What day is it!?

I’m seriously losing track of time. Most of the time I do try to write up the day’s achievements here each evening, but this past weekend I’ve either been too buggered or too cold (truth showing through here) to sit in front of the laptop and write. And now I’m sure I’ve lost a day - I have three days’ worth of visible progress, and four days in the weekend… and no idea what happened!

There’s probably a very specific medical term for this, and if the researchers put two and two together and noticed that all the sufferers were owner-builders, then it would probably be named appropriately.. something like short-term construction-fatigue-induced alcohol-enhanced amnesia, or some such.

Anyway.

What I do remember is Monday - after talking to Peter about the plans for the next few weeks leading up to preparations for the suspended slab, I got stuck into the strip footing for the test rammed earth wall. Or perhaps more accurately, the weather largely prevented me from getting stuck into the strip footing. We had the worst kind of rain - intermittent. If it’s going to rain, I’d like it just to get on with it and get it over and done with, but noooo, it had to rain for 15 minutes, then clear up and promise sunshine. Then half an hour later, rinse and repeat.

Not a good recipe for progress.

After a while following the onset of another shower, Ewan and I gave up and hopped in the Hilux - initially to stay dry, then with the idea of running the engine to get warm (and charge the battery, which following our hilly adventure had been giving me issues turning out to be a dodgy earth). This turned into a visit to the servo on the Hume since the fuel gauge (which is particularly pessimistic and untrustworthy) was reading empty.

On our return an hour later (the Melbourne-bound post-Easter traffic on the Hume was unbelievable so we took the scenic route) the weather had cleared up so it was into the digging. First up, the Bobcat/backhoe got a warmup and easily took care of the hole in the ground:

Then the formwork, and the first layer of mesh:

Finally, the starter bars for the wall and the second layer of mesh:

… aaand we’re all ready for the building inspection.

Maybe. I’m sure there’s something I’ve forgotten, but we’ll find out during the week…