I could not even imagine this. Lucky for me it is the real Deal!

Weather is getting a bit nippy, I am wondering if my swim cap would be warmer than my wool beanie. I may get to wear both. I am keeping my wool items clean and close at hand,

As time ticks away, I am in overdrive with weaving and reading. When we first arrived, I selected about ten books from the island library to read; largely by Australian authors or about remote lives and adventures. Now that I see our departure date closer than may arrival, I am reading feverishly. Some good, some bad. I am so used to using a kindle, not the actual book, I found my self tapping the page or trying to highlight a word for the dictionary. I even stirred and looked several words up in the dictionary.

Same with weaving. I brought several spools of silk thread with the notion I would weave shoelaces! Can you imagine? Well now I am. I am making one set on a tiny rigid heddle loom and the other with tablets. I spent the first month reintroducing myself to Andean Pebble weave and wove a few bands in varying thicknesses with that technique. I have knit two pairs of socks, one for me and one for Tim, a pair of mittens, a wimple, a child’s hat, fingerless mitts and now a pair of child’s mittens. Trying to go home with mainly finished items instead of skeins of wool. I haven’t picked a project yet for a ball of beautiful hand dyed, hand spun merino I received from a dear friend. It will be something to remind me of this beautiful place.

I often remember where I was when I made something and so it becomes my souvenir. Even a lot of food I make now, I can remember the first island I experimented with it. This trip’s new addition will be croissants and sticky buns made from artisan bread dough. Memories and calories!

We have enjoyed several beautiful, autumn days. A cold front with dry air and moderate temperatures kept rain at bay while both house roofs were replaced. Not for long though. We will get a chance to test them with rain forecast for the next several days.

Every sunset is stunning. How can that be?

Our quiet paradise has been shattered. In the course of five days, the island population swelled to 14 people on island and at least 5 in yachts.

The pace of work is blazing. Tuesday and a Thursday brought several plane loads of workers and equipment. By Thursday evening, one roof had been replaced, and as you already know, the toilet problem was fixed.

Friday, the barge arrived with all the materials and equipment. It parked on the beach and offloaded. Yesterday the roof on the caretaker cottage was removed and replaced and a pitch was added to replace the flat roof that often leaked.

Today a fishing vessel arrived with a year’s worth of propane tanks to swap out and three seemingly tireless workers came down to give us a hand. They did this during a break from removing an asbestos roof.

In our spare time, we shoveled the road clear of sand again because the sandy hill slide sloughs off with any significant rainfall.

 

It’s mildly chaotic but also heaps of fun. How much time alone do you really need?

Our quiet paradise has been shattered. In the course of five days, the island population swelled to 14 people on island and at least 5 in yachts.

The pace of work is blazing. Tuesday and a Thursday brought several plane loads of workers and equipment. By Thursday evening, one roof had been replaced, and as you already know, the toilet problem was fixed.

Friday, the barge arrived with all the materials and equipment. It parked on the beach and offloaded. Yesterday the roof on the caretaker cottage was removed and replaced and a pitch was added to replace the flat roof that often leaked.

Today a fishing vessel arrived with a year’s worth of propane tanks to swap out and three seemingly tireless workers came down to give us a hand. They did this during a break from removing an asbestos roof.

In our spare time, we shoveled the road clear of sand again because the sandy hill slide sloughs off with any significant rainfall.

It’s mildly chaotic but also heaps of fun. How much time alone do you really need?

One of my favorite lines from “Jaws”. In this case, we’re going to need a bigger plunger.

Workers finally arrived after weeks of delays to work on the lighthouse and roofs. Within ten minutes of their arrival, the toilet clogged. Handy caretakers to the rescue. We found one teeny, tiny plunger and no snake (oddly sometimes called an eel in AU).

We worked that little plunger and tried to snake several
long squiggly things down the toilet to no avail. Today, six workers watched while the ranger unclogged the drain. No easy task. It entailed a fire hose, lots of snickers, a fountain of poo, and drilling an opening into the terra cotta drain pipes. And it worked. Blockage found, cleared, and sh*t flowing downhill again.

So our island idyll will be quite different but at least we won’t have to share our one toilet.

We spent a good part of the day clearing the airstrip of wallabies and geese so more workers could arrive today. No time for a walk to one of my favorite perches.

The wind has not been favorable to internet for a change.

Whether the weather is good or bad, we get to spend time outdoors. Surf is up in East Cove with winds from the west in the 50 mph range. I am mostly prepared for any weather. The one drawback in the cottage is that the bathroom windows, one bathroom has a shower, the other a toilet, are permanently open. Nice lots of time. Not so nice when the temperature and wind are both in the 50’s, Fahrenheit and mph. Lucky for me I brought Qivuit or musk ox yarn and knit it up into a stylish wimple, or long cowl, that stretches over my head. Very stylish, just like the flying nun. I just finished reading Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez and learned that Qivuit is 8 times warmer than wool! And before this I was the biggest wool advocate I know for summer and winter. So in the house, I often wear a hat, wimple, wool shirt, cashmere sweater and alpaca socks, also knit here.

Which brings me to the fact that sometimes you have to find indoor activities. I have been trying to master Andean Pebble Weave with a backstrap loom. I have finished several bands with silk sewing thread. Now I am trying out this rayon. I measured the warp around kitchen chairs and called in the utensils to arrange my threads. Now to keep my hands warm.

Twenty four little hours. The first photo was taken from Old Squally again and is one of my favorite views of the homestead because it gives a sense of how alone we are out here in the Bass Strait. I also love how Hogan Island seems to float above the water.

Temperature has dropped and wind is gusting to 70 mph. That has kept a couple of work parties at bay. Now they may arrive next week. Time will tell. One boat is hunkered down in Winter Cove. I am keeping busy mostly indoors. I have done all I can to protect the garden. Today I will rinse off sea spray and harvest some veggies for tonight. Yesterday I made croissants and let me tell you, they were delicious. The technique is pretty easy, sweet bread dough, then work in a stick of butter and keep rolling it out and folding it in. But it takes about five hours. The house smelled like a Paris bakery and they tasted as good as they smelled. I posted a picture on 300 meals. On other fronts I keep knitting at night and weaving when I can during the day. I will have to post a picture of the chess set we found here. Someone carved all the pieces and made Cape Barren Geese for knights. Someone else with lots of indoor time. Tim won.

The second photo preceded one recent weather front.

I get to spend lots of time looking at the sky and clouds. They change constantly as weather systems move through. We had thick fog the other day, sometimes completely closing off our view from the cottage, and obscuring the lighthouse. It didn’t stop a couple of boats from traveling here on their way north to warmer weather. The night brought a spectacular lightening show. We turned off our movie and walked outside to watch it light the whole sky west of Dover Island – until the rain came. Much better than what was on the tube.

Not spending time with technology has freed up a lot of time to just let the mind wander. And off it goes.