The loss of the cobb; the slow inevitable draining of the dams; old batteries that aren’t recharging well (thus, a lack of power) are things that make us realise the difficulty we have put ourselves into. Some days are indeed difficult – but wwhose life is easy? We try to focus on the positives: an abundant supply of straw and timber to continue with our build; two lovely children who created a magical silhouette this evening, when picking blackberries at the house site; and posts to erect keep us busy.

“positive post” is not just about turning the frown upside down. It’s about the wondrous joy we’re experiencing as we start building the frame of our home.

Monte drilling the first holes for the first post

Monte standing by the first post! Yay!

The posts are braced on both directions using some extra timber. It was a two-person job to get them level and secured. They have been going up quickly and half the house is now done – only 10 more to go!

I mentioned in an earlier post that we have now got our straw and it is being stored in our neighbours’ sheds. We have 398 bales. We feel really lucky to have straw, as the drought has made it hard to source. With its popularity increasing, and the supply decreasing, straw is set to become a bit of an expensive building material. There are many reasons why we chose to build with straw, but finding an architect and engineer who were happy with the process was challenging. We are grateful to Wally and Simon for the use of their sheds, and to Ady, for helping with the unloading. Thank you!

Four-hundred bales of straw on a semi-trailer almost blocks the road!

Ady and Monte moving the straw (two bales broke, hence the mess!)

So, at present we have the house plan drawn on the slab; this is great fun because we can walk around and discuss any possible changes we can still make. We also talk about which rooms will be be used for what purpose, which is exciting because ideas of decorating swim through my mind. I’m tentatively planning the bathroom at this stage. Green and white has always been my favourite colour scheme for a bathroom…

At present we also have house posts up, and one can see them from our cabin and from the road below. They stand over 10 feet from the ground, so our house, once the roof is up, will be visible from a distance. Monte still wants lower ceilings but I am not budging, having already conceded defeat on the scissor truss front. The posts are braced and when they are all up we will brace them against each other before the ring beam is placed.

Today we ran out of petrol for the generator, so we stopped work on the posts and we did some measuring and working out ideas for our garden. Our house block is about half an acre. Imagine having so much space to work with! And then some! Permies will know about zoning of the garden: zone one is for areas you tend to daily; zone 2 is for less used needs and so on. Monte and I have been talking about how to use our house zone in this way, and I am so excited about planning the garden! Our plan for zone 1 is to make a food garden. From my kitchen door, I will be able to venture out and pick herbs and other yummies for cooking – whether it be in the outdoor or indoor kitchen! I also love flowers and colour, so an ornamental garden will also be incorporated into the design. I’m imagining a fragrant cottage garden, with a Mediterranean touch: pots of mint and geraniums under a vine-covered pergola! I am already collecting plants, and after being slightly disinterested in gardening since I was pregnant with Matthew, I am back in the garden again, propagating and weeding and loving every moment, whether it be with the children during the day, or after they have gone to sleep, when the plants seem a little less stressed and are happier to be chopped up and put in small pots. This is a photo of a little part of my potted garden so far:

Calendula, geraniums, irus, vietnamese mint, coriander, basil, parsley an chives are just some of the things I am growing in preparation for planting in my new garden!

I would like to dedicate this post to a special man.

Monte, you pick me up when I am down; you give me hope; you make me dream.
You are building our home with your beautiful, bare hands.
You give me everything I need
and more.
I am blessed to have you
and I love you
more than words can say.

And thanks for cooking dinner so I can write this post.