Fence us in!

We've had another bout of volunteer help with the fences; we're very fortunate to have them do a great job. Led by John the fencer from South Gippsland leading a band of Conservation Volunteersm and students from Korea!

And we had another little guy trying to help. Well, help with the ants...

A bit of a Goose

True. He was just kind of hanging with the duck family. Looked confused but happy!

Article in The Age about Steels Creek

Read this with some trepidation - but was so pleasantly surprised - it's a great account of where it's at in Steels Creek at the moment.

Hat tip to Gary Tippet indeed - and our neighbours for their honesty - nice work.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/black-trees-red-dreams-20091026-hfmi.html

AI: Abode Ideas

We’re starting to short list our options for rebuilding.

We’d love your help with any recommendations for architects and builders.

Also, your “best tips”: what you’ve seen really work, what you’ve seen really not work.

Just the highlights would be very much appreciated, if you have time.

You could post them here or email them through to erinmarieoneill@gmail.com

And whilst you’re at it, please send birthdays and snail mail addresses...? JB has a new Palm Pilot and E-M is angling for one  And we know we’re about – hmmmm – 8 months behind with thank you notes! Do you know what that does to a virgo?!

Thanks in advance everyone.

Love from us X X

Planting and Planning Progress

Here are some pics of our latest planting propagated parties. We still have dear friends coming up every weekend with gloves and spades in hand to help. They usually leave not complaining at all, but we *know* it’s hard work and that they’re champions to give us their time and encouragement vibes.

Mum and her lovely friends have brought up many plants: from grasses and flax right to herbs and a lovely little crepe myrtle. We’re so lucky to have so many people who are keen to help us get back on our green feet.

All the gardening has really helped us see that the place will be beautiful again. It’s encouraged us to think about in (kind of) sections, and phases, rather than a whole canvas of mess and complicated decisions.

Visit from Sunshine Garden Club Volunteers!

On sunny Saturday 3rd October, a bus full of volunteers arrived in Steels Creek to help with gardening at Denise's, Malcolm & Jane's, and E-M & JB's. They enjoyed a quick morning tea before purposefully heading off to the different properties to help.

E-M and JB in particular would like to thank the 12 hard workers from Sunshine Garden Club who put in almost 2 hours worth of extreme gardening: from planting, to weeding, pruning and clearing, to even digging 2 circular trenches around garden beds. It has really helped with being able to envisage what a lovely garden 916 will hopefully look like again one day. Thanks very much to Jane Calder for organising.

Thank you to our dear hard working bees!

Pruning and pulling out is complete for 2009. Fifty six fabulous friends and family arrived on Saturday morning from near and far to come and help.

So much effort was made to travel, arrange babysitters, pack secateurs, gloves, and the occasional puppy dog.

It was difficult for some to see how much had changed since their last visit, but everyone put on their bravest faces and did such a marvellous job. It really was a wonderful effort.

We’re very grateful and appreciative for all the help and ongoing support that everyone gives us. It’s truly amazing.

Thank you very much.

X X

After effects of all hands to the vine

What a wonderful experience to have been able to lend a hand and some blood, sweat and even some tears to help rejuvenate (hopefully) the vines...great day out in the 4 seasons. Here's to the revival of the Pinot and new life into 916. Certainly have a whole new appreciation for wine and what goes into the makings of my consumption! 

I only took a few snaps after we'd worked our magic - http://picasaweb.google.com/lisacams/916SteelsCreekWorkerBeeVinePruningSession#

If others took any pictures please share here too.

Take care,

Lisa

2009 "Pruning" @ 916 1-2 August

Hello everyone!

We found out last week that 90% of the vineyard is not viable due to the extreme heat and or/being burnt during the bushfires in February.

We're not making any rash or hurried decisions about what to do short term (or long for that matter!) and have been advised that the best we can do at this stage is is prune back the north and south rows of vines to the crowns. The west block of vines (in front of the house) might have survived. We'll be more certain in Spring.

