Thursday 18th...

All done with the trucks at the end of this day... with only enough fill left for back filling after the retaining wall.

Now it stops for the long weekend...back on Tuesday next week.

Excavation on Saturday and Monday....

As things progressed along for these two days, with the 14th being the Sunday, and therefore no work being done, in the background we were having issues with the two dump sites that I'd found, both of whom had said that they were happy to take the entire 40 odd loads that we had predicted that we'd need. So some of the pauses reflect that, some days no trucks come, and others it's all flowing. 

The first four days of excavation....

9th of April 

10th of April

11th of April

12th of April

After eleven and a half years...

In mid 2007, we bought a block of land in Shailer Park, Queensland. We were in the UK at the time, and we sincerely believed that we would build on it shortly after we arrived here in September. Little did we know that we would be frustrated by the ups and downs of life...my lack of competence as a manager, and therefore my ability to hold down a reasonably well paying job, and then illness (I had prostate cancer...and other stuff). 

We've had a couple of tries over the years at selling the land, and got close both times, but then it fell through at the last moment. 

I have designed many versions of our proposed house, each time it got smaller, and less ambitious. About a year and a little bit ago, we began to really seriously go for trying to get finance (now that Daile is earning a reasonable amount) and finally, not that long ago, and with help from Carly Hookem and her team (Lisa and Leanne) at Mortgage Choice in Beenleigh, we have managed to just step over the line. 

We have really pushed the builders we've been involved with to find ways to make it work for us, and our 'oh so very steep' lot, and we almost made it with GC Homes on the Gold Coast, but after they pulled out, I was introduced to another builder, DJET in Manly. It's Dan from DJET (ably supported by Kate at C2Csupport ...the draftswoman/designer) that's come through for us. I'll keep you posted about how we go from here. 

We have really struggled to stump up the 'contribution' that the bank needed over and above the equity that we now have in the land itself, but with a little short term help from family and friends (Thanks Wayne and Dette, and thanks Rae and Bob), we've made it. 

It's with a great sense of gratitude, and humility, and thankfulness, but also trepidation, that we have finally begun the process of building. 

I intend to put the process online here. I always intended to do this... and I now have a trail cam fixed to a tree...so I hope I'll be able to show quite a bit of it. 

The following is Scott Thompson with his 24 ton digger https://www.earthmoving-demolition.com.au/, clearing the land. There are two vids, the first couple of hours, then about 6 hours the following day. He's still clearing and sorting today, and that footage should go on when I upload that soon. Then we're on to the excavation proper....

Ok....so...this is the start: 

Molly and Tom's visit

Oh it's a bit difficult, trying to write a blog when so much time has elapsed between the taking of the photos that you want to use, and the writing part. This photo below is, I think, of Phoebe on or around her birthday. Her fifteenth one! Oh yes...indeed...and all that sucking in of breath and head wagging and ruing the passage of time. So...yeah here she is in all her radiant...ness :-) Last out, best iPhone...as they say...and have I told you about how often she drops the thing? No...?  Well...perhaps we shouldn't go there...

Anyway, not long ago...but definitely far away, especially if you live in the old Blighty...Molly and Tom arrived....travel battered and needing a lie down. So...off we went to the spit of course.

Daile donated her car to the greater happiness of our lovely guests and they went off later in the first week or so, to New Sarf Wales...and had a bit more of a lie down at Byron Bay. And other stuff...like sitting up, making tea, trying out Australian beer...(and then getting back to the European stuff right away....which is quite justifiable really). Meanwhile...back at base camp...yours truly got 'nut bound' or something of the sort. (work it out....no actually, not being able to work it out!). Here I am in all MY radient-ness. 

..and then....

They stuck a tube up my nose and expected me to swallow it when it came past the swallowing flappy thing...y. OHHHH MYYYYY GARRRD.
You know when you go to get your blood taken for an investigation and the dracula can't get the needle into a suitable vein...but feels like it's all good practice, and you come out with an arm like a pin cushion? Well this wasn't anything like that.

But...the ***kers (gawd bless 'em) nearly killed me!
I am NOT programmed to allow plastic tubes into my stomach...I can tell you that.
Here I am again with the radiant vibe going on...

Somehow, I survived.
I was admitted to a surgical ward...to see what would happen. I was lying there hungry and thirsty on the second morning there...(cos it was nil by mouth) when the cohort of doctors and butchers came past and said (giggling and cackling) that if there was no movement by the following morning, It'd be into surgery for me....to see if there was anything left in there that they could take out and throw away. At that point, and this is no word of a lie....the heavens opened up...and so did the bowels (metaphorically of course...in my case...cos well...you know...? ) ..and so that passage of my life was past (as it were) together with a few handfuls of nuts. God was praised for such a well timed intervention...but I didn't hear back from her. Probably couldn't make out what I was saying cos of the tube.

Shortly after this, we all took a walk to the quarry...cept for me...because I can't walk far cos of my shagged out leg, so I took the bicycle.

The two frolicsome adults spent quite a lot of time with me at the art school, and it gave me a chance to get to know Tom a bit more.  He's a fine person, and rare I find, he's interested in questioning his assumptions of reality. Molly and he are a good fit....which is a great thing for anyone eh! 

...and Tild came along quite often too... 

...and Ned...can't get rid of Ned...follows me around like a dog. 

And right at the end...the last weekend, we went to Straddie. It was a pain cos there's been fires there and our normal campsite was not available for camping. We couldn't believe it. 

In the end, having considered camping at one of the organised places on the island, we decided to get the first ferry out at shortly after dawn, and come back on the last one back. It was a great day. The following pics illustrate:

These last two were at Tap and Miriam's house. The Feeb here with Louisa...and her varnish collection. (in the way of the pool table!!!). 

and sunset from their house is always good...they are on top of the highest hill in Shailer Park. 

...and then....

They were gone again....leaving me to rue the passage of time.