Categories: uncategorized
Date: 10 September 2007 09:05:47
We are basically doing a spring clean of our living area I think ... in the last couple of weeks we've fixed a door so it slides properly, replaced tea towel rails with new rails that don't poke you in the eye, added two towel rails to the bathroom, burnt 2 huge piles of prunings (and I'm talking large, 3m tall), built a backyard fence, moved a few things around in the kitchen so they fit better, and knocked down the old brick BBQ which stood next to the verandah.
It's making a difference! There's more to do, but it's seasonal ... I'm aiming to buy at least two fly screens in the next month or so. Our windows push out, rather than slide up, so screening from the outside is out ... my lovely brother has found a site where I can order some Velcro screens though, which stick on the inside and pull off easily so you can open and close the window - fabulous - and not scarily expensive! I'm also buying a nice bamboo door bead screen, so the rotters don't get in through the open front door. I've seen some lovely ones in Sydney, but they're about $80, so I think I'm going for the Spotlight version in brown bamboo for $30 - gotta be realistic about these things!
We went up to our block on Sunday and planted 5 more grevilleas, the first of our driveway screen. We already have a camellia at the top, and I've ordered one for the bottom. We only have 19 more to plant down the driveway! Our first lot of 10, planted at the bottom of the driveway to block out the Western neighbours, were in $6 pots, but we decided to try the $3 pots this time - and they're great, not much smaller, so that's what we'll do from now on. They're all planted up in their little tree tubes and look like a little plastic forest. We also dug the 36 holes along the back fence behind the shed, which are going to be planted out with yellow flowering callistemon's, which will grow to, hopefully, 3 - 4m tall. All the natives we're planting are designed (sort of) to be native bird attracting, and flowering most of the year (except in deepest winter) .. but they also have a variety of foliage shapes and colours, so will bring a little bit of variety to the dark winter green which is the predominant theme in this part of Tassie.
JD (the dog) enjoyed being up at the block, unfortunately he still has to stay on the lead, but he loved it. We have to put up a bit more chicken wire fencing over the existing ring lock fencing to keep out the rabbits and wallabies, so once that's done, and the gaps under the gates filled in, he'll be able to be let off and run around to his heart's content. We'll gradually get the whole place fenced in so he can run around the whole block (6 acres), and he won't know himself.