My dream about to be realised

[Linda Thompson]

I have just secured the purchase of a hundred acre property with 40 cres of grazing land devided into 5 paddocks and the rest is very beautiful swamp land that is dry in summer. I will be building a house and shed in a 5 acre paddock and that will be my centre focus for my system...I will install wind and solar power and will have a composting toilet outside. grey water will be treated via a reed bed system and either drained into a pond and then redirected to the vege gardens and plantings or fed directly to water veges and other plants. The farm is a total blank canvas at the moment and is covered in wild rye grass with a heavy undergrowth of clover. I have 2 horses on it and also aim to include chickens ....ducks ....damara sheep ...cows ....and maybe a pig or 2... this is my life dream about to come true... :party: I would really like to hear of any suggestions of where to start with the garden. I have a approximately 6 inches of top soil on a deep clay base.

[milifestyle]

Sounds great!

The pigs might help mix the topsoil through the clay base and improve drainage, then just get tones of miracle cure... Organic Matter!

[JoH]

How exciting. It would be great to hear about your progress.

[eco4560]

Start by getting to know what you have. Where you get your weather, what already grows there, what is available locally. Then plan and design on paper. Doing a PDC, or at least getting your hands on some books on permaculture design will help you work out what to put where to make it work best.
Enjoy your dream!

[Linda Thompson]

Hi eco4560... I have owned the property jointly for about 5 years but I have just secured it as my own so the weather patterns and water drainage are well known to me... I have used it for camping quite a bit but now that the kids have all left home and I am on my own I am going to build my retirement. I already have Bill Mollisons Intro to permaculture... permaculture 2 and his bible..permaculture design.. would love to do a P.D.C. but as I live on an island the expense of getting to a course does not fit in my budget... thankyou for your comments

[Linda Thompson]

Hi milifestyle... thanks for the suggestion... I have heard that females are more dosile and they are easy to contain with a low hot wire.... I have a solar electric fence system already so that may be a good place to start... meanwhile I have started a decent worm farm about 2 months ago and the worms are multiplying like crazy... might have to build them a compost bin and get the organic matter brewing

[sun burn]

Congratulations on your new acquisition and the commencement of your dream and secondly on finding this forum. This forum has been exceedingly helpful to me on details. So don't be shy about asking questions or digging around in the search engine.

In addition to the good advice already given above, i would say start on your vegie garden and get some poultry asap. the shed to live in is probably also a good idea to start on asap. Then you can take more care over your farm and house building.

Are you alone?

For building vegie gardens a number of us here have found Linda Woodrow's Permaculture for the home garden very good, even though we have more than a small block to live on. I don't use the chook tractor idea as i like my chooks ranging freely but others do it.

I"d also get in other animals for manuring in early. That manure shit does wonders for the ground I believe. And next if you don't have time (and you won't), to be planting it all out carefully with your long term intended trees, put some legume seed in to cover your whole property. Some of it will be good for fodder for the animals so it will two jobs in one - feed the animals and improve your soil. (see the discussion we've been having today about nitrogen). YOu can get big bags of seed from your local farming centre.

What are damara sheep good for? Are they the ones with their tails on? Are they for meat or wool?

Keep a blog. I do one here on the members forum with links to pictures on photoblog and so do some others. But its good to keep a good diary of progress. (I actually keep several) . I look forward to hearing more about your dream project.

[Linda Thompson]

Hi sunburn,
I have read all of your posts and I am impressed, well done, thank you for the good advise and yes I am on my own but have been for a long time and because of that I have learnt a heap of skills that will be very usefull. Damara sheep are a breed of fat tail sheep that have been in Australia fro approx. 10 years. they are a very hardy and adaptable breed that tolerate a wide range of conditions including drought. Damara are a meat sheep that shed their wool naturally in summer so no need to shear them. the taste of their meat is A1. If you have ever tasted goat then they taste like a cross between goat and the finest lamb. Mmmm delicious. Damara also safely breed up to 3 times per year and are prone to birthing twins. I have kept damara before and during one very dry summer they were turned out into a swamp area that had also dried up but the vegetation was still quite lush from ground water and they coped very well and still mated...Mother nature would not allow this if the sheep were not healthy. they are my shoice of sheep to keep and of course the wool can be collected and used as mulch. I hope that helps.

[JoH]

keeping a diary of what is going on in your garden each week/month is really interesting. knowing when things flower, when certain animals are around etc. What I wish I had done sooner is to plant every "edge" with useful plants - as I dont use pesticides - there are areas along fence lines etc that are difficult to mow - saves an edge of 4 ft high grass or hours on the wipper snipper.

[Linda Thompson]

Settlement day tommorow...Friday...I think I will start planning by marking out on the ground what I have put on paper where I want things and then I will sit back with sketch paper in hand and take some notes...I might even dig a hole just for the hell of it... house and shed are ordered...