So, a Pruning Working Bee it will bee. 1st - 2nd August. Depending on how many workers, we're thinking that the plan will be to arrive around 10am and work until about 5pm with a break for lunch and then celebration (very casual) barbecue dinner. Everyone is welcome to camp over! Friends' friends are welcome. We're casting the net wide figuring that many hands make light work... and the more the merrier. We're figuring that if we have about 30 people we might be able to complete both the north and south blocks in the one day.

The work will be basically 2 main jobs which you can easily switch between to relieve monotony: Wearing gloves and using secateurs, to cut the vines right back to the knobbly bit (crown) just snip snip snip and/or pulling out last year's vines which is more like yank snip pull. Clearly very technical instructions. Can bring headphones for entertainment, or, from personal experience, I happen to know it is possible to talk the whole time whilst working :-) Seriously, we'll brief onsite. We're keen to be as sympathetic as possible to the vines, but it should not be too difficult or tedious. On a good day we've thought it therapeutic!

We'd ask you to BYO secateurs and gloves (if you have them, if not, we will source) and drinks (soft for day, as hard as you like for night). We'll work out crowd pleasing catering for lunch and dinner.

You've all offered to help, and you all already have in so many, many ways, so please do not feel pressure or compelled at all.

If you're free and willing, we'd love you to come up and snip yank pull bee @ 916.

Ideally, please let me know by next Friday 17th July what the likelihood is of being able to make it? Then we'll be able to estimate more accurately how many hours we'll have to work and what catering will be required etc.

Thanks again... and in advance! We really do so very much appreciate all your encouragement and support.

Love from E-M and JB x x

P.S. Thought for Saturday 1st August: "There is always some worse off..."

Back in da 'hood

This week was an interesting week. We moved into (we're guessing)the 12-18 month rental accommodation we'll have whilst we rebuild.

Rather than "moving", we unloaded a container of someone else's furniture and appliances into a house that we had not seen until an hour or two earlier that same day. Quite strange really. We had very kindly been given the container load of goods by a friend in Sydney who was going back to the US to live - what timing and what an amazing generousness?!

We will be officially moving this weekend and we're looking forward to being back up close to our property so we can start taking care of our place more frequently and move ahead as quickly as possible with the significant task of rebuilding.

JB is both excited and a little terrified that our new place is between the local pub, the local hardware store and a tractor shop. He asks "What's a man to do??!!". Like, really... no fear, E-M has a list ;-)

We have had so many generous gifts and offers of assistance - and they just keep coming. Thank you to you all. We'll be organising several events for working bees of various sorts over the next few months. There's plenty of work to do including chain sawing, pulling out the pruned vines in late June, gardening through winter and especially spring, and possibly even some vineyard reconstruction work (we're still working out how much damage has been done to the vineyard itself).

Spring will bring mowing and more pruning, planting and ridding of *%&%#^ weeds and blackberry. Don't worry if you've offered some assistance and you haven't heard anything yet - your names are all on our hit list and you will be called upon - we are working out which things are priorities dependending on availability of time, skills, equipment etc.

Right now we are actively looking for someone who can build the kind of home that we'd like to live in, and one which would best reflect the qualities of the area. We're considering everything from kit homes, modular homes to custom built. If you know of someone you think might be good for us to talk to, please let us know?

We'll take some photos of our new abode and locale over the weekend and update more next week.

Thanks everyone for your continued messages, thoughts, concern and generosity. We know the best people in the world. And we've (more) sane and comforted minds and about 10kgs weight gain to show for it so far ;-)

Misty (views and eyes a little bit)

Here are some pictures of after clearing. We took these last weekend when leaving early in the morning.

The place looks a little strange but we're looking forward to becoming used to the space again.

The demolishers accidentally took the lady in the bath, but did a good job to work around the surviving/coming back garden beds.

Here's looking down to our school convertible. The foreground is is basically the space where we're thinking we'll rebuild:


We're planning to rebuild to take advantage of the southern view down the valley and incorporate the remaining veg/ornamental garden which is faring well all things considered!

And this will be a lovely welcoming rose corner at the end of driveway one day soon-ish:

Thanks everyone for keeping on thinking about us and asking about the Working Bees. We're thinking probably mid-late June now. To help with "pulling out and tying down" after we've had the vines pruned. Stay tuned.

