Going up …
Before this week, anyone visiting our shed would have their eyes immediately drawn to the ceiling. When the shed was constructed the insulation sheeting that sits just below the corrugated iron roof was fitted in a slap-dash manner. One consequence of this lackadaisical installation was that strands of insulation hung down from the ceiling in an exceedingly annoying way. Of course, our helpful neighbour pointedly remarked when visiting us for the first time that it would be simply job just to hire a ‘cherry picker’ and fix it up. It has been on the to do list ever since.
We finally bit the bullet this week and hired a 19-foot scissor lift from a place in Kingston, about 20 kms north east of us. After rather cursory instructions on how to operate it from a cavalier attendant we hooked up the trailer and headed back to the farm. There was no difficulty in manoeuvring the trailer into the shed entrance, but then the real problem had to be faced – namely driving the machine off its trailer by way of two wafer-thin ramps. Although the scissor part of the lift was safely folded, the cage from which you drive feels quite high when you are in it, and if you add to that the fact that you are on a trailer then the distance to the concrete floor feels formidable! The worst part of the whole experience was that the machine kept speaking to me in a menacing computerised voice, saying things like ‘Operator area’ and `Sense an obstruction’ and refusing to respond to the controls. Just when I was about to lose it, and seemingly for no apparent reason, the machine would suddenly say ‘Drive’ and then lurch forward in an uncontrolled fashion toward the ramps. Somehow, we managed to get the lift down onto the ground after what I can only describe as a teeth-clenching, white-knuckle descent.
Things got a bit easier after that and by the end of the day, the ‘Drive’ and ‘Elevate’ commands from the lift came at (approximately) the correct times, and Cath and I managed to ascend to and descend from the shed ceiling with relative ease. The cage felt quite stable when we were up high, although we didn’t subject that particular feature to extensive testing because 5 metres up feels quite exposed. We are, however, very pleased with the end result. Cath had found some tape whose colour exactly matched our insulation, and the drifting sheets are now secured nicely.
Elsewhere, things are moving along in slow but steady winter rhythm. Over the last couple of days, there has been a welcome break in the very wet weather we have been experiencing. This settled interlude allowed us to move our attention to the bottom paddock and start planting some native trees along our winter stream. The green tree guards that now protect these little treasures serve as a great signal of regeneration underway. Here is hoping the local fauna give them a break. Next week we aim to tackle another major project, namely the stone fruit grove. Watch this space …
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