Sunday, February 5, 2012

The Build - Wk5

Well if this week is the most dramatic week we have, then we will be fine…We knew we were in for thunderstorms on Monday afternoon, but we underestimated what that means up here in the mountains. Phil, Toby and Graeme spent the morning clearing the trenches dug for the carport slab and laid plastic for the impending rain. Later that afternoon… the storm hit; lots of rain and terrific winds.  The front awning that Graeme had built just a few weeks earlier was most affected with laserlite being ripped of one end and flapping around in the winds, before flying over the shack roof and into the garden. 

Once the storm passed, we got out there and took down the laserlite that was still flapping around and secured the rest of it with extra bolts.  The storm seemed to have passed, so after dinner I went into town to a dance class. When I got out of dance, I had a message from Graeme saying, don’t come home yet, it’s too wild up here. OK, so off to a servo for a lousy cuppa and a KitKat…about an hour later, I got the OK that things were still bad, but had calmed down a little.  As I made my way up the hill, it was starting to look a little like the Wild West…broken branches, leaves everywhere, swirling wind. About half a kilometre from home I was thwarted. A huge gum tree and powerline were blocking my path, so plan B. It was after 11pm and with only $50 in my pocket, I rang the only friends I have in Hobart, but I couldn’t raise them.  So next idea was to call a couple I had met a handful of times at dancing and whose party I had been to on the weekend.  They were so lovely and welcomed me with open arms.  By this time, more of laserlite had blown off the other end of the awning and I was worried about the boys.

The morning arrived and calm, but a very soggy building site with very full stump holes!  By the end of the week, after hiring a water pump and getting the concrete mixer going, the stump holes were empty and the carport slab trenches had a layer of concrete. 

The other exciting event for the week was the arrival of our house bricks...yep, you guessed it, 330 straw bales arrived on a 40ft semitrailer.  So after donning overalls, gloves, masks and glasses, Graeme and I moved the straw bales into the shed where they will stay nice and dry until we need them.


Next week we have the excavator booked to dig out the rest of the stump holes so by the end of the week, the concrete will be poured in all the stump holes and the week after, we can start building!

2 comments:

  1. Hi Jo- very impressed with everything - (ardent blog 'follower')wow, you are very fit & strong moving those hay bales - stressful if rain about!
    I would be totally useless now as a pioneer, due to my back/arm/wrist..etc! I would be put down..waiting for your next installment (what happened? that stormy night...did you stay overnight? when was the tree cleared?)...love from Eliz xxxx

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  2. Hi Elizabeth - Thankyou! Luckily the strawbales are nicely tucked into Graeme's huge man-shed (ie: aircraft hanger)! Yes, on that stormy night, I stayed at new found friends from dance. Infact, we had them for dinner last night to thank them! The tree was not cleared until 6pm that next night, so I had to go the back way home...dirt road and lots of fallen trees too, but none as big as the one on our road. Lovely to hear from you! Jo xxx

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