mid-year 2011
27.July.2011
Wow! I can't believe a whole year has gone by since the update. I guess we settle into routines and days turn into months, and months into a year! My only excuse is we were so involved in the property and work that time to update the web site just didn't happen.
Here's a few pics so you can see stuff that’s been happening here lately. “Huon Drafting” is where Graham works now with Guy Greener. He completed his first, marathon home design at the beginning of this year! We had about 3 snowfalls Winter and Spring 2010… the heaviest we've seen. Had a few very hot days (34Cº/ 93Fº) followed by nice warm tropical rains as well… Tasmania - the four season state - all on the same day! Went to Melbourne for a short mainland holiday. I went over for 2 days web development training, and Graham came over the Friday to join up with me. Stayed with a friend who has an apartment in the city. Fun to be in the big Metropolis! Also passed my Australian citizenship test - got 100%. I took the official pledge January 26 on Australia Day, got my Australian citizenship and met the Tasmanian Premier (Lara Giddings - she's equivalent to a US state governor) at the citizenship ceremony. With that I was able to get my Australian passport for our big North America trip in August. (Yeah, I'm now a dual USA/Aust. citizen, same as Graham).
We finished the deck during the Christmas holiday, and enclosed the end bay of carport soon after, then finished off the remaining vertical board - on the back where you couldn't see. We then received the final Completion Certificate... it took only 3 years to finish the cottage! One day we'll start the main house… or maybe a summer cottage? We had a long 5-day holiday over Easter - mainly doing chores around the property and having friends over for lunch - oh yeah and Graham's birthday.
I finished working full-time at Green Team in March, and now work freelance at home a few days a week while Graham works full-time on his residential home designs. He's designing a straw bale home with green roof and earth floors for local clients now. I help him once in a while and study CAD drafting tutorials in my free time. We've survived the short Winter days for another year and we're now heading into Spring with milder weather and the anticipation of the summer ahead.
During the last Summer we had two chicks hatched by the hens, but sadly one disappeared - we think a hawk or eagle got it. Then I got an incubator and hatched six Barnevelder chicks (rare-breed). They grew very fast and were in their own section in the garden as they matured. We introduced them to the other Isa Browns hens and they all get along very well. We leased a Highland Bull - McAllister - from the breeder who sold us Sarah and Belle. He arrived in February, and was with us for 3 months to "service" the girls… hopefully new calves sometime December 2011. He was very calm compared to the girls! Graham was able to brush him, the girls got jealous and by the end of his visit, the girls decided Graham could brush them as well. Graham’s Mum is doing well at the Huon Eldercare Home about 5 minutes from us and we have her up for dinner usually on the weekends and Graham visits her generally every 2 days.
So now I spend my days doing more chores around the property, gardening, computer work/tutorials and making dinner for Graham’s arrival from work - just the little happy housekeeper! Designed and launched the Huon Valley Catholic Parish website. My new interest is beekeeping - so I built a Top-Bar beehive using the Golden Mean. We'll get our first bee swarm, with queen bee, in the Spring. Graham has now completed over 4 residential home designs and continues to have fun on the steep career-change learning curve. Now that we've finished the cottage… hmmm what will we spend our weekends on! Oh yeah - taking care of the little farm and all the animals, and hopefully keeping this website up to date!
Here's a few pics so you can see stuff that’s been happening here lately. “Huon Drafting” is where Graham works now with Guy Greener. He completed his first, marathon home design at the beginning of this year! We had about 3 snowfalls Winter and Spring 2010… the heaviest we've seen. Had a few very hot days (34Cº/ 93Fº) followed by nice warm tropical rains as well… Tasmania - the four season state - all on the same day! Went to Melbourne for a short mainland holiday. I went over for 2 days web development training, and Graham came over the Friday to join up with me. Stayed with a friend who has an apartment in the city. Fun to be in the big Metropolis! Also passed my Australian citizenship test - got 100%. I took the official pledge January 26 on Australia Day, got my Australian citizenship and met the Tasmanian Premier (Lara Giddings - she's equivalent to a US state governor) at the citizenship ceremony. With that I was able to get my Australian passport for our big North America trip in August. (Yeah, I'm now a dual USA/Aust. citizen, same as Graham).
We finished the deck during the Christmas holiday, and enclosed the end bay of carport soon after, then finished off the remaining vertical board - on the back where you couldn't see. We then received the final Completion Certificate... it took only 3 years to finish the cottage! One day we'll start the main house… or maybe a summer cottage? We had a long 5-day holiday over Easter - mainly doing chores around the property and having friends over for lunch - oh yeah and Graham's birthday.
I finished working full-time at Green Team in March, and now work freelance at home a few days a week while Graham works full-time on his residential home designs. He's designing a straw bale home with green roof and earth floors for local clients now. I help him once in a while and study CAD drafting tutorials in my free time. We've survived the short Winter days for another year and we're now heading into Spring with milder weather and the anticipation of the summer ahead.
During the last Summer we had two chicks hatched by the hens, but sadly one disappeared - we think a hawk or eagle got it. Then I got an incubator and hatched six Barnevelder chicks (rare-breed). They grew very fast and were in their own section in the garden as they matured. We introduced them to the other Isa Browns hens and they all get along very well. We leased a Highland Bull - McAllister - from the breeder who sold us Sarah and Belle. He arrived in February, and was with us for 3 months to "service" the girls… hopefully new calves sometime December 2011. He was very calm compared to the girls! Graham was able to brush him, the girls got jealous and by the end of his visit, the girls decided Graham could brush them as well. Graham’s Mum is doing well at the Huon Eldercare Home about 5 minutes from us and we have her up for dinner usually on the weekends and Graham visits her generally every 2 days.
So now I spend my days doing more chores around the property, gardening, computer work/tutorials and making dinner for Graham’s arrival from work - just the little happy housekeeper! Designed and launched the Huon Valley Catholic Parish website. My new interest is beekeeping - so I built a Top-Bar beehive using the Golden Mean. We'll get our first bee swarm, with queen bee, in the Spring. Graham has now completed over 4 residential home designs and continues to have fun on the steep career-change learning curve. Now that we've finished the cottage… hmmm what will we spend our weekends on! Oh yeah - taking care of the little farm and all the animals, and hopefully keeping this website up to date!