It's On! The Race to The "Finish On Time" Line...

1. Set Opening date for Lodge Preview...Done...
2. Organise next 6-7 months work to accomplish that...Done...
3. Get started on first jobs now the weather allows it...Done...

Wow, I can't believe so much background work is involved in just setting up one teensy, weensy little lodge!

Got the FBook page up with just on 100 LIKES, this past 7 days, so that's good.

I'll begin serious promos of the Lodge as soon as I can get our own pictures for flyers and the website, which means, when the interior rooms are completed sufficiently...about mid-year...ish.

Next is to complete the week long run through of activities on the FBk page for the young volunteers coming in June. Their task is to look at and copy into the new brochure most of the basic info on the FBk page and then go to those tourist areas themselves and fill in the rest of the details needed.

I need to get this done ASAP so flyers will be ready for my Reviewers at the preview in October.

Went to town today to collect a full sheep I had the butcher order for me. It was about $7 a kilo all up for 13kgs. 

He wanted me to show him how I wanted it cut up, as they don't dress the meat here like in Australia. They just chop the whole sheep up into 2 inch cubes! 

The whole sheep! No leg of lamb for a roast...no lamb chops, no cutlets...nada, just 2 inch cubes of lamb, bones and all! 

So now I have the skinniest legs of lamb ever and a bunch of chops and other lamb delicacies in the freezer. Because they don't eat lamb a lot here, the sheep are bred differently and are not half as meaty as Kiwi or Aussie lamb, but lamb it is! Yummo ahead.

Dog is having a lovely time, chewing on the first lot of bones this evening...I think she was more than a bit tired of chicken necks and carcasses.

The cutest bus stop ever...It was a beautiful sunny day on Monday, rained all day yesterday and is lovely and sunny again today, Wednesday.

Now all the fun stuff is starting outside, I can hardly contain myself! This is the month that the entire outside of the property changes. Super excited.

Loads of thermal building blocks/bricks will be arriving over the next weeks, followed by metres of gravel, bags and bags of cement and an extra window needed for the kitchen. 

Then my first volunteer of the season comes on 4th April for a few weeks. He's a builder, so that will be good. He is looking forwards to helping Zoltan cut through the mud bricks to place the windows, as he's only seen mud bricks once before. So, exciting days ahead for all by the looks of things.

Poor old Zoltan has been out there digging away at the back of the shed for 3 days straight, cutting and picking his way thru a jungle of roots you could not believe were there.

Now that's a stump under the dirt here...or is it a rock?

I now know why he said the back of the shed has to go...it has no foundation bricks!

It's just built straight onto the sloping ground there...lasted almost 100 years, so I guess it served it's purpose!

This week Zoltan will complete the clean up around the 3 sheds and take all the rubbish to the growing pile in the yard...before he brings in others to help knock down the old remaining wall of the collapsed shed...and cart it away too.

Next week Zoltan and a helper, will start on the little end shed, remove its roof, repair the back, replace the roof, put in a floor of sorts and I'll paint inside and out.  This is the easiest of all the shed repairs to do as it has a skillion roof and the shed is only 2.5 mtrs by 3mtrs long x 2 mtrs high on the back wall. I'm keeping it for historic value only, and am not sure what purpose it will serve yet, as it's a bit far away from the house for security purposes to store anything other than probably wood!

Little flowers are popping up all over the place now, so another week of this nice warm weather of about 12-16C with 4-5 sunny days a week, will make spring really spring along!

Just a few pics today, as this is a mid week blog...but there will be heaps of pics coming from now onwards.

Had a bowl of hot fruit soup for lunch in town today...yup, hot sour cherry soup!

The EU pays for the unemployed to do basic jobs in villages here, which as a side benefit, helps prevent depression in unemployed people...They receive about $100 for the entire month of 4 x 40 hour weeks...160 hours work. It's a 2 month program they have to do, annually if they are unemployed. No sitting at the beach collecting the dole for these guys! They chat and natter away all day, which is good for them. They are cleaning up  grass on the edges of the roads.

Break through...yaahhy

Not much further to go now. Ooops, just found another stump under the dirt.

It's been a big job...

On the last bit now. The guy with the electric saw comes in tomorrow to get rid of all the big stumps, about 5 of them here at the back of this shed.

Some of the roots and stuff he's dug up this week.

This has been a herculean effort by Zoltan...Will take a pic of the wall with the non footings for you tomorrow, amazing! You can see all the stumps at the end of the shed that will come out tomorrow.  I want it flat all around, so I can mow or cement it, or do something that will be able to be kept tidy. Then we have to run a new fence along, cement under it and tie the fencing into the concrete as the blessed dogs here all think they are rabbits and dig under the fences. 

Planning out how to pave/cement around the well which will have a roof over it, like almost every yard here with a well has! And move the fence to the end of the house...and make 3 new gates...and dig in drains for the down pipes into the well...and...

Dog has the nods, dozing off on her sun bed!

Bed 1...

My desk...Loving the shadows on the walls here. Flat walls have no character, these ones are wonderful and create so much romance and ambiance.  I'm so glad Elaine suggested I retain the authenticity of the era.

Klaas has a great well house, so will take a pic of his and sort of copy it for mine. This one here is from Google to give you an idea of what I meant by a house over the well!
 

A big day again tomorrow. 
Have to go to town again and pay for the rest of the bricks and cement etc. The bank will only allow 100,000 ft a day withdrawal. ($500 AUSD approx)
So, back into Fured again, pay the balance...the hardware place doesn't take cards...come home, check how Zoltan is progressing, go visit Sabina, meet her hubby and arrange with him to find me the cupboard doors in Germany, that I want for the kitchen when he goes back on the week end. He is a builder in Germany.

Also have to arrange for him to put all the heating pipes and heaters in the place in August/September and for him to deliver about 12 huge windows Sabina gave me. I might use them around the spa area or something...not sure yet.

Sabina also translates for me to the boys of a neighbour about working here for me. It's grass cutting time again, so will get them to come every week now for 2 hrs a time and cut the front nature strips and paddocks, plus bring me a bag of horse manure each week for the gardens.

Their Mum also sews, so am arranging for her to come once a week for 4 hours to do sewing for me. Curtains, cushions, bed spreads and "sew on" hehehe, pardon the pun!

Am so happy spring is here and things are growing...not happy with the weeds, but that's all part of this green burst for the next 7 crazy months of growing, with the next 4 months absolutely unbelievably fast.

Well I'm off to bed now...

See you
xxx