There will be a *big* B when Spring comes. The Garden Rennaisance project in full swing; we'll make it a celebration of planting. Can't wait.

View to the Horizon

Initial thoughts are that we'll build in a different spot on the property to where the original house was. We're at very early stages, but if we build where we're thinking of building the view will be like this (obviously without debris... we'll take photos of sans debris and garden "improvements" when we're there on the weekend and update!):

And from Outer Space...

The "Martian" demolition people came today. We walked through at 8am explaining what we were hoping could stay (e.g. some only partly burned wine barrels and the [sculptured] lady in a bath].

They'll take three days to clear they said.

Should probably feel more cleansed than do... we're just a bit tired. We'll probably feel better when we see the cleared place on the weekend.

Here's a picture of what we arrived to late last night; quite beautiful really?

And for the next few days it will be machines like this:

We'll keep you posted...

Treasures Found!

We believe the debris will be taken away in the next couple of weeks. We're ready to see it all go.

We've found some great treasures over the past couple of months. Some pics here of assorted tools sans handles, candle stick holders (Aunty Joy, that's the one you gave us last year there in the bucket!), fruit basket wire (that's from you Bonnie), that plant stool I lugged back from Shanghai "antique market" (Joe, are you still laughing about that?) and fabulous garden ornaments made by Christine - some a little changed in colour - which will find their way back to the renaissance garden. There is quite a bit of Nanna's crockery in little bits; am planning to make a mosaic from those. Seems it was too hot hot hot for Le Creusset casserole dish: it's a bit bubbly, not in the chirpy way.

We've had some lovely rain and the grass is green again. Even literally. I'll take some photos when up there again tomorrow.

Thanks as always for all your ongoing support and care.

Working Bees

Stay tuned! We will be having a couple of working bees. Probably one 30th May to make sure all is prepared for winter and probably one early September to prepare for spring. We'll work out the details and what type of muscles, energy, brains, catering skills etc will be required and let you know ASAP.

Thanks everyone for keeping on checking. We won't be able to do it without you and we won't be proud in asking for help, don't worry!

Scared now? ;-)

Overseas friends breathe a sigh of relief. Momentarily. We might just think of something for you too :-)

Back to School at Screek

A quick update: tonight we're going back up to 916 to sleep in our "new" school transportable. We spent our first night back there last weekend. Would you believe on the eve of exactly one year after we moved in :-P A bit different this time :-0 We'll update more next week!

916 picture in Wine Business Magazine

WBM used picture of 916 in this article of their March edition:


We read the article with interest. It is true, the Yarra Valley is still open for business and is starting to look beautiful again after the little rain and less crazy hot weather.

Viva La Musica!

We have a piano. Am smiling as I type. It is a Schwecten upright and we believe was manufactured in Berlin around the same time as the Feurich. Bonnie Ryan's workmate Richard asked her if she knew anyone who would be interested in a piano and she said yes :-) So pleased. Bonnie and Bruce have agreed to look after it at their place until we're ready to move it somewhere more permanent. Thanks again B&B. When picking up the piano, I met Richard's sister Elizabeth who very kindly gave me loads of classical sheet music as well. Several pieces the same as I had/have played (including Beethoven whose head, as it turns out, wasn't really marble...)


Am so happy and grateful about the piano: many thanks Richard and Elizabeth - and their late parents - who made it possible. We'll be sure to take great care of Schwecten and the sheet music.

RIP in the future garden, will Feurich eventually!

In case you’re wondering how to post photos…

Probably the easiest way is to upload them to an online album like Picasa.

Then respond to one of the postings (this one is fine) – via the “comments” link - and copy and paste the link to your album.

Here are some from Mum and Dad's album:

Admin – things that make you go zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz – but please quickly do it, quick, now!

Please send to erinmarieoneill@gmail.com
• Your snail mail address
• Your email address
• Your phone numbers
• Your birthdates (with or without year OK alright already)

The weather is cooler now and so are we…

E-M is so cool she wears clothes with tags hanging on the outside.

JB is so cool he wears slip on slippers from the most recent hotel he stayed at for work.

