This weekend was a brick marathon in Flemish Bond with Dutch corners. It turns out that the bricks I got are rather hard to work with because they’re not all the same size. I might get a student to come and wire brush and sort them.

This is the first course (with steel)

And an angle on the progress by the end of the weekend… more soon!

Another Trademe bargin - a 7000 litre water tank. Brand new this would be about $3K but I only paid $400, and got a second one free (but with no lid). Looking for a home for a lidless 7000 litre water tank…

This will collect rain water for the garden. Rain water is much better than chlorinated town supply water for the garden and gives more freedom — this year the council had a sprinkler and hose ban for several months.

A nice quote from a conversation between Srila Prabhupada and Richard Webster in Rome, May 24, 1974.

Prabhupada: Yes, naturally. If this man is fed up with this industry, he can go back to his village and produce his own food. But he is attached to this industrial activity … “We are getting more money for wine and women and meat. Let me enjoy.” … But if he chants Hare Krsna maha-mantra his consciousness will be purified and he will be made not interested in this kind of work. He will go back to the village and produce food.

The blocks are all down except one and next is filling them with concrete.

On a rainy day last weekend I leveled up the middle terrace. Now waiting for some more soil from somewhere (probably the neighbor’s garden). This used to be a steep bank, now I should be able to grow something there next season.