[Linda Thompson]

Went out to the farm today with all good intentions. Was out there 2 weeks ago for a walk around the property and it was very pleasant indeed, get out there today and after a little rain the rye grass has shot up. 4ft tall and very thick, I only have thoughts of the tiger snakes lurking amongst the tall grass. I was not dissapointed but instead I am pleased in the knowledge that once cut and baled there will be plenty of back up feed for my horses and any other animals I may introduce to the property. I am also having thoughts of using the bales for hedging or borders to different areas of what will become my living supermarket. Another thought that comes to mind is the construction of a no dig garden to start my veges. Must be patient, first I must seek the services of a tractor , a hay rake and a bailer. Until next time the drawings will continue , planning will be ongoing and supplies will be sought.

[sun burn]

Wow you ordered a house and shed. How soon can you move in? Is it a kit home and shed?

I Just wanted to note re when i suggested a vegie mandala, ultimately i want to do the food forest thing as per permaculture but i found the quickest way to get vegies going was to do a mandala first. And I will probably always have mandala vegie gardens also but i will enjoy keeping food growing through the gardens in as thick a way as possible. Having a vegie garden going makes you feel you can sort of relax a bit about the rest of the plans, though i have to admit i am working pretty hard at the moment but that's because I am trying to get things in for the wet season to maximise growth not because I feel pressured to get this place finished as such.

Its great you are intimate with the property already. Will you have a go at cheese making and that sort of thing?

I lived on a sheep station in tasmania for a few years. The merinos often had twins too but they were artificially inseminated. I think most survived though there were losses due to the cold mainly i'd say as they were often born in august. The lambs and mums lived in the paddock next to my house so i could see a lot of what went on. I like the fat tailed lambs. In Turkey the poeple love to eat the fat tail in a sandwich but i don't like eating fat so despite the delicious smell i couldn't eat my sandwich.

[sweetpea]

Linda, how exciting to have such a project ahead! I live off the grid, have solar, composting toilets and passive solar heat in the house (plus a wood stove), gravity flow water and water tanks. Getting back to nature is not the easiest thing to do, but if you love it, it's definitely worth it. Have you thought about passive solar heat for the house? Just siting the location so the longest wall will be in the sun all day as it travels across the sky brings in wonderful heat, especially if you use dark composite shingles on the roof and dark, flat paint on the house. My house is completely insulated and it still gets in, probably through a lot of big windows. I can sit by the window in the morning and feel heat on a sunny day. I have had to hunt for plain double pane windows, because now the new ones, at least in the US, are called Low E, and keep out more heat. Single pane would probably let too much out at night.

And for what it's worth, Frank Lloyd Wright said never to build on the top of a hill, but down below the top so that the roof is about as high as the top. I did that with mine and the protection from the wind has been amazing. the large pine trees on the hill behind the house sound like a freight train when the wind goes through them, but it's very calm down below that. And it's close enough to the top so that the heavy rain that will cause erosion at the bottom of the slope hasn't gained enough momentum to cause problems just down from the top.

Well, I hope you keep reporting on your progress. I am a home improvement junkie, but I can't keep tearing apart my place and redoing it, so living vicariously through others is a lot safer! :)

[sweetpea]

Oh, and not sure of how big a solar setup you are going to have, but you probably know to take care in buying appliances. You may not necessarily be able to use the same wattage appliances we are all sold in the stores. We have to start counting and keeping track. I got a small water heater that doesn't have to be on all day, has the smaller voltage that my system can handle, and although i have to wait for it to heat up, it doesn't suck the system down too far. I've downsized my refrigerator to where it only uses about 30 AMP hours a day, I have a 700 watt microwave (instead of an 1100 watt) and I use manual kitchen tools when I can, can opener, hand mixers, a solar oven, etc. Not sure of the voltages there, but the larger appliances like heaters, washers, electric stoves, etc, need huge voltages and usually solar systems don't have those.

[Linda Thompson]

Hi sunburn,
Yes I have ordered a kit home and shed.... I will be putting it all together on the ground and I have a group of friends that will help with the house raising while I bolt it all together. my realistic time frame is to be living in it or the shed while comopleting the house by this time next year.. November 2011. As for the vege patch well that has to wait till I get the paddocks mowed and bailed... The climate is very Mediteranian over here and where the farm is it is estimated at 500ml of rain per year.... with a short winter.