We think we’re “getting back to normal” until we realise that we have slept in approximately 20 beds in three states and 1 other country in the past 6 weeks, that we think it is a relaxing day when we don’t have to talk to a utility, telco, insurance company or a government department, and until we realise we have drunk an undisclosed (censored!) amount of wine.

We’re doing OK. We’re still being spurred on by the marvellous thoughtfulness and kindness of our friends and family.

Music, paintings, furniture, clothes, gift cards, cash, massages and pedicures, magazines, hugs, comfy beds and home cooked meals, sewing kits and quilts for our community (!) the list is endless - offers to help when we rebuild – it has all been absolutely amazing. It really is difficult to find words to describe. We *will* thank everyone individually eventually.

We’ve had a few moments; E-M on the meltdown side instigated by not recognising luggage on the carousel and whilst listening to any music with any associated 916 memories (clearly now going to have to listen to non-stop Def Leppard). Darling JB not melting down at all ever, not even losing his temper when repeating address and “yes, everything is gone” for the FORTY MILLIONTH time. What an angel. He looked a bit dodgy there for a while though - until some kind friends came to the rescue - he reckons if he had grown a moustache he’d have had a job as an extra actor, in a TV series like Cop Shop.

We’ve been back up to visit 916 quite a few times now. We believe the house insurance might be near finalised (fingers crossed) and so we’ll be able to clear the debris soon. Here is an interesting aerial shot of now:


We believe we’ll be the proud new owners of an ex Victoria Education second hand classroom to plonk on our property and furnish with our camp stove sometime soon!

Anyway, in the spirit of this site being a collection of lovely memories as well as an update as to where we’re at, here are some more albums of before:



JB’s Dad Reg took most of these photos: thanks Reg!


We’re in Melbourne houseminding in Caulfield near Hawthorn and Balaclava roads from end March until end June (thanks Christine, and best wishes for buon viaggio!) Hopefully we’ll catch up with several of you then.

To our dear friends and colleagues overseas: thank you so much for all the trouble you’ve gone to to send well wishes, music, camera (!), gift cards – wow – we will get to thanking everyone individually eventually. Sorry it is taking so long. You’re in our thoughts often… and you will be able to visit again. See the photo album here of the new, new, really new Green

Thanks

Hello everyone,

Firstly, thanks for all your messages of support, thoughtfulness and generosity. We're overwhelmed and grateful.

It's hard to find the words (we know, we know, now you know this is serious!) to express how calming and assuring your help has been. From beds to britches and boots to booze as well as all the people we've not actually seen and have given us strength. We really do appreciate it all.

We've been making progress with passports and birth certificates and working out temporary accommodation etc. IBM and Hydrasight have been wonderfully supportive with time and resources to sort ourselves out as well.

We've updated this blog with some photos before and after.

Please do share with friends and people who are concerned because we still haven't collected everyone's contact details.


Thanks again x x

* On the housekeeping side (who the heck thought of that word anyway?!) please send your email addresses, phone numbers, snail mail addresses and birthdays to ErinMarieONeill@gmail.com Please also send any photos you have to that gmail address too? If you'd prefer to send on CD, please mail to our usual address... the Yarra Glen post office is kindly holding our mail.

* FYI here is our local Steels Creek newsletter which has more photos of our neighbour's horses leaving and the still standing community centre and tennis courts http://www.virtual.net.au/~thejollything/JT/JT77a.pdf

House after and before:

Fishpond before and after:

Happy Buddha after and before... he's still happy!

Chimney end house before and after

A message from EM & JB

We're relived to be alive. We believe 22 people in Steels Creek perished. Some of our neighbours stayed and defended their houses, some stayed and couldn't save their houses. Some didn't make it. Horrible.

Our friends and of course families' generosity has been overwhelming. Thanks to everyone for your messages, calls, emails. We're very aware that everyone is keen to help us and we don't want to appear ungrateful that we're not getting back to everyone... we just don't really know what anyone can do right now.

