That's not knife, this is a .... Rock

I posted the other day that I had successfully split my largest rock thus far. We'll guess what? Records are ment to be broken.

Two almost perfect splits. Nearly 900mm thick!

The power of the wedge just astounds me some times.

Building materials.

At the hundred and first blow

Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.

This weekend, we picked up some new feathers and wedges, some that were professionally produced by trow and Holden. If your a long time reader of this blog you'll remember some of the earliest posts regarding feathers and wedges, that my father made for me.

well I'm here to say a big fat thank you to my dad for getting me of the ground and into breaking this stone. But, dang! Professionally produced equipment makes a hard task, just that little bit better.

Today I used the wedges for the first time on the largest stone I've attempted yet. And snick.... That great sound of a stone boulder cleaving in two.

Building consent!

Well it only took 11 months but we have finally received building consent from the shire. Here's a breakdown.

November 2012 - first viewed the block

December 2012 - exchanged contract of sale

February 2013 - settled the contract for sale, extended time was owing to the titles office stamping new division and modifying maps etc.

Engaged architect to help with council submission, Structual details and enviro entail impact statement. (More on this later. )

March through August 2013 - design, budget, change design, budget, throw out design, design, budget help!

August 2013 - submit final design to council.

October 2013 - approval!

Construction certificate is still pending waiting on engenieers details. Next week?

Below is the sunset from last night.

Smokey! Early start to the brushfire season this year.

What a strange thing!

“What a strange thing!
to be alive beneath cherry blossoms."

The past two weeks of spring have seen unrivaled beauty burst to life up at the block. Our flowering plums down the length of the driveway all blossomed and quickly turned and have grown new leaves.
The ornamental pear at the top of the block is still blossoming and is humming with bees. The plums all over town are quite a sight, and make great "snow" see pic of Joscelyn below outside of school and Augie with the pear.

Other great new this week regarding plants at the block, all our fruit trees have come back after being devastated by rabbits earlier in the winter :-(

Last week we heard from council at the closure of the feedback period for our house plans. No complaints! Yeah!
We had to supply additional information regarding storm water management but I hope that was satisfactory. Will find out real soon I suspect.

Also, what is spring with out the Cowra show! The tea cups were the highlight for abs and I got to take Jos on the dodgems.

Also a before and after of the pruning pile.

Coop update III

Well, more progress has been made but I've lost control of the coop as it has been invaded by girls! It's currently full of dolls and "making house" type stuff. >:(

On an up-note the girls love playing in it.

We finished three garden beds that are attached to the backside of the dry stone wall. They got a good mattock'ing compost and some improved topsoil.
They're now ready to receive plants. Worried about loosing everything we plant to waskaly wabbits, so will fence of the garden ASAP.

We camped up at the block the other day now that the nights are getting Warner too. Great fun, until bed time:-(
Try again soon, but will take the night light for the tin lids.

On a side note. The photo below shows a very effective method of getting in a quick nine holes with a three year old! Played ok 44 for 9 holes (8 over.)

Also managed to finish a gift this weekend. A blackwood cutting board.
Turned out real nice. Liza wants on now too.