Eggs and a Motherly Duck

Our first duck eggs that were laid by the two girls just over a month ago.

We have been dining and cooking with these beautifully flavoured and lovely eggs, but seeing as Bandy had decided to build herself a comfortable and well feathered nest we decided to let her hatch the next few eggs.

She "quacks" when we look in to check that all is well and only pops out of the duck house when shes hungry and thirsty... spending most of that time head down, bum up chasing Daffy (the other girl duck) around the pen, while Shuggie watches on, in a bemused sort of way.

 

So, here is Bandy sitting on two eggs which should be only days away now from hatching and we both look forward to seeing our first ducklings. Let's hope the local carpet python doesn't know all this... although I have just purchased four solar snake repellers just in case... fingers crossed!!!

The Guest Room Completely Finished

 

Finally, We have finished the Guest room and the ensuite... and all for a low budget using a lot of recycled materials and salvaged  goods. Cut-offs from floor layers, left over tiles from builders and even the plaster board which was given to us from friends who had a few sheets left over from their renovation.







The old shower cubicle out of the cottage (which we replaced with a bath) had to be raised to accommodate the location of the waste pipe already in the concrete slab.





We have even finished off the paving in front of the shed which, when the grape vine spreads out its leave and grows more across the pergola, will be a wonderful spot to sit on those sunny spring/summer afternoons.

 

A few more jobs ticked off the list... woo-hoo!!! With the holidays approaching more will be done!

A Beautiful Winters Morning and a New Shed

After a trip to Brisbane to buy two 3mx3m sheds for less than half the price of one shed (gotta love eBay), we had a large jig-saw puzzle on our hand. spread out over the ground we were able to see which parts belonged to which shed and which one was in better condition.


Issac was up from Melbourne and helped his dad make the form work and then pour the cement slab which the shed was to sit on and a week later we were ready to fit the jig-saw together.

It was a challenge to say the least as we tried to get panels to line up, angles correct and pop rivets to go through existing holes when we could.


A last minute decision made things a lot easier as we went into town and bought a quality battery drill and pop riveter.

There were times when we both wished we had a few more pairs of hands, but we managed to get it together eventually and thankfully there was no strong winds on the day.

Once up we were able to clear all the garden tools and equipment out of the big shed which gives us some extra room now which is certainly welcome.

We have planted the obligatory Choko vine to grow over the shed (for food and to cover the roof, so its not too hot inside), a Dragon Fruit vine and spread  some crushed quartz rock around outside so it doesn't turn into a mud fest next time it rains.

 Woke up this morning early and discovered some of the local wildlife had come to browse on the fresh cuts lawn and clover patch. What made my morning was seeing the little joey inside its mother's pouch... looks like its only a few weeks old. I hope they can stay away from the fox that lurks around here too!!! Isn't nature wonderful and what a lovely sight to see first thing in the morning? It really sets up the day to be a magical one!

A New Home And A Few New Residents

 As we started building a rough version of a duck house , we realised that it just wouldn't be big enough, fox proof or solid enough to last a few months let alone a years... so this one was scrapped!

 And it was off to the local second-hand yard and the purchase of a few old 2'x3' pine studs and a large pallet. We needed to buy a box of nails and some screws from the hardware store and we were ready to knock up a duck house in a couple of hours!

 

Used up so old plywood sheets that had been in the shed for awhile to line the inside of the walls, floor and ceiling. Luckily we also had just the right amount of colourbond sheeting lying around to cover the walls and the roof

 Found a great place to store the old doona that has been hanging around the shed too, it has been cut up and is now the insulation in the walls of the duck house. Should keep them nice and warm in winter and cool in our hot summers.

 

We have removable axles and wheels on the house so that we can relocate it around the vegie garden for when we need to rotate the beds. This also meant cutting new gates in the fence so that the ducks can access the house and at the same time making sure the foxes can't gain access to our ducks and our chickens.

 

It took a lot longer to build than I thought, but we finally finished and moved the house into place at the side one of the vegie gardens. Shuggie was inside to check out his new 'digs' and seemed to like what he saw... well if he didn't like it I told him it was the pot instead of the house... heeheehee!

 

Next thing was to sink a large black polytub into the ground and presto! instant duck pond. Now that everything is in place and secure we were able to get Shuggie a couple of girl friends. So we hope to have duck eggs soon!