Hi sweat pea,
I have been talking to people and looking at solar systems in eco friendly houses here on Kangaroo island and I dont think that I will consider wind at all due to the many break downs that have occured and people being with out power whilst waiting for the generators to be repaired for up to 3 months.. I have been looking at appliances and 12 volt is the way I will go. 1 gentleman I spoke to has 6 panels on his roof and runs his house and accommodation for 10 people all on 12 volt and says he has never run out of power. He did admit to having a generator for backup and runs it occasionally to keep the cobwebs out of it. I will have solar hot water with gas backup and gas cooking. My house will be heated with a bakers oven that will come in very handy for the winter roast and stews.. My house will not be facing due north but very close to it and if I have to I will have the solar panels on the ground to get the best efficiency out of them but I aim to have them on the roof. the house will be assisted with cooling by having the water tanks placed on the western wall to shade from the evening sun and I will bury poly pipe in trenches under ground and fed into the house and assisted with a solar fan to circulate cooled air inside, a bit like ducted airconditioning except it will be through vents on the floor.

[hardworkinghippy]

Hi Linda,

I just thought I'd add my good luck wishes and say you're so lucky to be launching this adventure of a lifetilme ! It sounds as though you've had the time to think carefully about what you're doing which is the very best start of all.

Sweetpea, you sound so much like me ! Thanks for mentioning it was Frank Lloyd Wright who said about the hill, I've been composing a blog post about building our place and I just could not remember where I read that.

Linda, remember to take loads of photos. I never did many of the "before" and I regret that now. I'd love to see some of yours in here - and I'm sure others would too.

Irene

[sun burn]

Your poly pipe idea sounds really interesting. Luckily i don't need it up here/it wouldn't work.

I wonder if you would be interested in a solar hot water system of the home made variety? We've got one. Its dam good though in your place it wouldn't be enough except on hot summer days to provide all your hot water needs probably. Here we get more hot water than we need in summer, even on rainy and cloudy days like we've had in teh past few we are still getting hot water but i live above the tropic of capricorn. In winter so long as the days are sunny we get good hot water but if it rains its only tepid. We don't have a back up system - except boiling the kettle but its not such an issue here.

You start with a large old hot water system, pull it apart, check the tanks ok, paint it with tar black. Make a big box to sit it in. Insulate it well - you can use wool or synethetic insulation. leave enough room so the sun can hit all side from the top (not the bottom obviously). Line it with silver foil. Cover it with thick glass and face it towards the sun. Ours is at ground level and tilted. Its too heavy to lift it onto the roof. It doesn't need a pump because our water tank is up the hill and therefore gives it enough pressure. Then you do the plumbing. You need to put the tap at hte right end of the tank. For more info, look for instructions on line. That's where my bil got the design ideas from. It was not so hard to build and it was very cheap as my father got the glass for $20. We had the old tank lying about, also the box and insulation materials. I think they had to buy the foil and the paint. So the paint was probably the most expensive but they needed that for the house they are building anyway.

Although i love it here and probably wouldn't want to live anywhere else permanently, i envy a mediterranean climate where you can grow all the vegies i love to eat as well as things like figs and olives.

[sweetpea]

Hi, Linda. I see you are knee deep into it! There's a lot to consider. I agree about the wind power if you have your Mediterranean climate and more sun during the winter. Adding that additional equipment and getting it attached to the same batteries as the solar complicates things, and because you'll be there alone it's a lot easier to keep things as simple as possible, keep the maintenance to a minimum. Learning about panels and controllers and inverters and batteries is enough to start out on, If you really get into it, it won't be hard to add wind later.

This is a great site with lots of information and they are very helpful. there's also a forum for questions.

http://www.solar-electric.com/

Apparently you guys only have 220 volts, (We have 110 and 220 for large appliances) and if I may, I'll tell you why we did a 24V system instead of a 12V. Because you're not just dealing with volts, you're also dealing with the wattage of each thing you turn on, your total wattage use at any one time, if you are using a refrigerator, which will be going on and off, in addition to whatever basic use is happening, requires extra power beyond 1500 watts, and that requires a 2400 watt inverter, which requires a 24V system. Doing 24V is not hard, it's how the panels and batteries are hooked up, and you have to buy them in amounts that will add up to 24, (four 6-volt batteries or two 12-volt panels) instead of adding two at a time (two 6-volt batteries or one 12-volt panel)

We have a 2400 watt inverter, and that could conceivably run a 700 watt appliance, plus a few lights/computer at the same time, plus the small refrigerator as it cycles, that add up to more than 1500 watts, but less than 2400 (because we're counting! Never stop counting!!) without blowing a circuit breaker. Or a few things, like lights, TV with DVD separate, fridge, outdoor light, water heater, sneaky things that you forget about. I have cut way back on my usage for power, but keeping it at 1500 watts on a 12 volt system is tough. If you only have a 1500 watt inverter and you turn on a printer that's 1500 wtts, you're maxed out, no computer, no lights, no fridge, nothing else can happen at the same time.

