Today I have been assisting John in building a mudbrick wall in the shed that is being renovated . I love the whole squelchy muddy business,laying the bricks and packing mud in between. These bricks were originally in the house and came out when we pulled some walls down – they must be about 34 years old and still going strong -you gotta love mud bricks .

Next door farmer Warren is slashing paddocks with his tractor having just bought the farm on the western side of us. Not only that he has someone else over there on another machine that I suspect is taking down trees. so it is Warren to the north the west and also to the east but at least Christa is in between us there. Christa rang  last night to chat about this development in our patch of paradise, she will have him on two sides of her as well.

Apparently he sprays poison three or four metres over the boundary fence into her place, ‘I have asked him three times not to do that and he doesn’t take any notice’ she tells me.

Jess mother of the little king and his sister said when she heard the news ‘well he’ll be surrounded by more of our love I guess. ‘ And I thought that was a very lovely way of dealing with this shock  but now as I sit here listening to him and his noisy machines that seem so close to us –  I know I should never have complained about the fridge.

We do not see eye to eye.

Warren  is an old school monoculture farmer mostly cows and a few sheep,with no idea about sustainable land management. In fact I am not at all impressed by  his style which includes harassing his animals and poisoning and shooting wildlife. The other night Helen wife of Warren rang and said we are putting  1080 baits out tomorrow to take care of the foxes.

Not quite what I consider care is but I knew where she was coming from . Thank you for telling me Helen. I will pass it on.

don’t go there foxes don’t go there kangaroos dont go there wombat stay well away…

I am being seriously challenged here to meet this moment and not devolve into whining and negative self-righteous behaviour. ok just as long as you know that I really want to go there.

Instead I look forward to our future discussions. Warren  likes straight and new –twenty plus years ago he had to take us to court to get his straight and new fence line on the northern boundary and now we have another 800m to chat about. A couple of winters ago John and I spent some months renovating that  100-year-old fence with its beautiful red gum posts. We used barbed wire because that’s what farmers want around here, strained it and turned an old tumble down fence into something that kept the cows out.  I admit I am very proud of our work.  However  it may be like a red rag to a bull for warren . not straight enough for starters.

I am breathing…….