A busy week

It is back to work time. Schools are back in action beginning a new year and changes are afoot.  Our valley is still full of smoke though recent rain has eased the bush fire crisis.  The toll taken by this seasons fire is horrendous.  We feel so sorry for those who have lost homes and businesses because we know only too well the struggles that lie ahead for them. On Friday we had channel 9 up here filming all day and talking to Alvyn and Edd about building more fireproof homes.  We are very happy with our new underground style of living and the least we can do is let other people know it is an option.

I am amazed at how hard these TV crews work.  The lady in charge had spent a week asking questions on the phone and Email and when she got here with a camera man and a presenter, they all worked flat out for 5 hours in the heat and smoky air.  We had as short break for lunch but even then the conversation was mostly on topic. They even took pictures of the goats who fortunately look very healthy in their shiny summer coats. All this is in aid of a very short section in a property show.

In the evening Edd’s friends came and joined us for an evening meal.  They spent the night in the donga and got up at some ungodly hour to go balloon riding.  I was exhausted and found it difficult to function as an efficient hostess as the evening went on.  I just let everyone else do the talking.

The day before that we had the Montessori school here for an orientation day. There were 52 kids and 5 teachers, and the older kids organised a day of activities to introduce the new kids to the farm.  It all went surprisingly well and was a lot less stressful than last year.  We did a lot of work tidying up the property and getting everything clean and ready.  I mopped the floors in the ruins but the red mud from the dust storm is sort of sticky and does not come off easily.  We will have to live with it for some time yet.  Our neighbours have also got their water polluted and have various responses from buying water in bottles to just ignoring the problem and hoping for the best.

Yesterday was another marathon. Bo came over and we all helped Indi move her stuff out of her settlement and into the new house she is renting in Healesville.  She and Ben have separated but he still came and helped in the afternoon with his mother and Grandmother.  Al’s Ex-wife cleaned and put away kitchen stuff as we carried it from the cars up the steps into the house.  When it was all done Indi was organised enough to have beer and snacks for everyone. It could have been a disaster with many reasons for conflict but instead we all worked as a team and focussed on trying to set up a possible life for Indi and her baby.

Bo did not go home to harmony. Morg and his mates evacuated to the farm and spent the night camping here. They are in that stage between adulthood and childhood when maximum friction can occur with their families as they all try to find a balance between rights and responsibilities.