Buy a lot of power strips with on/off switches that have a little light on them, so you can turn off appliances or computer/printer with one click of the power strip, and there's no ghost power, as they call it, being asked for by the appliance when you think it's off. 24V is not that much more expensive but it gives you room to breathe. the circuit breakers in your main house panel will control the flow in, but you can use outlets on different breakers that allow you to keep things on. You go through all the expense and effort to live on solar, you don't have to have to go from room to room with a flashlight because your appliance is maxing out your inverter.

My panels are on the ground so I can clean them once a month, because if they get fuzzy like a windshield does, it cuts down on their ability to get the small amounts of power morning or evening or during storms. And, of course, during storms is when you need whatever little it can suck it.

Also, the distance your panels and inverter are from the house is crucial because DC power loses voltage the farther it has to go, yet all the warning bells are on the inverter, so it can't be too far from the house. I don't think the panels look bad. In fact, I love them!! they have endeared themselves to me immeasurably. Although I don't want them in the main panoramic view, I don't mind them being outside the bathroom or spare bedroom.

And assuming you're doing all of this with permits, then the gas company will bring your gas without any hassle, assuming it's open enough for the trucks, no trees in the way, a way to turn around and a solid, reliable driveway. If the driveway and turnaround isn't what they want, they instantly call the fire department, (because of fire safety) who calls the county (in Calif, anyway) and suddenly the County comes out and starts red tagging everything. I can't tell you how many people buy houses in our mountains here only to find out the gas truck won't come across the old fashioned bridges that homeowners span their own creeks, and start informing every agency around what's going on.

and in case it's of interest:

If you plan on bringing in gas or propane be prepared to have to go get it every two weeks, have multiple backup tanks. And because they are very heavy you'll need to be able to llft and move a heavy tank through rain and mud and cold wind. We lived in a motorhome while we were building the house and a heater and cooking used up 38 liters of propane every two weeks in the winter. The max I could lift was a 38-liter tank, when filled with propane is very heavy, I could only drag it along, I couldn't lift it other than to get it into the car. And when it's muddy out, trying to put it on a dolly that will sink into the mud isn't fun. And every two weeks gets old. Driving with it is illegal here, but it's dangerous in any event. I have a pickup truck and only had one other seat belt for the tank. I figured it needed an airbag just in case! Then you are stuck with any price increases. That's why I decided not to do any gas except the BBQ. It's interesting, I just saw a TV show of people who buy houses in unusual foreign countries, and one house only had an outdoor gas BBQ, and the people actually preferred cooking on it. That's always an option if the batteries get too low. And the fire department here won't go into a house that uses tanks of propane that they can't see or turn off. It's too dangerous for them, so they just have to stand back and let it burn. And in our Mediterranean climate fire is a real issue here.

I got a different kind of oven that I really like, it cooks much more quickly than a conventional oven, a UV oven. Not the NuWave, which doesn't get good reviews. It's not very big, but I don't use the oven for really large things. And if I needed to I could do it in two smaller casseroles. I wish I could eat giant trays of freshly baked cookies, but those days are gone!

Anyway, maybe there's some food for thought here. :)

[sweetpea]

Oh, and the vacuum, oh, that sneaky thing uses a lot of wattage!! You think you'll make a cup of tea in the microwave with lights and fridge on, and while you're waiting you'll vacuum up that place you kept meaning to get....and bingo....it all blows! And it will be dark and/or raining out! of course!! :)

And if you can, buy the best batteries you can get. I can't tell you how much money I wasted on cheap batteries that only lasted 3 years. The ones we have now are rated for 7 but routinely get 10. It's a much better investment. Make sure all batteries have the same AMP hours. If you buy extra batteres later on that do more AMP hours, the lowest AMP hour battery controls the whole battery bank, and your new battery won't improve it, and you've lost all that money.

[sweetpea]

Hi, HardworkingHippy, how's it going? Glad that bit of info dovetailed there!

[Linda Thompson]

Well at long last I have found someone who will slash the farm... I will finally be able to see the ground and I will be able to start marking out what goes where.... I must say that I am quit overwhelmed by all the comments and suggestions... Yes I will be posting progress photos.... I intend on keeping a library of all the hard work that I put into the property so that in years to come I can look back and proudly say.. "I did that".

[Linda Thompson]

It has been a while since I was last here.... as far as the slashing goes well... the weather has not been kind and every time the weather fines up and the tractor is started it starts to rain again..... people who earn a living off the land have first dibs on the tractor and crops must be seen to before someone wanting to draw on a piece of dirt... council has been sought for approval for the house and the shed and that could take 3 months or more.... if the weather is ok a new driveway will be cleared in the next couple of days... driveway site has been rethought due to flooding on the original site... good thing really...now I can put in another dam and that will fix that problem and divert water from the new driveway...all means less earthworks in the long run... a good thing has come out of a bad situation....

