So. Much. To. Do!

Let’s see, what did I get done today…

• 07:00 - Ate breakfast (a somewhat rare event for me unless I’m building) then made a mad dash into Kilmore to pick up 42 bags (840kg!!) of off-white cement. I have enough on hand now to do the whole wall :) Boy, the Hilux is twitchy when it has its nose pointed at the sky…


• 10:00 - Stripped the formwork from last weekend’s wall panel. I had planned to revisit the site on Sunday after the boys’ swimming comp, but Ewan had a 1500m time trial to attend in Richmond so that put paid to that. (As an aside, I am incredibly proud of Ewan, he swum the 1500 with incredible consistency - his first 100m in 1:55 (or close to that) then every other 100 bar his last he did between 2:05 and 2:08. His last 100 was 2 minutes dead. He looked as fresh afterwards as when he dived in.. incredible!)

I’m really very happy with this wall panel, even though it has a few imperfections. It’s pretty straight, (straight enough that you can’t easily see any bulging, although with a straight edge you can find it) and there’s remarkably little tear-out. The top bit is still wet from the forms..

This is the worst of the tear-out - the column with the tongue timber was rather difficult to disengage from the wall, and it took some wall with it when it finally did let go. I’m not worried about this though, since this face is a joint with the next panel and nearly all of the tear-out will get filled in.

• 12:00 - Cut and wired in place the steel reo mesh, ready for inspection this afternoon. Which didn’t happen. I got a text from the inspector this afternoon asking me to take photo’s, as he’s in hospital having done his back in (again).


• 13:00 - Began reassembly of the forms in place for the next wall panel. This takes aaaages - although I’ve only just drilled all the holes in all the right places, nothing lines up easily. Mucho adjustment later and it’s all assembled, square, braced and plumb.


• 17:00 - With darkness fast approaching, finished bolting up the form panels and jumped into the bobcat to screen another load of soil ready for ramming in the morning. Successfully managed not to tip the bobcat over onto its nose this time…


• 17:45 - It’s nearly dark but we’ve run out of firewood at home so I have to cut some today else we’ll freeze next week. So, changed the chainsaw chain and got stuck into a fallen tree halfway down the hill. Wow, what a difference a sharp chain makes!! I could barely hang onto the saw and it cut foot-diameter logs like butter!


• 18:15 - Loaded up the Hilux with the firewood and the spare water tank as I’m just about out on site, so I’ll cart another 1000L up from Melbourne.


• 19:00 - Finally sat down with a beer at the Tallarook Hotel, awaiting the Roast of the Day (pork, as it happens, and gravy nearly as good as mine) :)

I’m determined to get the next panel rammed tomorrow, and waaaay before 9pm this time (compressor willing) so I’ll be starting my day in the darkness…