One thing that we do know is that we're very keen to keep happy memories of our time at 916. We loved living there and it certainly was a beautiful place. Many of our friends enjoyed it as well...we're really happy that we were so booked up now!!! To help us with our memories, we'd appreciate photos and most importantly, people's memories and accounts of good times spent there. Hopefully the magic site that Lisa has organised can facilitate people writing about their memories and and including links to web photo albums. We'd love that.

About sending money etc: we're aware that - whilst we have lost our house and everything in it - there are others who really do need support more than us in our community. We're thinking that if people want to send us money we might not use it just for ourselves and don't want to offend our friends with that. If money is what people want to give, we would appreciate it, and they can deposit to our bank account(John Brand) BSB 733082 Acc 589282.

As a priority we'll be wanting to rebuild our music collection -everyone knows what we're like! - especially JB who has lost his drums, all of his vinyls from DJ days, guitar and E-M the piano, sheet music, iPod, CDs and all the back ups boo hoo.

In the medium term we'll be asking for everyone's support to continue to visit the Yarra Valley and help our friends in Yarra Glen with their businesses; in particular Simon and Beth at Hargreaves Hill Brewery and Anita at Delicious coffee.

And people will be able to support us later as well: loaning us a spare shovel or something, just being on hand to help with the garden and rebuilding etc. Everyone got out of harvest this year, hey :-)

Finally, to let people know not to feel obliged or guilty at all if they can't or aren't in a position to do anything at all. As twee as it sounds; love and support is all we need.

Here are some basic details of what happened on Saturday - we can't remember who we have told - we're fine about people knowing, and we'll let everyone know more details if they want later (and when we have a bit more energy ):

We prepared for fire; towels, buckets on verandah, birth certificates, passports etc in a box in cupboard in the spare room :-) By about 5:30pm we could find nothing on the CFA website to alert us to any fires in the area except Kilmore (80 kms away) and we thought we'd get out of the house since it was so hot. Driving down Steels Creek Road we saw some smoke over in the other valley towards Healesville so thought we should not go far, decided to pick up something for dinner and go back home. We were in the Yarra Glen IGA for about 15 mins when saw more smoke which was closer and thought we had better go back to defend the house. We drove back along Steels Creek Road towards the house and fire came up behind us and spot fires started beside the road. We came up to a tree which had fallen across the road and a man and woman with horse float trying to move the tree so they could get through to their horses. Then we could tell that there was fire ahead past the fallen tree so we got the woman to come with us in the car and we turned around to go back and basically drive through the flames but at least the flames lit up where we were (lots of smoke so couldn't see more than about a metre ahead) and JB brilliantly remembered Gulf Road which we could drive down to the east which had open space around it. So we got through to Yarra Glen via Balgownie Estate.

Last but not least, there are some highlights: we know that Milly and her family survived; their house didn't but they did and apparently Milly's escape was close. What a pooch!

We went back to 916 yesterday and saw that Happy Buddha survived the fire... he was sitting there amongst burnt outgarden smiling away, not a mark on him. Previous owners have agreed to help us with ideas to rebuild and make a sculpture out of the steel frame from the piano and... JB loves this one: Lucky the huntsman spider made it through the flames with us in the car and we believe we dropped him off in King Street on Tuesday; a feast for his many eyes.

So, sorry if we have been out of touch and difficult to contact. We've been preoccupied with re-establishing out identities. JB wanted to be Al Gore but they wouldn't let him. I tried to reinvent myself as a Professor with an MBA from Harvard and that didn't work either. We're still E-M and JB!

We'll be back in touch with everyone soon. In the meantime, please do add to the blog and we'll check it when we're up to it: sitting down somewhere in the next week or so with a nice glass of pinot noir.

P.S. Please share with link with friends and people who are concerned as we no longer have everyone's details. Thanks x x E-M & JB

Call for your contributions:

Over the past year many of us have in some way been touched by and shared in Erin and John's wonderful sanctuary and hospitality at Steels Creek. We are all so relieved and grateful that they are both still in our lives even if their home and possessions are not. It is incredibly tragic that they have lost their beautiful property and all their life collections and memorabilia along with the loss of near and new friends in the community. The least we can do is all share our stories, experiences and photos of times had with E-M and JB so that the spirit can live on and they have some recent memories to remember the good times.