Completely Complete

I admit that for most of my life I have tended to move onto new projects before finishing current ones, leaving a trail of semi-unfinished jobs in my wake.  However, old dogs CAN learn new tricks and now I have an obsession about finishing things off!!  And so I am extremely pleased to report that our Cottage project is now officially finished!!  Even though the cottage itself was nicely completed, there was a requirement to clear an area around it as a bushfire safety precaution, which held up the actual Completion.  After months of very difficult work, and getting an excavator in to finish off what I couldn't do myself, we have just had the successful final inspection.  Phew, what a huge relief that is!!  For months I've spent every minute thinking about, and doing, clearing, and now I can start doing some of the many other projects that are planned for Whistlestop.

Mention must be made of the incredible assistance in all this clearing by the amazing Fergie, our 1953 TED 20 tractor.  Quite literally I couldn't have done what I have without it.  At 60 years old I am amazed at what it can still do, particularly getting into tight and rough spots in order to pull out teatree stumps.  As much as I like some of my more modern equipment, I am absolutely sure that none of it will still be giving good service in 60 years time, not that I'll be around to notice!!

Here are a couple of pictures of the newly-cleared area, with many new opportunities for gardens!

Our 'new' views to the wine-growing area of Ballandean.

As another month draws to a close, I am absolutely thrilled that the Cottage project is now complete, and while there is still a lot of gardening etc that I want to do around it, I can now move onto another exciting project here at Whistlestop.   Something, perhaps, with more of a 'train' theme to it.......................

Excavation Day

A big but good day today at Whistlestop!!  Readers of this blog will recall that we have a requirement to clear around our cottage for bushfire safety, and it is now done!!  We had a huge excavator with a four-way head in today, courtesy of our friends Adrian and Maree of Johanson Earthmoving.  What Adrian can do with the excavator in three minutes takes me a whole day!!

Although I now have a lot of tidying up to do, it is so good to finally have this job finished!  We now have some new, interesting, views over both Ballandean and Girraween National Park.  I think in a way too that today marks a transition between plugging away around the cottage, to now being free to get back into the train projects at Whistlestop, which is a very exciting prospect!!  Thanks Guys!!