Well, dear reader, it’s taken over 7 decades but I’m learning patience. At least I’m trying to. As Diana Ross would say You Can’t Hurry, Love
When we last blogged, a month ago, we reported the slab set out had started. And indeed it had. For Cherrie’s garden shed
And, we also reported that the piers would be dug the following week. And so they were. No peer pressure here
Two days later this cunning truck appears
And with the boom, the piers are poured
Then, guess what? There’s a bit of a hiatus. Enough to give you a hernia really.
Eventually the team return, and give us what appears to be an archaeological site
Without treasure. Undaunted, the plumber lays the organ pipes
Then, guess what? There’s another hiatus. Even though to the north the hills are alive
And that evokes another Plummer
Idle Site, Idle SiteThis is how you greet me, rough old ground, nothing bright, You’re not even happy to meet me
But then there’s some good news. On Friday Tim reports that the formwork will be constructed next week and the slab poured the following Friday
Ode to Joy, Joyful, joyful, we adore thee
Over the weekend, Cherrie keeps her eye on the weather forecast As she so often doe4s. It’s not looking good but I’m the optimist. I assure her it will be fine. In every sense of the work. On Monday the builders work under cloudy skies and lay the blue metal over the dig
On Monday night Cherrie checks the weather. Again. And again.
On Tuesday the builders are washed out and leave the site
By Wednesday it’s dire
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
The rain set in for four days. 240mls (9 1/2″). Be grateful for small mercies, Christine. Woodhill copped 444.5mls (17 1/2″).
When it stopped, there was just the Sounds of Silence and at the site you could Cry Me A River
It still hasn’t dried out enough for the formwork. There goes the River of Dreams
In a sign of positivity the reinforcing mesh was delivered on Monday. But no one was on site to take delivery. Oh, how I love a bit of double handling
Every week we lose is another week of (high) rent. But at least we have a nice view from our home office, with some of the hundreds (literally) of pots Cherrie bought from Quamby in the foreground
And Bolly looks after us by insisting that we walk her at the beach every day. Except when it’s raining! Life could we crook, eh?
Maybe next blog we can sing Happy Days are Here Again or will they just be Memories?
It’s evident, then, that we will have a very high quality house. And who would doubt it, with the team we have on board? Mark Hitchcock and Carly Gibson from Bishop, Hitchcock, Irwin Architects, and the team from Tim Webster Building. They have all been warned, indeed already experienced, my propensity to control. Thus far we are still on speaking terms.
Living in town is very different to living on the mountain. Cherrie and I miss Quamby a great deal. We miss the garden, although I must say that Cherrie manages to keep herself busy here in the rental house with the several hundred pots, with cuttings from the Quamby garden, she brought with her here. In several truck loads. She has already built, that is dug, a salvia garden in the rented back yard, which looks beautiful. And, we are closer to the beach here! And to the shops, which is important when not growing our own food.
When we moved from Quamby I sorted the wine (with valuable help from Jennifer – thank you) into what had to be consumed in the next two years and what could wait. They then went into boxes labelled A (for Albert St – the new house) and V (for Victoria St, the rental). I was shocked at how much wine needs to be drunk in the next two years, but I’m doing my best. I’m very tenacious about this stuff you know. The to-drink wine is in the sizeable linen cupboard in the rental. Does that say something about two sheets to the wind?
We chose the block we are building on because of its close proximity to town, three blocks, and that it is level. Important for damaged ankles. There was a house on it
And even a lovely asbestos aviary. Sans birds, who may have had some respiratory issues
All of this had to be demolished to accommodate our own grand design. We thought it only right that we have farewell drinks with some local friends before the wrecking ball hits. Any excuse for a drink. So Demolition Drinks were held on 6 February, the weekend before demolition was to commence
In true Grand Designs style, it took another four weeks for the demolition team to move in!
And within a day or two, real progress was made
This is the site of the demolition drinks
Just when we thought we were safe, the demolition team disappeared. Of course, I am known for my patient and tranquil nature.
Ten days later they returned, with the big guns.
And soon Woodhill, from whence we came, was revealed
Then, at last, the block was clear. Only the security gate remained
By now, it’s mid-March, and that extreme weather event happened, which caused so much flooding in Northern NSW, and in Sydney. We were largely spared, but were somewhat impacted
Another couple of weeks with no progress. Aren’t we grateful for my tolerance and calm? The plumbers eventually move in to lay the drainage pipes
Next, the sewer pipes had to be encased in concrete. Necessary because our design allows for an outdoor terrace which is too close to the sewer for the Council’s comfort. No pun intended.
This plumbing job calls for different plumbers. Of course it does. So what do we do? We wait.
Eventually work commences again, this time with a smaller machine
Ooh ah, ooh ah, the plumber is down the sewer
And then it’s encased. Fortunately after the plumber exited
Another five days pass before the machine returns to back fill. Yesterday, the slab set out starts
20 years ago Cherrie and I sold out of Sydney and bought two hours south, just out of Berry, at Woodhill. We purchased a 5.8ha property called Sundance Park. It didn’t take us long to change that name – to Quamby (place of rest, to settle down. Don’t believe everything you read about the meaning of an Aboriginal place name).
We had wonderful years at Quamby, and effectively farmed 11ha, since our land adjoined a 5ha Council block which was unfenced and neglected. We took care of that land too, fenced it and grazed it. Well, we didn’t personally graze it, but we did put our small Limousin herd on it
And they fattened nicely, thank you very much. So did I.
We were pretty self sufficient (not eating the chooks but enjoying their beautiful eggs) as well as wonderful vegetables
And talked daily to our gorgeous boy, Luzzie
Who we didn’t ride. Weight for age, you know.
We worked hard at Quamby, and we improved it tremendously. Cherrie did most of the outside work, and while I spent a lot of time checking out the purpose built wine room, she purpose built the most spectacular garden, which changed magnificently each season.
AUTUMN
WINTER
SPRING
SUMMER
Wildlife moved in
Not all of it welcome
In September 2018 we took a holiday. A planned five week drive to Perth in a rented campervan. We got to day two when I had a little fall
It was a long recovery
And, against all odds, I was walking again within a year. However, uneven ground is not kind to me, and that’s no way for a farmer. Even a Pitt St one. So last year we made the difficult decision to sell Quamby
And in September we waved goodbye. Sadly.
We’re not leaving Berry, we are currently renting whilst we build our grand design in town. That build is the subject of this blog. We shall try to update you regularly, with the triumphs and the disasters. We have watched enough GRAND DESIGNS to know that we will go over budget and behind schedule, and that Kevin may not approve of everything.
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