[purplepear]

.all means less earthworks in the long run... a good thing has come out of a bad situation...

Thats just great Linda - Permaculture in action - well done

[Linda Thompson]

well it is finally mine
the new driveway entrance has been cleared of trees but before I can get a truck in with the house or any thing else for that matter I need to import some Marle (that is like a road base that is used to harden up the ground so that vehicles can drive on it)...I still have had no success in getting someone to slash the farm and now as the fire season has well and truelly set in I have trouble getting anyone that will risk starting a fire with their heavy machinery. Problem solved.. I have bought a good ole Victa lawn mower and will start my exercise regime by walking round and round in circles... good really does come from bad sutuations... Maybe when I have cut down the jungle of pasture hay I will be able to get the soil test done and then things will start moving with council...
As well as the exercise regime I am going to start on the chook house as I have a friends hen gone broody and the clutch of chicks will be needing a home.... I dont have foxes to worry about and I will use some old tin around the bottom of the chook house to help deter snakes... the positioning of the chook house will be vital to the arrangement of the vege gardens as the chooks will have direct access made so that when they get bigger they can tractor over specific beds one at a time but still have access to their roosting house..
It really is starting to happen and by the end of next week I will also have my hammock set up so I can start to enjoy the fruits of my labour....
The photo journal will also commence... watch this space:clap:

[purplepear]

Great news Linda - look forward to sharing your journey

[sun burn]

Sounds good but what do you mean by "use some old tin to deter snakes". If you've got snakes you have to make a chook house very secure to keep them out. They can get up high and under anything. They squeeze through narrow spaces. I'm using shade cloth because we had it lying about and buried it about 10 inches in the soil. It was tricky to block up the gaps around the door. Chickens can't see at night so they can't run away from a snake. You might know all this already. I am sure there are many ways of doing it and many materials that can be used.

[Linda Thompson]

Sunburn I did say "help to deter" the tin will go around the bottom of the enclosure a bit like you have described your shade cloth.. I have found it quite successful to have the horses grazing in an area and the vibrations of the horses heavy feet are enough to keep snakes away.... never seen snakes in the vacinity of the horses... I am sure there will be the odd one that will show up.... on the property I also have a healthy population of Rosenburg Goanna and they love snakes for dinner.... unfortunately they also love chickens ... the balance will sort itself out along the way I am sure and until then I will have to observe, modify and observe till I get it right... I forgot to mention that I also have wedge tail eagles in the area so the snakes really are just a small componant of the challenges that I will have to deal with... Alls fair in nature I guess.....

[sun burn]

Its not really like my shadecloth. My shadecloth covers the entire chicken house and is sown on so that nothing can get in, although this isn't probably a great long term solution either as I am sure the sun will cause deterioration of the stitching thread. Farmer Joe who was breeding my chickens for me reported losing a lot of eggs in the nest to the goannas. Hence I only got two and one of them is going to be a rooster. I give up. Luckily we don't have goannas here.

[Linda Thompson]

WOW!!!!! things have started... the new fencing has been completed and the driveway now has direction... the old horse has a new secure paddock and is loving his bathtub drink trough, this will change when I can get a water tank relocated and the stock trough hooked up. I have also built my very first house out of dead trees and recycled iron and chook wire. It is not a house for me to live in but the chooks, when I get them, will have their own piece of paradise. I am very proud of myself as I have never built so much as a bird house before. Now I have the chook mansion built I can start planning my garden beds in relation the chook tractor access. So exciting... it give great pleasure to be able to look back on something that you have created yourself.

[Linda Thompson]

I forgot to mention that I no longer have a blank canvas.... I now have a building on my hundred acres...hehehehehe

[mischief]

Sounds like things are ticking along really well.
Dont knock the ol' bath tub drinking trough they work really well, cost very little and are much easier to move than a concrete trough when they need to go some place else.
You see them alot on the farms over here, common as mud and twice as handy.

[sun burn]

Yeah i second mischief. I was housesitting in tassie once and they used a bathtub for the horses there. Why would you want anything else I wonder.

Congrats on your choook house. Keep an eye out for slabs of old concrete for a floor. I am just doing a floor for mine using some from a building site not far away. Its great. Costs nothing. I might get a bit of crusher dust later on to put in the gaps or just sawdust or something like that. Un-concreted gaps are good too as they water will just drain through it. For the big stuff which i can't lift, I'm going back with a sledgehammer when i want some more. Well its just a thought.

