Letter 8 / 8 / 83
Our water situation is desperate. Somehow we just keep managing. Its really discouraging to climb the hill and see the pump sitting there all in pieces and no one working on it. Those in positions of leadership have their own full rainwater tanks and a good well down the other end of the village. Our well is dry. If we get there at dawn we can just jiggle the milk tin between the rocks at the bottom for a bit of muddy water. We use that for washing dishes and nappies, and every second or third day ourselves. About every ten days we spare a bit of water to rinse out a few clothes. Sheets and towels just have to go and go for now. In our bedroom is a "dirty washing train" - seven cardboard boxes full of clothes, sheets, tablecloths etc etc. I guess some will be hopelessly stained by the time they get washed. Every now and then we get a light sprinkle of rain which just keeps us in drinking water.
Floor paint
We've been painting the floors of the two long rooms. Jet Dry is okay, you can walk on it in two hours. But after using 1/2 a tin on the first little section we realised it needed undercoat (the chap in the shop told us it wouldn't) and that takes four hours to be touch dry, and 16 hours before we can paint over it. But after we tried the next bit and it still wasn't very good we decided to try primer under the undercoat. That takes 24 hours to dry. We've been trying to do the kitchen in patches - but what a nightmare with 24 hours + 16 hours + 2 hours of no walking - and keeping James off too. Still, it is lovely and bright and clean when its done. Its going to be so nice with all the walls and floors painted and the ceiling in. With no more government travel subsidy - they were paying 70% of our travel - we wonder if we will ever go back to
James at dindy
James continues to enjoy kindy. We find we get to missing him (always in the way when he's around!) by the end of the morning. All the other kids have their lunch and a sleep session at kindy, but we feel he may as well come home for that - he's only such a little kid to be off at "school" 9am to 2pm, so we bring him home at 12.
I've started Alison on solids - a bit of "mixed cereal". She's certainly keen on the idea - James never was. I guess I'll soon start using the "Mouli-baby" and doing her a few of our non-existent veges. Our beans look hopeful, so do the cabbages. The corn is dying. The lettuces and strawberries and citrus cuttings have all dies. Tomatoes are doing well. Don't know what's happened to our ducks on order from Cairns.
New flights
Things are 'hotting up' with the two new rival companies now flying small planes out from Cairns direct to here.We hope one of them will be able to get us some citrus seedlings and bring the ducks too. One chap, Ron Kuch (Kuch Aviation) is willing to do shopping for people in
