Bull Dozers are Heavy...

We live and learn...

Last year I had the dozer in for a day to demolish and remove a collapsed mud brick, 100 year old shed which had been attached to the house.
I had a strange feeling all was not going to be well underground with the new septic pipes, which had been laid a few months earlier as that monster of a thing did its job of racing back and forth over the lovely new pipe trenches.

That dozer was one big boy and the ground over here is so spongy...I saw there would be an imminent squish happening under ground as if I had x-ray vision.

The pipes were deep enough, but I've felt uncomfortable about the whole thing ever since.

Hence, the loo never got connected.

This week we started digging the trenches again to connect the waste water and sewerage pipes into the new septic pit which we built before Xmas...

Disaster was underground right where the dozer went over the pipes...just as I feared.

So, poor old Zoltan had to dig all the trenches out again and lay 2 new pipe sections to replace the squished ones, plus lay new waste water pipes from the well to the new pit.

I have no shower or water inside for a week now while we get this new system all hooked up!
It's back to bathing in the big white dish again.
I also am dog sitting a big German shepherd dog for Sabina...for a time until he gets someone to take him. She has her quota at her farm, so people help her out. She is the dog whisperer for sure.

Sabina found this dog and asked me to help her house him until she finds a home for him! He looks like a lioness when his ears are both straight, so she called him Simba.

Decided to try and fix the wine vats, starting with the biggest one...I have 4 of these in different sizes, all in pieces.

Trying to hold the pieces together...But it was a hopeless task, so we headed for the verandah and had to make a workbench to hold it upright.

Eventually got a brick base set up and put the bottom of the vat on it and hung the slats from it, nailing them on. This was going to be my spa, but it's full of woodworm, fell to pieces, so am making a coffee table out of it for the deck which will go in the area there where you can see the dirt.

Cut down to a manageable size, we can now work on it, trim it neatly and finish it off with a bit of a sand back and a coat of flat estapol type protection. Probably will only last a few years, but why not try it!

Another perfect ending to another perfect day in Paradise...

Dog with her toy box...an old skull, bits of bones and wood, but she puts them all in one place in the paddock and lays out there, chewing away on them all day.

Best blue vein cheese I've ever had.

Twisted my ankle last week and by the time I thought to take a pic of the black, it vanished in front of my eyes..All OK now.

Church is the same the world over. Choruses projected onto the wall, a great group of young kids sing their lungs out and the muso's are very loud!

Looks like red and white will be the go for the kitchen...

Gabriella's hubby, Tibi, did this reno job on an old bath in their home...Amazing.

The lady who owns this home,, next door to Gabrielle's,  hand painted this lovely mural on the wall.

A lovely dinner of freshly caught fish at Gabrielle's place the other night.

Added some oilcloth to the kitchen benches until the real kitchen goes in, so I could use it and get the feel of how the layout should be. The window gets put in where the blue chalk marks are on the wall in about 3 weeks time and the kitchen goes in after that. Am thinking white bottom cupboards with hand painted flowers on them, little pine shelves either side of the windows and either a pine bench top or tiles...not sure yet.The floor goes down about July, when everything else in the house is done.

Digging a trench for the waste water pipes and we discovered the dozer had squished the septic pipes we laid last year.

Zoltan digging up the squished septic pipes...

Dog actually sitting still... The chalk marks on the concrete are where a glassed area will be built for hanging coats etc and give some extra privacy and space so you just don't fall into the kitchen. But that's how it was in those days!

Sabina loves her dogs!


Well, that is it for the last 2 weeks.
Have been as busy as a beaver. I don't know where the time has gone. Spring is almost here and with a lovely sunny to-day the air was full of birds tweeting and singing  away, it was lovely indeed.
Cheers for now.
M
xxx