Rainfall this week : 1mm

Wow, is there really a light at the end of this very long arduous tunnel? And will we finally break through to the other side?🤪What has literally felt like the never ending slab story is wait for it, nearing the end.

Several hours of rock cutting and breaking later, Jason has well and truly decided to retire from operating a quick cut. Asking the question ‘is it really quick?’ was immediately shut down with a resounding NO! Weary bones aside, clever husband is ever so pleased with his work and as he should be, as he has done a tremendous job.

With the footings all dug (and cut), piers dug, and pads levelled out, we are ready for concrete. The boys are locked in for the start of next week so now the hardest thing will be keeping the slab damp enough so the edge of the trenches don’t collapse and keeping the hounds off it. Oh yes it has definitely been the never ending slab story!

This will all be a distant memory soon as the concrete pours over all the blood sweat and tears that have brought us this far. It’s always the way isn’t it? All the hardest work gets covered up🥴.

Planting out our bare rooted trees this week that we collected the other Friday was much easier this time around with a machine. Using the 300 auger first to create the hole (guess what, no bloody rock anywhere to be seen🤣) , then the 450 auger to widen and loosen up all the soil. When we first began planting fruit trees a few years ago we weren’t lucky enough to own Yoshi yet. Every hole was dug by hand with a shovel and a crow bar and it was bloody hard work, especially when you hit a rock with the crow bar and it sent the vibrations right back through you. Every tree also needs to be individually fenced to protect it from stock and wildlife until it has matured. It’s definitely been a task over the years and then we sadly lost several in the fires. Now slowly replacing the ones we lost we are building up an abundant orchid once again. One day in the future, I can clearly imagine picking fresh apples and nectarines off the tree, pickling olives, indulging in juicy figs and sprinkling pomegranate seeds over our salads. Hard work does eventually have its benefits.

Fruit Trees Planted this week:

2 Golden Delicious Apples (my favourite)

1 Pink Lady Apple

1 Granny Smith Apple (great for cooking)

1 Mariposa Plum

1 Plum a Okay ( our remaining lonely plum has friends now)

1 Lapin Cherry ( And our lonely cherry now has a friend)

I have also been slowly repotting the tube stock into larger pots ready for planting out in late September. My count so far is 59. ( Mmm didn’t realise I had ordered so many🤣) Don’t worry they will very quickly disappear out along the creek and the dams and around the paddocks.

Signs of Spring are definitely in the air. Tiny pretty little flowers are popping up around the paddocks. Two of our Jacky Dragons have come out of hibernation and nearly scared the absolute s*** out of me as I did happen to almost stand on both of them😱

Ending the week with anticipation of pouring concrete next week and relief that the quick cut has been tucked away in the container for a rest. Jason can rest his weary bones and enjoy a beer around the fire tonight with some friends who are stopping in for the night in their way down south…🍻