I new it would happen at some point - that feeling of being totally overwhelmed by the amount of work I've got ahead of me on the land.
I think what triggered it was a combination of the delivery of four IBCs arriving a week, and then another day earlier than expected and just the sheer amount of brash that we've now dragged out of the woodland.
Combined with the rain last week which prevented my working on Thursday and Saturday, I didn't really achieve very much at all last week, so I headed to the land on Sunday to make up for it, which was a total mistake.
IBCd....
I had intended to level the ground where I wanted to put 3 of the IBCs and get collecting some water, but I just ended up kind of dithering around looking at how HARD the rocky surface looked, and without a spirit level I kind of couldn't really do anything anyway.
It also dawned on my what a hassle it's going to be to wrap 4 IBCs to protect from sunlight - that's a grand total of 16 square metres that needs totally shielding from the sun. That's a lot of cloth I just don't have ATM!
I've since realised I'm going to just NOT level the ground - it's sort of level already, and rocky, so the IBCs won't sink which is the main reason for footings, so that should be OK....
One IBC... I still have to move the other three!
And as to the shading, I think I'm just going to have to get cheap shade netting for the first couple of years - needs must.
I think I just have to settle for doing what I can rather than doing things 'properly' if I want to get anything like a basic set up.
Brashed...
Then there's the brash - there's just SO MUCH of it - yes we can chip a lot of it, but the chipper won't do small bits, and there's lots of that too - so I think I'm just going to have to burn it all, which seems a shame, but there's just no way I can get rid of it safely otherwise before fire season kicks in - I'm not hiring a digger to bury it, I don't really want hugel beds as I like the land the way it is, and digging my hand isn't an option - again.
One of about eight similar brash piles
The 10 metre strip around the edge is getting clear though - we are 2/3rds of the way around already, which is good progress!
Housed....
Having had a shitty Sunday, I spent an hour on Monday morning wondering what I'm going to do about the house - it does need quite a lot of work, and the roof is leaking, although somehow the insides still seem fine - I guess it's so dry most of the year that a bit of rain getting inside during winter doesn't matter too much.
I was mulling over just tearing it down and building a wooden cabin in its place - which would be MUCH simpler but then I snapped out of it and realised that I've just got to finish off this project - even if it ends up JUST being a storage shed.
A lot of work yet to do!
I did at least today get a tarp over the roof to prevent any further rain getting inside. Hopefully it only has to last me for the next couple of months, and I think we're into a more or less rain free period during which I can hopefully get the roof done.
I can't say I relish the thought of redoing the roof - that could be a real challenge!
I might have to get some volunteers in, and get them to sign waivers saying I'm not liable for any broken limbs or deaths if they fall off the roof.
Back to just not stressing out about it
Anyway, I'm done with feeling overwhelmed - it's just a matter of working on one project at a time I've realised and accepting that if I don't get shit done by my deadlines, then I don't get shit done!
I've got quite a pretty easy life already in my cabin in Alpedrinha, so there's not as if I need to rush anything - I have the luxury of being able to go VERY slowly if I need to!
And it's COMPLETELY irrational for me to sacrifice time spent on my day jobs and crypto-musings - when they make me a decent sum of money!