Instead it turned into a living nightmare. You could say we learnt some major life lessons. Keep Calm - yes I nailed that !
Why ...because we found termites had
It all started because I wanted to rearrange things ...luckily I did is all I can say because it was just in the nick of time.
We spent all Saturday and Sunday removing boxes and furniture from the container , then cleaning the mud out and assessing damage - mainly to one heavy TV entertainment/storage unit plus dozens of books/things damaged /dirty or destroyed.
The white ants were most partial to cardboard boxes and books , even fabric - they really got their teeth into Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince. They gouged out a huge, neat 'grater' tunnel ( mind you it is almost 10 cm thick) , then they set up camp inside the spine. I couldn't save it unfortunately.
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| The coffee table was ok :) |
Two days later , a wheelbarrow full of mud , dozens of boxes we had to empty and clean mud/dried goop or poop off stuff. It was physically and mentally exhausting as well. Burning the boxes gave me a little satisfaction. We bombed the container with cockroach bombs first as well.
DH called it the big guns and heavy machinery ...AKA the Bulldozer [his Dad's] to move the container by dragging and hopefully breaking their contact with the nest. Then he used the bulldozer to lift each corner and put it on concrete blocks with ant caps [shutting the gate after the cows had bolted maybe]
Saturday night DH casually told me his sister had mentioned they had white ants in their shipping container (in Queensland). I didn't say it but I thought it ... ! He was shattered enough already . It is what it is
SO did not finish anything I planned - I couldn't even get my head around starting. I also planned to finish writing my new giveaways.
Friday we had already spent cleaning a caravan full of our office/business stuff covered in diesel smoke/soot - it damaged the caravan but hubby can repair that mostly.Soot still covers a lot of stuff. It cannot be wiped off fully - creme cleanser did a fair job. Hubby had transported it up here, on his truck, Thursday, and the exhaust went in under roof panels.
Needless to say we were both SO OVER IT . Then yesterday we found more live termites inside our cabin/shed where we live. (They already wrecked havoc in our bedroom last year )
After I took boys the school we set out to do what I'd wanted done on Saturday. A place for the boys to do their homework from under my feet ...A homework station to leave pencils,textas and homework books out,and not have to pack it away every night from the kitchen table (to eat dinner).
Thankfully, the termites were contained next to only one wall and with mud casing around and/in one cupboard box containing a Lego table, Lego baseplate ( the boys were happy we found these) and Thomas Tank engine large poster book.We only need wash mud off them.
DH moved all other boxes off the floor , up onto the table tennis table. We are going to do very regular checks ... daily and we are getting exterminators out to spray.
The Drummer Boys now have a lovely space and table to draw , complete homework and craft . Nearly all the books are out (even Mr 18 Chapter and series books). DH could have cared less about the books but not me *sob* burning them was horrible.
We are still chipping away at the mess from three incidents and the mantra Keep Calm - Carry ON has been muttered constantly.
Life is good
It is what it is *.
Things are still very tightly packed in here but not against the walls. I cannot believe the cr@p we have accumulated over 22 years of marriage ... and wonder how we used to fit it in our house.
The silver lining is I found a few treasures I was missing like my Tupperware scales , Bamix and clothes.
* Termites cause $780 million in damages to homes across Australia each year.
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