The New Year 2008 came and went, I didn't find time to update the site again. Mainly because with the holidays and having guests with us, I well... I just didn't ok, technology time off. So I'll back track again, and maybe someday I'll figure out a way to write in the journal each week! My 'new years' resolution...
It was a mad dash to get our lil home ready for our holiday visitors! We took a very quick weekend trip on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry over to Melbourne to get our kitchen cabinets from IKEA. The cabinet design worked very well with our small space, and actually went together very well! We're very pleased with it. On our return that Sunday after unloading the boxes, I spotted a tiger snake on the embankment near the shed. It saw me and crawled into a wood pile even closer to the cottage! After discussing what to do, and with the lethal danger of it being so close, we decided best to have it removed. If bitten, one only has about 30 minutes to get medical attention, and we didn't need any surprises with visitors coming. So far, we haven't seen any more, so don't let that put you off from visiting! We had marathon days and nights that last week - the cabinets, plumbing the kitchen and bathroom, electrics for the lights and power points, and installation of Origin Energy Green Gas - just enough done for the occupancy inspection!
We just got our occupancy approval one day before Graham's son Luke and his girlfriend Britt arrived Dec. 20, and then Graham's mum, Nell, arrived the next day. There was still finishing work to do on the "shed” and Graham and I only slept in it one night before the guests arrived. Nell slept in our one room living space on a sofa-bed, and Luke and Britt slept in the caravan (trailer). Fortunately, we managed to work around sharing one bathroom between 5 people. The weather has been very warm for this early part of summer, though we did have a good share of rain right before Christmas - good thing, the rain filled our water tank, since it’s our only source of water to drink and shower with. The last 2 weeks of December was about quality family time and enjoying a holiday break from work. We managed a trip into Hobart for the Salamanca Saturday Street Market and had a variety of foods at the "Taste of Tasmania". It's a week-long event where many local restaurants sell sample plates of food under one roof... very yummy! We also took a trip to the closest beach, Randall's Bay, a bit past Cygnet about 30 minutes away. Very pretty bay, water on the "cool" side, but we all went swimming... even Nell up to her knees. Graham's mum went home on New Year's Day, and Luke and Britt are still here until mid-February. They began working as cherry pickers, then changed jobs to a local fruit packing house, before they fly over to the mainland and Byron Bay. I went back to work Jan. 7th to my full-time job in Hobart and we've been slowly painting and putting the final touches on the cottage in our spare time. We finished the bi-fold doors in the living area, so now have started the final tiling in the kitchen, the solar passive heat bank under the north-facing door windows, and a laminated-wood floating floor. Graham and I decided to end our banking relationship with the ANZ Bank because of their financial support to companies responsible for serious deforestation in Tasmania and Papua New Guinea, and because of their generally poor environmental and social responsibility record(see letter). We would like to encourage this course of action with any company that doesn't take climate change and social responsibility seriously. We all, as consumers, do have a voice for change, and it starts with our actions, as well as our wallets! Choose a positive change. Let's make new year resolutions that mean something!
We spent more than expected on the build of the cottage, so the straw bale main house phase is at least a year away. Time for BOTH OF US to have real jobs and replenish the building budget. So yeah - we've almost completed phase 1, phase 2 will probably be the fencing, for livestock and gardening, and improving the pasture, and then hopefully phase 3 the straw bale house before the end of this decade! The delay is a good thing, gives us time to live on the land and become familiar with weather (sun, wind and rain) patterns to refine the design. It also gives us time in the 36 sq. metre (390 sq. foot) apartment, to find out how "small" we can live to minimize our environmental footprint. New Year resolutions? (I know, very cliche!) We will... recycle, re-use, tread lightly, foster green growth, consume MUCH less and very importantly - promote environmental and social awareness!