Bryan Backyard Blitz strikes

A few days since my last post and yet so much has happened in that time - life on the farm seems to move at a cracking pace during the day, and yet, by day's end, everything slows down a bit as we relax and take in the amazing views this place has to offer. The problem is that at breakfast, when you're gazing at this, it's easy to let the time slip by and discover half the morning is gone!

Annemaree flew in from Hong Kong on Sunday morning and so it was a quick trip down to the airport to collect her before heading to Warrnambool where we had a family get together planned down at the beach. Maybe it was the luck of the Irish (or lack thereof), but by the time we got to Warrnambool there was torrential rain and hail, and thankfully my cousin Scott had lined up a local footy clubrooms for everyone to go to. We headed there and managed to catch up with people which was great as too often we only get together for funerals, so we hope to have many more of these catch ups in the future.

 The extended family!

Mum, Dad, Joan, Margaret and Ray.

While I was home having a family catch up, Rohan was doing the same, with Di coming up to check out the new place and dropping off some perfect gifts - including the bookends for my study which match my new desk perfectly (and were purchased before the desk buying took place!).  I did a spot of browsing in some of the local antique and collectable stores around Warrnambool  - I resisted the urge to buy something, however, was eyeing these labels off for our coolroom, particularly once lamb chop meets the mobile butcher!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the Bryan Backyard Blitz was about to begin, with Dave and Neil turning up to do a few things around the place, including putting in the posts for the backdecking from where we ripped down the sunroom, patching a hole in the roof of the studio, getting rid of the last bits of frame from one of the dodgy shed extensions and of course, some more painting! Luckily Rohan took some pics of the two brothers in action!

Copycat poses....

 Now this looks like the serious work.

I'm not sure about the occupational health and safety requirements of our farm, but I don't think this picture below would meet the standards for safe working practice!

When I got home from Warrnambool, more of the backyard blitzers had arrived, with Jane and Rosie cleaning windows, Woody outside, Lily behind the paintbrush again and soon the outside studio/gym/ library was looking a lot less blue! By the end of the day the bookshelves were in, now it's just a matter of unpacking all those boxes.....

Woody was  turning all lawnmower man, and realising, like me, just how good it is; 'I could stay out here all day', he proclaimed when I went to say hi. I like the strange singing, the calls for 'Cup of tea boys!', the cheerfulness and the extensive help that family have invested in our new place- what would we do without the Bryan crew? While the Bryans  toiled around the top of the property, in the back paddock our neighbour Michael was doing the much needed slashing in preparation for baling. We're going with square bales which will be easier for us to move than round ones given our lack of a tractor. It's still going to be a mighty job once they're done and I'm thinking I could advertise it at the local gym - forget boot camp, come to farm hay baling camp. You'll move all day and ache all night. I can yell orders like the best of them surely?!

Last night we took Indy on what will become one of her new daily strolls to the mailbox and I think she was pretty chuffed with the fact that all the cows in the neighbour's paddock came trotting along after us as we walked down the road to the mailbox. I was feeling pretty lucky right about now to have the chance to live here!

This morning we went for a run to the bluestone rail bridge- a short loop but one with a few hills and a few cows for Indy to growl at as we run past. Now I'm tackling some more unpacking, and Rohan is installing the new inverter for our solar panels as the old one had given up the ghost. With this new one installed we'll be able to get 27c back for the power we generate and we'll hopefully install some more panels after we sell our old place so that we can feed a lot more power back into the grid.

I watched Kevin McLeod's man made home last night on ABC and while I'm not about to dry mackeral to make my own fish lamps, this move has reminded me that there is much I can do to think more carefully and consciously about what I use, take and give back to the land on which we live. But that's for another post - I've got boxes to unpack!

PS. Thanks to those who have been reading and who aren't totally bored yet - we appreciate you taking this little adventure with us :)