A River Revealed, and a Place to Stay
April brought a completed road, a river view at our boundary, the beginnings of three A-frame houses, and our first rabbits. Then an unexpected rain filled the air with flying insects.
April 2025 brought several parts of MNC Farms forward at once. We finished the road to the other 180 acres, began building somewhere for our family and future guests to stay, and welcomed our first rabbits. Along the way, we discovered a view of the river at our boundary that made the new access feel even more special.
After two or three months of sleeping in the car during our farm visits, we were tired. We still had plenty of work ahead, but this month gave us more than construction progress: we could see our team’s skills improving, and we were beginning to imagine a more comfortable life on the land.
- Acres reached by the new road
- 180
- A-frame houses planned
- 3
- Rabbits in our first 10 pairs
- 20
The road that revealed a river
The road extension we had begun in March was completed during April. It cost us around US$15,500 and opened the way to the remaining 180 acres, where we wanted to develop the agricultural side of the farm.
With that access came a discovery: we had an amazing view of the river along our boundary. The photograph at the start of this chapter shows the water running between thick green vegetation. We had been working to reach more of the land; finding that view was an unexpected reward.
A place to sleep beyond the car
For the past two or three months, our visits had meant sleeping in the car. By April, we really needed a house where we could rest. We decided to build three A-frame houses for ourselves, our family, and guests who might visit us in the future.
I managed to find a professional builder. His price for the full three-house project was US$18,500. That was the price for the whole project; the houses were still only at the foundation and base stage during this chapter.
The photographs show those beginnings: materials laid out on the site, concrete supports, and a timber base being assembled. We were not moving in yet, but we had started the work that could eventually make our stays on the farm more comfortable.
Seeing our team’s skills improve
We also started building the rabbit cages. Earlier construction had been difficult, and finding skilled workers had been one of our challenges. This time, I could see our own team improving. That made me very happy.
The photographs follow their work from wooden frames and wire mesh being assembled on the ground to the cages taking shape. These were practical signs of progress from the people who had been learning with us.
By the time the rabbit shelters were finished, we had three small structures with sloping metal roofs and wire fronts. They were separate from the houses we were building for family and guests. For me, the shelters also represented something we had wanted from the beginning: people in our community developing their skills through the work.
Our first ten pairs of rabbits
We bought 10 pairs of rabbits for US$500 in total. That was 20 rabbits, at US$50 per pair, adding another group of animals to the farm.
The photographs show some of them inside the new shelters. After the work of putting the cages together, seeing the rabbits there gave that part of the project a different feeling: the structures now had the animals we had built them for.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| 10 pairs of rabbits at US$50 per pair | $500 |
| Total of these costs | $500 |
The rain that brought the air to life
Then, in what we thought of as the peak of the dry season, rain suddenly arrived. I began seeing flying insects all around us, mainly what we recognised as termites coming out of the ground.
There seemed to be hundreds upon thousands of them. Watching them rise and fill the air, it felt as though they had come out to embrace the rain. It was one of those unexpected moments that stayed with me, alongside everything we were building that month.
More reasons to keep going
Looking back on April, I remember the road finally reaching the other land, the river view, the first foundations, and the rabbits in their new shelters. I also remember the pride of seeing our team become more capable.
We were still tired, and the houses were far from finished. But there were now more things to look forward to: a proper place to sleep, room for family and future visitors, and people growing in confidence as the farm grew around them.
Road, river, house-building, rabbit, and rain photographs supplied by MNC Farms for this chapter.
Published · Recollections from across April 2025; no single day is assigned to these events.