20th March 2012

20th March 2012

Now it is the start of a new period for my internet connection I can bring you all up to date with progress on the house. I’ve just spent a couple of weeks in New Zealand fishing etc, but more on that later. Prior to going over I decided to change my internet connection to a lower plan knowing I wouldn’t be using the pooter for a while however having done so I then went and downloaded a printer driver off the net and discovered later I had inadvertently downloaded dozens instead of one and actually used the majority of my new allocated plan so when it went into dial up mode on a poor wireless connection, I basically couldn’t use it until the start of a new plan.

The House.

Progress at long last and true to their word that once the slab was down construction would move a lot faster, during the 14 days I was away in spite of missing several days due to rain they put up the complete bottom floor framework and it starts to give a perspective of the layout and room sizes, Nancy and Lisa don’t know how the chippies did so well without me being there to supervise!!! In the few days since I have been back they have managed to install all of the upper level flooring sheets which is a compressed timber particle board, this will eventually have exposed natural timber floor boards secured over the top but I presume this is one of the last jobs to be done. Of course we have had nothing but rain since the flooring went down. Yesterday early a big crane was back onsite lifting the remaining heavy steel beams into place on the second level plus all of the framing timber for this section. By 2.30pm the intermittent showers became too frequent so the chippies finished for the day but had marked out all the framing positions and had completed the structure for one room, so they certainly slip into it when they can get a fair go with the weather. Today, already there has been several stoppages as heavy squalls pass over with a forecast of plenty more to come, we really could do with a dry spell at least until the roof goes on which will be several weeks away yet I think. It’s just unfortunate that there were so many frustrating delays early in the project had it all started on schedule the roof would have been on before the wet season but we can’t change that and it’s no good stressing about it now.

I went to New Zealand on the 1^st March flying with Air NZ, turned out my ticket didn’t accommodate a meal and the blighters charged me twenty something dollars to take a light container with a couple of shortened fishing rods, even worse coming back it cost NZ$37 just as well I hadn’t taken extra suitcases. I discovered they wouldn’t be supplying me with a meal when I got to the airport in Brisbane but was told I could purchase something on the plane (sounds like Virgin Airways) As it turned out the aircrew had no intention of mucking around selling food on the plane and if I had attempted to stop the old boiler as she rushed past me with a trolley throwing cups of dishwater at us camouflaged as coffee, I reckon I would have had my arm snapped off. Just as well it wasn’t a long flight. On the return flight I took the precaution of having something to eat before boarding and during the flight the aircrew offered us all sorts of goodies we could have purchased, I must check my ticket they may have been a new type of Discovery Flight.

Brother John picked me up from Auckland airport and we drove about 90kls to their property just outside of Thames on the Coromandel Peninsula.

My first day in Thames was spent doing some necessary business and visiting my dear old mum, she now happily resides in a nursing home where she is reasonably independent and well looked after, being well into her 90’s she is getting a little frail but looks healthy and is mobile with the assistance of a walking aid. After initially establishing who I was she was excited to see me as recognition registered and we were able to have a good conversation although of course she is now starting to repeat things but that is to be expected at her age. During subsequent visits she at least recognised me straight away but in her very English manner showed considerable indignation to suggest she couldn’t remember the fact I had been to see her only a day or so before each time. Such is life and it’s easier to humour them than antagonise I guess. At least we didn’t run out of conversation, I just repeated what I had said on each previous visit. On the last day of my visit prior to returning to Australia, she walked with me to the complex entrance and watched until I was out of site, a forlorn sad looking old sole she just stared in the direction I had walked but I’m sure she couldn’t see me, quite a lump formed in my throat. Thankfully I have the knowledge she is happy where she is, her room and facilities are airy and pleasant and the other tenants appear nice enough. No doubt within a very short time the dear old girl would have forgotten all about my visiting and slipped back into her comfortable world. Old age isn’t exactly enticing is it.

Although my trip to NZ was relatively short and the weather fickle it was most enjoyable and wonderful to catch up with family and their off spring, unfortunately I only saw my sister Judith a couple of times and that was a bit disappointing albeit unavoidable.

I stayed with brother John and Gayle and John like myself is not one for sitting around, living on acreage there is always plenty to do including shifting cattle and relocating electric fences which I saw fit to avoid. We managed to get in a few successful fishing trips that produced some nice fresh snapper meals, John also prepared and smoked some of the larger fish. This saw us snacking out on smoked fish heads and enjoying the most delicious smoked fish pie bake that Gayle whizzed up one night, superb. Bush walking and bike riding were also on the agenda. One hike John took me on, a reasonably steep hill he warned. Reasonably steep, bloody hell if it had been any steeper it would have needed steps all the way and we went up it as if we were on a route march, that tested the old legs a bit I can assure you. I’m sure we were almost up amongst the clouds but the view was sensational, we sat on a couple of tree stumps in pleasant sunshine for ages watching across the valley a forestry team logging and hauling pine trees in very steep country, really interesting to watch a well oiled operation function by sound signals. On another day we rode a bikeway formed along an old railway line through a gorge and over swing bridges, part of the ride took us through an old rail tunnel where the lighting at best was less than that of a candle glow, in the dim light Gayle managed to clean the sides of the tunnel and eventually fell off her bike with the result her sister rode over the top of her much to everyones amusement, she displayed some nasty bruises a few days later though.

Not deterred we followed this up with a bush walk of several kilometres following tramways and trails of an old gold mining era. Sections of the old tramway were through long pitch black tunnels hewn out of the solid rock mountain side where it would be impossible and risky to attempt to go through without the use of good torches which we had taken with us. At various points along the endless blackness a spur line would branch out to an opening in the mountainside where presumably waste or even ore was tipped into the gorge below, this area is appropriately known as the windows. We hiked these trails for several kilometres following the picturesque river winding its way up through the mountain gorge then returned over a swing bridge and via another feat of early engineering where a horse drawn ore tramway had been hewn out of the solid rock like an eyebrow over the pathway. Numerous tunnel entries reached into blackened holes and at several locations photographic plaques showed and described the history of the area. One in particular mounted opposite a small tunnel entry on the side of a mountain (by Australian standards) graphically portrayed the labyrinth of mined out tunnels that riddled the whole mountain beyond the one entry point, the mind boggles at the thought of hand mining the numerous kilometres of hard rock in what must have been less than desirable working conditions. 

            A daily ritual I followed at John and Gayle’s place was to graze on his grape vine every morning, selectively picking off ripe sweet black grapes while competing with European wasps and bees, it was worth the challenge.

Well that’s enough waffle for now and oh by the way it’s still Bloody Raining.   

Photos are on the next post.