[Linda Thompson]

thanks Mischeif for your support. the horse cant have the bathtub long term though as I fully intend to prop it up on star droppers and use it as a real treat to myself as a real bath.... I will just light a fire under it to warm the water. The horse, who is named Sam, already has a proper stock trough but I needed a quick fix when I moved him so the bathtub sufficed...
As for Sunburn... well what a great idea collecting bits of concrete discarded from building sites.. so simple yet probably the last thing I would of thought of...I guess that is why this forum site was established... thankyou for your suggestion

[Nanna Sally]

Hey Linda, where is the block? congratulations.
As you have had joint ownership for a while, what have you achieved so far? I often find this to be a good place to start.
Permaculture Design courses are run all over the place, even online to a great degree, and worth looking at, or often local TAFE colleges offer 'similar' courses such as organic farming.
the Demarra Sheep sound great, must look into them myself. I had a sheep once, the most silly thing being 'one sheep' - she kept escaping to visit: the flock up the road, the bullocks next door and any other company she could find. She eventually spent her life with a nice herd of cows belonging to my parents, and helped look after the calves - she would stay with the calving cow, and helped them find gates if they got misplaced from the rest of the herd. Biggest problem (other than escaping) was getting her sheared. A local guy had the equipment and did the job onsite, but it is a nuisance for just one.
running off at the mouth again
Nanna Sally

[Linda Thompson]

Hi Nanna Sally
I am on Kangaroo Island in sth australia.... I own the property by myself and I am a sole parent with the prospect of my 4th and last child thinking about moving out of home at the end of this year.... I am almost at the end of my initial watch and observe stage of the property....watching weather patterns and water movement during heavy rain....direction of wind and how it reacts with the existing vegetation and geography.... looking at the soil and what grasses are growing and where they are most vigarous.... choosing a house site.... building of my chook shed is complete and the building of my main shed will start hopefully in the next couple of months followed closely by the house.....dams have been rethought and driveway {all 600 metres of it) has been planned and waiting to be built.... fences have been moved and erected and sheep organised for fire control by grazing.... Amongst all this I hold down a full time job and live 20 kms away... not easy but not hard either... I hope this answers some of your questions Nanna Sally :-)
My dream truely is about to be realised

[Linda Thompson]

Well it just go's to show that if you take your time and get all your sh...t together that things can actually go your way... went to council for building approval expecting to have to wait for a couple of months to hear anything ... I was told that I was well prepared and they could approve it on the spot...official paperwork will be posted out by Monday.... I was blown away.... Now I just have to wait for the shed to arrive in kit form and I can start building ... Shed due first week on March..... Out of this experience I can Quote a very well known saying.. "Good things come to those that wait" and "Patience is a virtue" I live by these 2 things and now it really is paying off...

[sweetpea]

Linda, what good news!! How exciting! What a great place to live where they seem to be helping you instead of throwing roadblocks in your way! Is there a website that shows the type of prefab you bought? Hope to see pics as you go. :)

[Dominicnic]

Lol lol lol

[Linda Thompson]

Drive way being built next week....yippee....Shed in kit form arriving in 3 weeks and I cant wait.. I have a team of workers eager to help in what ever way they can... cant wait to get the produce growing and supplying everyone with fresh fruit and veg... A little while for that....

[Linda Thompson]

well shed arrives next week and I am now sick of waiting... a bit like being pregnant... not that I am pregnant but I have been pregnant in the past... 4 kids to prove it too... well I have a day off work tomorrow so I have decided to go to the farm and work on my 2nd construction piece of art., the chook shed was the first., I have decided to build a 3 bay compost bin out of some old posts and iron that a neighbour gave me. Seemed a shame for him to take them to the dump. Talking about the dump, I might also do a dump run but not to get rid of anything, I think I will go and have a scavenge... might find an old water heater that I can cut up for troughs or for a duck splash pool. I am really hoping to find some old trays that I can use as seedling trays.... I have got my friends madly collecting the centres of toilet rolls that I can use for seedling tubes. I like the idea of planting the whole tube in the ground so as not to disturb the delicate root system of the young seedling.. After building the compost bin I think I will do a pooper scoop of the horse paddock and start my compost and then saddle up Neddy and go for a casual ride . Cant think of a better way to end a hard days work... till next time...

[sun burn]

Linda its a pity you are so far away because I have a spare duck splash pond that you could have if you lived close by. I went to Tully last week and everyone from the cyclone had thrown their junk out on their front lawns. It was all i could do to stop myself from spending the whole time scavenging but i did a little and picked up two of those blue plastic shell ponds. I don't think i really need them now but i will put them to use anyway. Keep you eye out for a wheelbarrow thingy if you can't find the trough. The ducks and I love their plastic barrow pond. I put a brick in the bottom of it so they could stand up and one outside so they can get in easily. Each of them has a lovely bath every day. I have it in view of my verandah and I can hear when they get in. I don't understand how some duck owners can deprive their ducks of a decent bath when you see how lovely it is and much they like to be clean. The barrow is nice and light so its easy to change the water every day.

