Eco building, Garden

FLEMINGTON PERMABLITZ PART 1 – RESILIENCE DESPITE THE RAIN

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Filling earthbags at the Flemington Permablitz

Minna counting out the earthbag for the pizza oven at the Flemington Permablitz

Removing annuals to make way for the orchard at the Flemington Permablitz

The kids picking peas for lunch at the Flemington Permablitz

The boys digging post holes for the orchard/chicken yardThe kids picking peas for lunch at the Flemington Permablitz

My chalk lines began to wash away with the first rain shower at 9 o’clock and I felt the first tinglings of stress in my fingertips. Dylan had been anxious the last few days getting everything ready and I had been smug in my serenity, I should have known better. We sprang to erect tarps as the first Blitzers arrived and the rain was constant, the one time we couldn’t say ‘well at least it’s good for the garden’. So the day started creakingly slow, but with tarps up and people warming into their work things started running beautifully. Due to the rain only the most exuberant workers showed up and there was not one spade leaner in sight, My spirits rose exponentially to see everyone working together with such enthusiasm.

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Eco building, Garden

FLOODED KITCHEN & SKIES

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Marking out the second earth bag bed in preparation for the Flemington Permablitz

Leveling the base for the earth oven in preparation for the Flemington Permablitz

Gracie dog heps measure out the polybag in preparation for the Flemington Permablitz

Gracie dog inspecting the compost pile in preparation for the Flemington Permablitz

Worker taking a nap on the earthbag garden bed wall in preparation for the Flemington Permablitz

We woke at 5am to a nervous knocking at our bedroom door. Our housemate had awoken to a steady wooshing noise. The origin of the noise soon became clear as I stepped into our suddenly torrential kitchen, water and steam flowing steadily from under the bathroom door, wet feet confusing sleep dazzled brains. The hot water pipe under the sink had burst and drenched everything! After the water was turned off the damage only seemed superficial, but the most pressing danger was the water lapping against the timber stairs. (Thank goodness for stone floors!). So our day began with a 5am mopping session after which instead of starting bright and early on our final preparations for the Blitz we staggered back to bed. Our housemate Laura, disturbed by our night mopping got up early and decided to bake, so we woke at a more respectable hour to a much pleasanter sound and I might add smell or baked oat biscuits.

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Eco building, Garden

GUARD DOGS IN T-SHIRTS

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Dylan putting barbed wire into our first earth bag row in preparation for the Flemington Permablitz

Our first earth bag garden bed under construction in preparation for the Flemington Permablitz

Collecting some more clay from the building site in preparation for the Flemington Permablitz

Collecting more clay for our earth bag bed wall in preparation for the Flemington Permablitz

Snoozing guard dogs wearing t-shirts at the building site in Yarraville

Delivering clay to Nicholas and Minna of Permastructure in Heidelberg

Gracie looking into Nicholas and Minna's dome in Heidelberg

Dylan and Tom scaling Nicholas and Minna's Dome in Heidelberg

Cobbing on the earth bag dome made by Nicholas and Minna of Permastructure in Heidelberg

Clay and sand became a neat, slightly wrinkly, row of earth bags outlining our first garden bed. However, satisfaction turned upside down when we saw how quickly the pile of clay had diminished with so few bags. Luckily our friends Nicholas and Minna saved us by offering up their trailer to collect more clay.

We returned to the building site greeted by guard dogs in t-shirts, if their wagging tails and liquid eyes didn’t diminish the quality of their threat then their wardrobe sure did. The owners were kind enough to take photos of us at work, we noted that the number of people we owed a crate of home brew thank yous was rising.

As a thanks for the trailer we delivered a load of clay to Minna at her house in Heidelberg for cobbing. She and Nicholas have been running earth bag workshops in their backyard  and we were met with the glorious site of their earth dome rising proudly amongst post-war brick houses with ubiquitous tiled hip roofs.The contrast will make their dome all the more delightful when they have it rendered. I don’t think you’ll find a sauna like this anywhere else in Melbourne, it’s a shame!

You can see progress of their dome at their Permastructure website.

 

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Recipes, Travel

SUNLIGHT ON FEATHERS

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Pink blossoms on a morning walk through Flemington

Hen in a neighbours front garden on a morning walk through Flemington

Gracie dog woofing at trains on a morning walk through Flemington

Hot chocolate and coffee at Made Cafe in Flemington

Lacey foam on an empty coffee glass at Made Cafe in Flemington

Breakfast Plate with egg, avocado, mushrooms, tomatoes and fetta at Made Cafe in Flemington

Dylan's empty plate at Made Cafe in Flemington

Made Cafe in Flemington

Gracie inspecting a fluffy dog, is it a sheep?
With the weight of a big day of clay and earth bags ahead we got up early to treat ourselves to a nice breakfast at Made Cafe. It was a perfect spring morning, pink petals against blue sky. The staff at Made know Gracie well, to our shame, as the dog that hates trains. Situated opposite a train station, we provided the morning entertainment for our fellow breakfasters.Luckily they all had fluffy friends with leads fastened tightly to their hearts, so they found our blushes more hysterical than Gracie’s noise annoying.

As my egg yolk burst so did all my dreams of getting into food blogging. I realised Dylan was just too quick for me to snap a shot of his plate before the food miraculously disappeared with a blink into his belly.

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