After much umming and ahhing, our property at Kanimbla is on the market. Although it is a wonderful block of land, the added burden of paying of the land whilst it is producing no income, has made us rethink our priorities. It is currently sitting on a number of “For Sale By Owner” web sites, so if you or someone you know is looking for an idyllic setting, have a look.

During the week Sue went crazy on Ebay, and as a result we now have a kitchen and most of a bathroom in the shed. Of course, it is not yet wired or plumbed up, as Sue quickly remembered as she poured a bucket of water down the sink and into a cupboard.

It was finally time to get the mighty Husqvarna out for a run (a mower not a motorbike) and test its capabilities on the long grass. It worked well and gave the dog lots of exercise as he chased me around the paddock.

We have also installed some bookshelves (acquired for free through Freecycle) and have started a small reading collection. Sue was moving the books and let out a scream about a spider on a book. Given that the book was on dangerous Australian animals and had a picture of a reb-back on the cover, it was not surprising, except this was a real spider. A huntsman had come inside to feast on the flies and was sheltering among the books.

The trees planted the previous fortnight had a low attrition rate and although 15 of the 100 plants had died, it was mainly those furthest from the shed, which had missed out on supplementary watering. There is a  lesson to be learnt there.

The next big project is to connect the water and get a sewer system happening. That should be fun.

This is what our property looks like now, or at least in 2005 when Google took the photo. In total there are about four large trees, plus lots or blackberry and thistles. This weekend we started to redress the balance. Sue and myself planted 100 trees and bushes. They are all tube stock and although 100 was a very ambitious number, they do get quite cheap when you buy that many. Of course, by the end of the weekend every muscle in our bodies was hurting.

Many of the trees were fast growing Acacias. These are pioneer plants and in a natural forest environment they prepare the soil for the plants to come. We hope they will do the same here. We want to start a tradition where every visitor to the property has to bring a tree. That way, not only do we get lots of trees, but each time that person visits they can see how their tree is progressing. The trees should provide shelter from the winds and attract bird life which in turn will bring small amounts of natural fertiliser and help spread seeds. This is the start of a very long term project.
For the record, the plants were:

• Acacia buxifolia (10)
• Acacia decurrens (10)
• Acacia mearnsii (10)
• Acacia myrtifolia (10)
• Eucalyptus crebra (5)
• Eucalyptus fibrosa (5)
• Eucalyptus gummifera (10)
• Hakea salicifolia (10)
• Leptospermum scoparium roseum (10)
• Angophora floribunda (10)
• Kunzea ambigua (10)