White Ant invasion

by sophie. Posted on May 9, 2008

09 May

We have been scrubbing the Comboyne office (and there are those of you who know how much it needed it!!) We have given away the fridge, toaster and microwave and packed up all the paraphernalia belonging to Ged’s brother and his business and are almost free and unfettered . . . we have exchanged on the sale of Ged’s 400 acre block and are now just awaiting settlement so it’s a good feeling for us both to be clearing out the detritus of his bachelor life and more fully embracing the life we have chosen together. Needless to say, I won’t let him keep much!!

Meanwhile, down on the farm, we have discovered where the white ants went after we ejected them from my side of the shed where they were gnawing on the wooden mattress supports for one of my beds. No, they haven’t gone up into the bush where there are thousands of felled trees they could nibble on to their little hearts’ content, they migrated instead to Ged’s shed and set up camp in the beautiful Tasmanian Oak flooring we had set aside for the office . . . they were obviously pretty bloody hungry, because there isn’t much left!

So Ged has been burning the equivalent of money as he sorts through the mess and I have been on the internet searching out sure-fire death to these pestilent perpetrators of wholesale wood massacre. They’ve got 400 acres of wood out there – what’s so bloody tasty about my furniture???!!

Poor Shirley and Marcel have recently discovered White Ant in their Guest Annexe so both Marcel and I have been investigating options. He is Sherlock Holmes, I am Watson. He has gone down the pest man route, to the detriment of his bank balance. We are still looking for solutions which go back to the nest and kill the queen, because we need an on-going long-term solution.

We are avidly watching the second series of The West Wing on DVD (which Neil and Jane lent us) and I am simultaneously reading ‘A Woman In Charge’ – Carl Bernstein’s balanced portrayal of Hillary Clinton. Since The West Wing is based on the Clinton era I found factual events and actions on which the plots were based as I read on. I found the book absolutely fascinating. Highly recommended to anyone who lived through, and wondered about, the Clinton history, marriage, Whitewater and all those women . . . I’m not sure whether to be sad or relieved that she’s been sidelined by Obama. The feminist in me wants a woman in the White House very badly. But Hillary – I’m not so sure.

I am loving being at home more, revelling in the beauty of this idyllic spot, and most definitely nesting . . .

Return of the platypus . . .

The Big Flood

by sophie. Posted on April 28, 2008

28 Apr

Just call me NOAH!!

Although I haven’t done a very good job of rescuing animals. Trying to save three stranded cows and calves, they jumped into the river rather than be herded into our place. And I had a platypus literally at my feet this morning, obviously washed out of its burrow by the raging torrent. By the time I realised what it was and registered that it didn’t look happy, the river had swept it away. Maybe next time I’ll just stay in the house and pray!

So the rain has continued all week to my utter disgust and despair. We had a thoroughly wet and miserable day in Port Macquarie on Wednesday where I had my inaugural Pilates class, acupuncture and we went for our 18 week scan. Normally we have the mst delightful, lovely and helpful of radiologists but this one was a cow and trying to extract information from her, let alone reassurance, was like pulling the proverbial teeth! So we don’t know what sex the baby is, and with her attitude, I’m more worried now than I was before, so let’s hope I can get out to the doctor on Wednesday for hand holding, brow soothing and ‘there, there, dear’s’

On Thursday we woke late and despondent at yet more of the wet stuff cascading from the sky. As I had refused to take my car up the now suicidal Tom’s Creek Road one more time this week, Ged had to wait for me and do my morning chores (feeding his horses, chooks etc) and by the time we were ready to go we could see that we had better be quick because the river was rising, the sky was ominous and the forecast for flash flooding and more. All the creeks on the way up were very high, but just passable, so we weren’t long checking and replying to our emails, doing what we had to online etc before we packed up the computers and headed home. We came down the other way to avoid the creek crossings and only just made it into our place before the bridge got really scary. Ged dumped me and the gear and hared out again, leaving his car on the high side by the flying fox. (see it in the picture?)

And through our newly created amazing view from the kitchen window we witnessed the river rise first by inches, then by feet, while we were watching it. From 3pm to 6pm it had risen 4 feet. When I woke to go to the loo at 2am I heard the roar and went out to look. It had risen another 5 or 6 foot and by 6am a further 4 or 5 feet. Amazing! The whole of the lower river paddock (the campground) was under water which covered the top of the fence both at the gate end and where the toilet used to be (before the flood!) At the end of our river paddock (polo ground!) where there is normally a ten-15 foot steep bank there was just water lapping at the cutting’s edge. The bridge at Angle Creek was sitting in banked up river water and there was only 6 inches of log left showing before that would be under. At the concrete bridge (where I saw the Platypus) we were looking at 50 or 60 metres of water across between the banks and it was a raging, raging torrent.

The flats on the other side were well clear of water (we went to check our potential new home site to see how high and dry we would be) and were pleased to see that it was a very good Noah spot indeed.

And from about noon the waters have been receding just as rapidly. But at 5pm when the rain started in earnest again, they started a slow ascent. Apparently they had 10 inches of rain on Comboyne last night, compared to our 3. Let’s see what tonight and tomorrow brings . . .

And as quickly as they rose, they have been receding, but we are now at the slow point – it will probably take almost a week for the river to get back down below the bridge again. I am still marooned! And George will need to rearrange the river stones on the far side of the bridge before I can drive out as the raging torrent has significantly rearranged them. Meanwhile, the sun has been shining all weekend and we have hope in our hearts again, at last. I have been sanding back all the benchtops and varnishing them properly – they only got a quick lick and a spit before the wedding. Ged has discovered white ant in his side of the shed happily chewing their way through all the tasmanian oak flooring for the office. Oh God!

So he has been busy burning them and it and finding ways of foiling their concentrated campaign attacks on our belongings. I am going up to Lismore to see a client this weekend and will be grilling her about her long battle against their relentless armies so hopefully when I get back next week we will have a plan . . . .