Sunshine on my shoulder makes me Happy!

Well at least on the roof it does!

Finally after months of waiting the 1.5Kw PV system has been installed on the roof of the studio. with the Gross feed meter attached we will be generating 'Green Power' for Country Energy (our normal supplier) and then buying back from them our energy needs. Currently we sell for 60c per Kw and buy back at 20c per Kw... beautiful!

The careful monitoring of our energy usage over the last few months has given us a good idea of where most of our energy is used and by making sure we switch off all those pesky little red lights and tiny digital clocks that seems to be an essential componant of everything that we buy these days, we should be able to keep our energy consumption well under what we can generate on a sun shiney day!

So! we should get a cheque and not a bill every 3 months! Yippeee!
Next part of the solution will be the removal of the old electric hot water system for a solar version and replace the cooker for a LPG stove (still using non-renewable energy but more efficient and a little cheaper to use at this moment time!)

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Not the Great Wall, it is Chickenopolis

Rather than build a rammed earth home and make some very costly, structural and down right ugly mistakes, we have decided to go with a chicken coup that will survive a cyclone!

200mm thick earth walls have been constructed using a mixture of 'road base,' our own clay soil and approx 5% cement. mixed together and rammed into the formwork.

In the process of ramming we discovered just how much force is generated by the average person ramming down on the 100mm square surface area. some of the moulds we placed in the formwork to create the doorways from the house to the veggie gardens has buckled, one entire section has shifted nearly 15mm to the side as the section between the two corners was added.

This learning process is OK for the chickens as they won't complain (if they do then its the pot for them anyway!!!) but we hope we learn by this experiment so that the house is much smoother and structurally sound, not that the chookhouse won't be, but you know what councils are like!

Who needs a gym when in just a couple of weeks of ramming (just like the Great Wall builders) we have developed muscles that I thought didn't exist and Charles had forgotten he had!!!

Next Project Started!

The foundations have been dug and filled with concrete for our chookhouse which we have named after Hugh Fearnley whittingstall's 'CHICKENOPOLIS'.

This will be our test for the building of the main house in Pise (or rammed earth) and will incorporate 4 vegegardens which we can rotate and allow the chooks to scratch around in at the same time.

more later! cheers!!

Twelve Steps To Plan

And another project is finished.

The weather is now cooler and the humidity has mercifully dropped from the summer stinker we had this season. Working outside all day is a easy and a pleasure, but a nice soaking bath at the end would be the best ending to the day, which is another project for the future. We will remove the shower cubicle in the 'cottage' and relocate it to the guest room ensuite and install a huge bath in it's place. Mmmm Heaven!

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The stairs that were going to be thrown out at work were salvaged and brought home and are now in place. A bit of hard yakka with a pick and shovel, a few boards & blocks and a couple of loads from the cement mixer and (taadaa!) we have fantastic new steps down from the lawn to the orchard.

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This will make it a lot easier (and quicker) for us to get to the orchard as we no longer have to walk to the end of the embankment or walk up and down the bank helping to erode it.

you have got to love recycling, salvaging and reinvention!

OWNER BUILDERS KEEP ON IMPROVING

With the advent of all this rain since Christmas. It has been a good time for the planting of native tees around the property and to get the fruit and nut trees in as well.

We now have the beginnings of the orchard in place and the very welcome shade trees around the shed. With winter on it's way we will see how the frosts are for any future plantings.


The vegetable garden has suffered under the sun towards the end of last year and has been a little neglected but the new improved garden is on its way and the winter veg will be in soon.



The grapes are in as well and planted over the new pergola we have built onto the shed and have created a bush/fern house (albeit a temp one for now!) as well to help propagate seeds and new plants.

Summer Holidays and there's work to be done!

There is always work to be done when you have several acres, but the main priority has been to finish the guest room and after a few days of solid, sweaty, hard work we finished the room with just a few small touch up jobs left to do.

so it is all ready and our first friends have stayed and given it the thumbs up!!!



And as a wiseman once wrote... Friends Always Welcome, Family By Appointment!!!

Somewhere to lay your weary head

Work is progressing on the guest room and ensuite and over the next few weeks most of it should be finished with just a few minor fixes left to do.

It should end up a nice quiet, comfortable and private space for friends and relatives to hang out, sleep and enjoy the tranquility.
If your in the neighbourhood; drop in!

Next on the giant list of things to do is the pergola which will be attached to the shed where the grapes and passionfruit will be grown for summer shade and the fruit of course!

One more job almost finished and a hundred more to go!!! any volunteers???

At least you'll have somewhere to lay your weary head! LOL!