House construction well underway

I’m sitting here in my ATV writing this blog, enjoying the sea breeze and sunshine while the work crew is hard at work on the house.  Siana and Allan arrived in Fiji about a week and a half ago and then arrived home to Mudrenicagi Estate a week ago ready to get started.

The Fiji work crew lead by Arthur’s nephew Vilikasa were able to get all the posts up and cemented in while we were in Suva. This was no small task as these posts are BIG and were lifted manually. We did have a small electric cement mixer to help but much of the cement was mixed in wheelbarrows. The wet weather in August delayed some of the work but due the hard work of the crew we are right on schedule.

This week the bearers and the joists for the main floor are going up. Siana and Allan got to use a water level in the absence of the laser level or transat that they usually use. They’ve never had to use one before and only learned about them in books.  Thanks to my Dad for describing how to use a hose as a level during my last visit we were able to check and adjust the level of the first floor bearers before setting them in.

While all the construction is happening, we all had a new solar system with four 150 watt panels installed in our little house which give us enough power to run a fridge, 6 lights, and charge all our electronic devices. Unfortunately after just 2 days the inverter blew a fuse so Arthur is off to Labasa to have it fixed. Having a fridge will revolutionize our diet. I’ll be able to store vegetables for longer and be able to buy meats when I going to Nabouwalu or Labasa and freeze them for later. As well we’ll all enjoy a cold beer at the end of a long day.