The "long hot summer" that never came was a bit of a god send in the end at Three Dams Estate!
Last year we decided to advertise for helpers on the HelpX website and were inundated with applications from OS travellers offering to spend weeks or months living with us at the property. Basically we provide food and lodgings (and wine!) and in exchange for 4-5 hrs work per day.
We were really lucky to have a young French couple Alexis and Capucine contact us early after their arrival in Melbourne and on a hot day in early January, they made their way on the bus up to Heathcote. They were very keen to improve their English and at the beginning they were pretty shy to say much at all, especially Capucine who we'd nicknamed Nasi. Capucine is the French word for Nasturtium!
As well as being great people they were very keen to work and really helped us make good headway into the long list of summer jobs which included finishing the re weatherboarding of the house and painting the dining room among other things. We enjoyed many delicious meals and numerous bottles of wine together and much good conversation in English. Especially from Nasi! After 10 days together we were sad to seem them leave.
So after 6 years of work since moving the house up here from a Box Hill, we have finally finished the complete re weatherboarding including the insulation of all the walls. Earlier in the summer I installed and (expensive) roof exhaust fan that switches on automatically when the temperature reaches 30 deg in the roof space. This along with the floor, wall and ceiling insulation has enabled the house to remain around 10 deg cooler inside the house in the middle of a hot day.
Right now we are back to work in Melbourne but are making regular trips back to Three Dams Estate to harvest the over abundant Nectarine tree!
We are also expecting Ross Knight to come and rip the vineyard next week.
