Recently at the farm...

While, with the help of friends, the house was at 'lock-up' stage in June 1997, and was a comfortable roof over our heads promptly, getting a whole independent system took a bit longer. We have solar power, our own gravity delivered water system, wood-fired hot water, wood stove for heating and cooking, gas cooktop, gas fridge, separate ventilated cool cupboard to minimise refrigeration needs, composting toilet, and so on. In 1999 we got a new baby tractor and in the spring Margaret and I together put up a 6m.x3m. [10ft x 20ft] shed. The orchard has been somewhat neglected during all this, but in January we spent three summer weeks eating three meals of three courses of blueberries a day. The orchard was, in the mid-1990s, Certified A-Organic by the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture (Australia) [NASAA] but we gave that away as it was unlikely that we would pursue commercial objectives. Margaret and I both have Permaculture Design Certificates and the orchard and gardens are densely planted on permaculture principles; so dense that it's hard to provide a meaningful photo. You'll understand how much we are looking forward to getting back to this cosy hide-away.

Margaret's November 1999 photo of the house is intended to show some of the system features and the new shed.

My picture of Margaret on the Kubota B-5000 was at the time of Margaret's first tractor driving lesson, November 1999.

My photo of Margaret in kitchen (the little fridge under the sink is open because we are packing to come back to Canberra) shows the wonderful 12ft bench, around which much of the little house was built, the fuel stove, the patented Argall $2.00 windscreen glass above-cooktop extractor system, an extra tap, apart from those at the sink [behind Margaret], so we have a separate supply [rainwater] from a separate tank if the main tank [pumped, sparkling creek water] runs dry. Yes, it still needs painting, but you do have to think carefully about these colour schemes, you know.