16/10/2026
Avondale Month 9 – Fences, Fans & Fights with Foxes!
Months 8 & 9 at Avondale have been a little slower than planned, with a project away from the property keeping us occupied. Hopefully, once that’s finalised, we can get stuck into the ever-growing list of Avondale projects!
In the meantime, there’s been plenty of mowing, spraying, rabbit-proofing and fence rebuilding. We’re now about 85% finished with the fencing, and while rebuilding the back boundary, we even managed to shore up the historic timber fence at the same time. Two jobs for the price of one!
The final section will have to wait until we create a new entrance and carpark for the cottage, which will require machinery and the Handy Son!
Electrical woks has progressed and our latest round saw the remaining cobweb-covered antique oil lamps removed from the w**ery and cottage (controversial, I know!).
The w**ery now has 3 fan lights, and the lovely old pool table light has been relocated over the kitchen island. The cottage has its final fans installed in the great room (future dining room). In this climate you really do need a fan in every room to survive summer!
But my favourite project so far has been making a feature light for the new cottage kitchen and watching it be installed. Made from a w**e barrel base, pendant lights off market place and a recreation of the original Avondale Vineyard stamp found on the w**ery wall, I’m chuffed with it!
🐈 Master Banny vs the fox
With the grandbabies visiting, Banny decided it was the perfect opportunity to sneak out after dark and go exploring.
Unfortunately, he came home having had a very nasty run-in with a fox, with facial wounds, puncture marks and bruising to his chest and lungs.
I was a very distressed cat mum! An emergency vet visit got him sorted, and he’s thankfully he’s made a full recovery, but that cat is getting through his nine lives far too quickly!
As always projects add themselves to the never ending to-do list
Two weeks ago, we discovered we had no water! Thankfully, it was a blocked bore line and failing sump pump rather than a complete disaster (although the plumbers bill could be classified as one). It’s prompted us to investigate alternative water sources as the bore is our only supply. Mains water is available, but the connection cost is eye-watering, so we’re exploring rainwater harvesting instead.
Of course with all things Avondale it’s not straightforward, it’s a headache working out how to harvest efficiently from multiple buildings spread across the property.
🌱 Spring is finally bringing some rewards!
The weeds have started dying off earlier than expected giving us a little more control over the property.
We’ve even made a start on the vines. Phil tackled the mowing between the rows on the ride-on, while I spent two hours mowing underneath and pruning one row last weekend.
(Pippa, better late than never!)
Only 12 rows to go…
The orchard is also coming to life, with the mulberry tree loaded with fruit and the pear, nectarine and orange trees bursting into flower and setting fruit.
So, what’s next?
Once the fencing is finished (as much as we can), we’ll be tackling flyscreens for the w**ery windows and fully enclosing the w**ery veranda. With spring apparently skipping straight into summer, keeping the flies and mozzies out has become a priority!
The last couple of months have been less about grand transformations and more about maintenance, repairs, problem-solving and making Avondale more comfortable and practical.
Slow and steady wins the race, one fence post, fan, bore pipe and unexpected cat crisis at a time!
