April 2008 - Month 1

OK...as we have finally landed so to speak......the time has come to open the floodgates so to speak as we start to document and share our journey here on the farm. It has been a magical time here over the first month and the activities we are driving forward have us feeling like we are still living a dream that is crystallising as a reality around us.

To just list the things we have achieved in our first month is an interesting exercise that makes the mind boggle
· Arranged pest spraying, carpet cleaning and visit from arborist
· Unpacked 240 Boxes and all furniture with almost zero breakage
· Hung all pictures, mirrors, hooks and installed cupboards
· Arranged every inch of the house to be functional (Everything fitted perfectly)
· Investigate and visit local pre-school for Jasper
· Met our neighbours and started these important relationships
· Sold our old city car and bought our new farm vehicle (Toyota Hilux)
· Resigned from our city employment and signed agreements for new local job
· Met the great old 84year guy that pays us to have cows on our paddock
· Arranged for initial Wood and Water Delivery
· Had old bathtub resurfaced back to immaculate perfection
· Purchased some essentials; Chainsaw, Compound Sliding Drop Saw and garden tools
· Cleaned and replaced all parts on the outdoor BBQ
· Had cement tank drained, cleaned, resurfaced
· Installed dishwasher(which will be used far less often and more efficiently)
· Had all house and window locks changed and modernised
· Installed new mailbox on a cement podium
· Planted special flags at front of property to make us easy to find
· Purchased and installed a 30 tube 315 litre solar hot water system
· Removed almost 2m of old vegetation from the stables to allow us to repair the roof
· Taken all lattice down from house leaving the balcony supports intact
· Created materials stacking area in shed and commenced inventory of all reusable items
· Painted all support structures and BBQ area round the house in Wilderness Green
· Replaced all guttering, repaired and painted facia board
· Installed 4x5000G tanks with Davey Pump to become self sufficient in water
· Installed gutter filters, sediment filter, UV filter and Chemical filter
· Re-dug all trenches and replaced all downpipes
· Built 2 large compost piles
· Built fence around water overflow pipes from tank
· Collected about 1000kg of horse and cow manure by shovel
· Collected hundreds of hay bales to spread over gardens
· Did a deal with the local timberyard and collected about 500kg of sawdust
· Managed an excavation project for our large front kitchen herb garden 50sqm
· Removed old trellis against house to move wisteria then rebuild trellis to hold grapes
· Designed wooden retaining wall, found all wood and hardware ready for construction
· Spread 4 cubic metres of chicken manure into garden
· Re-potted numerous plants to keep them happy while we prepare orchards
· Had 8 trees removed, mulched and composted (that were invasive and unproductive)
· Cut low hanging and intrusive branches from all trees down the driveway
· Raked mountains of leaves to add to compost piles and spread throughout gardens
· Met machinery genius for our tractor and mower, purchased parts for servicing
· Made contact with local Japanese Community and formed new and valuable connections
· Completed draft designs for chicken tractor, compost bays, orchard and market gardens
· Became members of Landcare with a view to preserve our environment
· Hired a farm manager to help manage and drivie projects on the land
· Had every item in our electrical box replaced and brought up to Australian Standard
· Started re-oiling external cedar in sections to extend their life and freshen things up
· Continued research into water harvesting, power generation and plants.
· Retired all old technology and set up new computer to maximise our productivity
· Received numerous family and friends as visitors during the month
· Started writing our Farm Booklet with valuable information for guests to our property
· Developed daily schedules and routines to maintain our sanity and to stay organised

There is... of course more.... but if we wrote it down you would never believe it?