Back to the cyclone junk. The town piles were full of timber that I could use in my house and iron that i could use somewhere else around the place. I wish i had a big truck and someone to help me go and sort through all that stuff to bring back home. I hate to think of it all being taken to the dump where around there, no one will want it.

[Pink Angel]

Everything you are doing sounds fantastic. Good on you!!

Look forward to seeing some photos. As they say, a picture paints a thousand words......

[purecajn]

Hey Linda, I read earlier "I have got my friends madly collecting the centres of toilet rolls that I can use for seedling tubes." That takes to long for me. Here are instructions for the same concept ( I hope it is what you are referring to ) that you don't have to wait so long for cups. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syzg_J19884 I make mine with old typing paper. I suppose banana leaf or such could be used as well. Your thoughts? Oh, and a old shower curtain can be used as a ground liner for a duck splash pond. Heck, I'm planning on using them to cover a green house with. Very cheap alternative to the visquine and sometimes even thicker.

[Linda Thompson]

hey purecajn... you have some great ideas on the seedling tubes..... I have 2 families wilth 6 kids between them... (that adds up to an awefull lot of toilet paper)... that are collecting the toilet role inners.... I love the idea of using old shower curtains for pool liners..... hmmm.... I have one in my shower at the moment that never gets drawn... I now know of a better use for it... thankyou for your input

[Linda Thompson]

Well what on earth is mother nature doing to Australia..... with that yet another set back... the farm entrance gets flooded and is useless for at least another week... the driveway has been started but then the rain fell and put a halt to that and I now have a grader as an ornament until the contractor considers it safe to continue work..all thanks to the deluge that we experienced.( nothing like Queensland though..thinking of you guys up there).... the shed is on the island but due to the mud and the grader blocking the entrance of the property they are unable to deliver for at least another maybe 2-3 weeks.... the house arrives on the island in 2 weeks and that will suffer the same fate as the shed..... needed proof that I actually do own a shed so I visited the transport company and to my delight there is a pile of steel and colorbond sheeting along with rollar doors with my name plastered all over it.... the shed does exist after all..hooray.... meanwhile I am slowly gathering offers of free cuttings, seeds and flower thingys so that I can work on getting some planting and seedlings happening.... still need to be careful that I dont block the way for the earthworks on the driveway and the building site... well I think I have prattled on for long enough for now, just thought I would give an update... as for photos, well, I have a dud usb card in my camera so I will have to take a whole heap more with a new card then I will work out how to post them...cheers for now

[sun burn]

great to hear or your progress. I'm looking forward to some snaps.

...sorry i should say, i'm sorry to hear of the hiccups you are having to deal with. But its good to see that its all going to take shape quite quickly. What's a few weeks. It's going to take about 10 years to get my house together.

[Linda Thompson]

Well the rain came down with a vengence last night so I will use it as a good opportunity to do some more : look , plan, assess... I can start on all the other stuff like tree planting and garden planning and I could even get a supply of firewood started so it can season for when I will really need it next year. ... might even plan and build some outdoor furniture out of fallen timber.... so much that I can do with a bad situation.... Might not have my shed or house but still have a brain and my think tank still works too. I have the rest of my life to set up my dream...

[Linda Thompson]

Hi again,
well the house and the shed are both on the island and due to the rain mentioned in my last post, both are still enjoying time at the transport depot along with other houses and sheds. To take my mind of the situation I took myself down to the local hardware store to take a look around their plant section. Glad I did... I had reason to question the labels on a few fruit trees as the pineapple guava fruit were looking suspiciously like a crab apple. To my delight I was asked to taste the plump , ripe miniature apple looking fruit and yes, they were indeed crab apples. This led myself and the shop assistant on a search for the pineapple guava tree that she had ordered from the nursery on the mainland to sell on the island. I had spotted in the distance a very large yellow fruit on a tree and thought to myself...could this be the missing guava?... well to my delight the assistant went and got a knife so as to slice a piece of the fruit off so as I could taste it.. yes.. we had found the missing pineapple guava... the fruit had a very distinctive pineapple tang and the texture of a crunchy apple..this was the first time I had ever tasted guava....very pleasant indeed...consequently due to discovering mislabelled fruit trees I have been invited back to taste test other fruit any time I wish.. it all puts a new meaning to try before you buy and yes a pineapple guava is going in my orchard.............

[eco4560]

What a happy accident to have landed in the middle of!

[Linda Thompson]

Well I now give way to things beings put on a very long hold due to the weather.... Some really good news though... I have signed up to do a P.D.C. and now I can learn and apply what I learn to the farm . I dont need a building to do that. I also bought the pineapple guava and that has been planted out the farm.. Another good thing... the orchard has been started... may only be one tree so far but Rome wasnt built in a day...

