Cleaning Up - at the House

When I arrived I found a large pile of branches and palm fronds stacked at the front of the house - someone told me later that it had been there for a long time - first in a pile in the front yard, and then moved closer to the house.

(Left - they backed their trailer in and started loading)


Christine told me that she would get some of the "boys" to come around and cart it away.

(Right - the boys struggle to get the pile into the trailer)

Around the back I found that a lot more palm fronds had been shed, and also another shrub was actively attacking the clothes line. So I set about collecting those and also pruning back the offending shrub.

(Left - no problems loading - out with the chain saw!! Notice the complete lack of any protective equipment)!!

On Australia Day, when I was relaxing I heard a massive banging on the front door (which I cannot open as the outer knob has dropped off and now no one knows where it is!!) So I went out the back door to find Stuart had brought many of his family around to cart it all away - good job I had been collecting some more in the meantime!!) They attacked the pile with tools (the head fell off the first rake) and started loading. Their biggest concern was if there were any snakes in the pile - there have been a lot of catches in back yards this season in Carnarvon. And talking to one of the girls from the Community, they found one inside their house recently.

(Right - back to stomping to fit the contents into the trailer)

So they loaded their trailer (two loads) and carted it away. Then Stuart took the lawnmower to the front lawn (term used in a figurative sense only!!), so things look a lot better now. All I need to complete it is some grass, and hopefully the evening watering will address that - eventually!

(Above Left - then Stuart started on the "grass" cutting)

(Above Right - the front grounds are starting to look much neater and tidier)

(Left - amazing what a bit of grass cutting will do to the look??!!)

(Right - our clean up efforts didn't impress everyone. I saw, what I think was a legless lizard wriggling across the drive way, and then this little fellow darted for cover)