So now the 4 gardens surrounding the chook house will have 2 vegie gardens going and a run for the ducks and the chickens, which will be rotated 3-4 times a year as required.

You have to love nature, with a little helping hand!

Ensuite - Xmas Project Update

Well, even with all the rain and financial setbacks we have been able to continue on and almost finish the ensuite. We wre able to cover most of the wall with the salvaged gyprock and only needed a couple of more sheets to do the wall and the ceiling. The shower was a little difficult to place due to the placement of the drain in the slab but with a little ingenuity we were able to lift the shower and the drain works a treat.

The sink fitted in great and our only trouble was locating a single tap and spout combination which I finally found on e(vil)-Bay and for a fantastic price too in Sydney! With the addition of the water filter on the side shelf and the towel rails all we have to do now is add a decent mirror and that side will all be finished.

The toilet sits nicely in the corner and we have decided to build a shelf or two on the side wall (yet to be added also), but for now we have a function toilet, sink and drinking water supply. The shower is in and the hot water system (LPG continuous hot water) has been installed... so nice warm showers are available as well.

So, what remains to be done... walls and ceiling painted, lino flooring and a little bit of tiling left.

However in the main room we did manage to score something that was going to get a demolition saw and sledgehammer through it and that was the old office kitchen at work which was being thrown out for the refurbishment of the campus. as luck would have it it fits perfectly in the guest room and looks just like it was purposely built for the room.

With the addition of a small bar fridge and some basic appliances (kettle, toaster etc.) it will now allow our guests to chill out in their own space with out coming down to the cottage. We even supply tea and coffee in the room >8^)

Outside the ensuite door to the main shed, we decide to add an old laundry tub so that we can clean up, wash up and anything else we might need a large tub for... We also continued the mini-orb iron sheeting that we put outside the guest room to make it all look the same. Even the toilet door is the same as the guest room door, a recovered cedar door from a Gold Coast nunnery which we purchased from our local salvage yard.

Please note; that we do not recommend anyone attempt their own electrical, plumbing and gas fitting and we did all the above under the watchful eyes of friends who are licensed tradesmen and we saved money by doing all the 'grunt' work for them.

So, a few more weeks and it should all be finished but that hasen't stopped people from staying, as we have already had several family and friends come and stay over the last 8 weeks.

Xmas 2011 Project - Guest Room Ensuite

With some of the framework already in place from the building of the guestroom the first thing to do was to install the window (the dark corner was immediately transformed by doing this).

The rest of the framework went up easily and the room started to take shape. Amazing how much space will be in the room itself. much of what is going into this build is recycled from a refurbishment at work, donated by friends and bought from a local second-hand business.

The shower cubicle was removed from the studio when we installed the bath, insulation was left over from the refurb at work and the Gyprock was given to us by a friend whose neighbour wanted him to dump it all at the council tip.

So much more was also salvaged, like the flooring (yet to be installed) from work, sink was a left over prop from the theatre company, wiring was given to us from the electricians as they were just going to throw it all out, as well as the switches and sockets. [all installations both electrical and plumbing were overseered by qualified tradespeople, as we did all the 'grunt' work for them.]

Luckily the previous owner who built the shed had the forethought to put all the plumbing into the concrete slab. This made it both easier to install the bathroom necessities and also harder to locate them, as the pipes were just placed at random locations and strange distances for any installations (nothing that couldn't be worked around however!)

So, it is all coming together and is almost finished... more soon!

Hi Monty or is it Kaa?

The wildlife is out on the prowl! (or slither!)

Unfortunately with the new chicks that have just hatched and the possibility of a few more soon, our local Carpet Python (is it Monty?) has turned up.

The ducks are probably a little too big for him, but those cute little fluffy chicks would make a delicious entree. Charles took these photos while I was at the office. The python over 2 metres long.

After taking a few close up photos the python flicked it's tongue and hissed at Charles before slithering off down the bank and luckily away from the gardens and Chook-house.

We have seen the odd grass snake this season but this is the first time we have seen the python since just after we moved in. Oh! there is always the resident black snake that lives in the shed but he moves away from us very quickly if he sees us or we surprise one another!

No red bellied black snakes this year so far though and luckily we have not come across any of those nasty brown snakes at all!!! Touch wood!

Well, You live in the bush you've got to expect the wildlife!!!