[sweetpea]

Linda, how nice! Those nice little community interactions are great to have happen. You got me looking into pineapple guavas. They look really interesting :)

[Linda Thompson]

Well I can hardly contain myself.... the house and the shed are finally on the farm...the transport company must have got sick of me turning up on their doorstep and asking when they were going to deliver..... I have lots and lots of metal on the ground that I will transform into my private paradise... spent all day yesterday erecting a humpy made out of posts and tarps.... wont be totally water proof but at least it will provide a little bit of shelter from the elements over winter and a wind free area for cooking and resting... the humpy is only for the occassional stay on the farm whilst building... My Guava tree is doing well and has already got new shoots appearing ...... My chickens will be moving out the farm in a matter of weeks and the water tank on a stand that I have been given will be erected and installed by the chook shed.... things are starting to happen and now I only have myself to blame if progress is not made...

[eco4560]

Yay! That's a great leap forwards in progress.

[Linda Thompson]

Well winter has really set in and nearlly everything has come to a screaming halt. I have taken photos but due to my lack of know how... I can not work out how to publish them. Well I will continue to take photos and maybe one day I will work it out...... meanwhile I have started a P.D.C. course and even though I am only just starting the course.. ( by correspondance )... I have already learnt so much...I have already learned that where I originally wanted my orchid is all wrong and it makes more sense to place it in a completely different place...No big deal, the Guava that I have planted can be a symbol of learning being an ongoing thing.... I stay out the farm when I can and brave the elements in my swag... I have decided to start a wood pile... there is a lot of fallen timber and if I can cut it up and stack it then at least I will be able to keep warm when next winter comes around... I love my piece of paradise...... the sheep have arrived and are settling in nicely.. I can almost smell the roast.....well till next time...

[Linda Thompson]

not sure but I think you can view photos through link belowhttp://www.photoblog.com/mykarinya

[Linda Thompson]

Well I just tested it and that works... I will get heaps more photos in the coming days

[eco4560]

That is the most wonderfully ramshackle chook dwelling! It gives me hope that when I build mine no one will poke fun at me...

[Linda Thompson]

I am proud of my chook shed..... it is the very first thing that I have ever built and it is all recycled materials and fallen trees that have been used..... it even has a gutter and a water tank

[Linda Thompson]

I have asked myself the question on numerous occasions what my inspiration was to pursue permaculture and a way of life that will be healthy and more sustainable and living in harmony with my surroundings. Well I have the answer... I am watching tv and my all time favourite show has started re runs.. the show I talk about is The Good Life. the story of a couple living a life of working for a boss and not really being happy doing it. After a little bit of thought and a sleepless night they work out that they want to grow their own food and raise their own animals, eat their produce and sell off the excess to provide for the things that they are unable to provide for themselves. I think the first time I saw this show I was just a little nipper...
Sound familiar???? This is what has inspired me to take up a better life for myself the permaculture way.... I just thought I would share that...

[Linda Thompson]

:clap: yes I am back..... I have been busy with my shed and although it is not finished , it is on track... I plan to be in it by October... I am now living out my farm and have a caravan so I have a few, but primative, mod cons.... I now have so many eggs I am about to start bartering with them for exchange of fruit and veges.... Oh I never told you... I have 3 very productive ladies that were given to me and they each lay 1 egg per day and my adolescent rooster is in his element.... my 2 dogs are also living out the farm with me and have their own enclosure to keep them secure and safe from Kangaroos at night time or when I am not around... the Damar sheep turned up and 4 were pregnant and now I have 4 new lambs... bit of a bargain I say... I am also playing with hay bale vege gardens as I dont have refrigeration and I really do like my fresh veges... at least if I am growing them I can pick and eat as I need them... the Guava tree is full of blossoms which is a bit unexpected for its first year in the ground so now it is a waiting game to see if it fruits... I also have a Jostaberry that is starting to sprout and the Kiwi fruit buds are starting to plump up... the seeds that I am growing are starting to show their little heads above ground... I love the life I have chosen for myself.... sorry I have dribbled on a bit... another update coming soon

[eco4560]

All very exciting!

[milifestyle]

Sounds like you are on the right track, thanks for the update!

[Green_eddie]

Get some Bees woman... you will not regret it!!!;-) KI is pretty harsh, which part if the Island are you on? Dig some deeper holes(for water) and get the Marron happening...

[Linda Thompson]

Hey Green eddie.... I would love to get some bees but although the ligurian bee is a dosile bee and the only bee allowed over here as it is a bee sanctuary here on K.I. for the ligurian bee... I am not willing to take the risk.... I am here by myself and highly alergic... I am a hospital job if I get stung... there are plenty of bees buzzing around here in spring to put the fear of god in me already but thanks for the suggestion.... I appreciate it...