Freezing week

And so all of a sudden it's Wednesday again and time for another update. How I did these every day I'm starting to wonder and I'm also beginning to ask whether I'll settle back into doing a daily update when the workers start back. We shall see. So I'm not feeling very inspired to type today so we'll just see how this goes. I started typing this with themes but actually it is going to work better, and quicker/easier for me, as a chronological update.

Monday

The main theme this week is definitely "ice". We had the slight smattering of snow over the weekend, not 80cm like was forecast (though certainly other places further north did get this volume) and this melted then froze on the first night and has continued to go through this cycle ever since.

Dipping below freezing, but not very far

A small icicle hanging from Sassy's cage

Very icy on the balcony

I've not yet risked these steps

So we'll begin with Monday morning and the icy scene that greeted me on the balcony when I went to feed and water Sassy. As you'd expect we're back to the freezing water bowl thing so I'm just swapping it out every morning. She seems happy enough though. The balcony was one solid sheet of ice and I must admit I've barely ventured out there at all so far, keeping myself limited to the not-so-slippy areas by the doors. I certainly have not gone down the back steps all week though I had a huge laugh when the puppies went down first and skidded the whole way. 

A wintry view down the patio

Raised beds with a good covering of snow

Frozen humanure covering

Rambo saying hello as I go for my daily picture

The sun attempting to break through the clouds

Super lovely dinner

Monday is a working day for both of us, as is Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday only I do paid work. All day we were stuck at our desks other than for breaks to do chores like feeding the birds and me getting my daily picture done from the front garden. I had to go out and do the humanure as well and when I got to it I found that the hay over the top was frozen solid. The composting material underneath was still loose, which is as it should be and shows that the hot stage of the reaction is well under way. The sun did try and come out, which prompted the curtains to be opened in Room 13, but most of the day it was overcast and dull and the fire did sterling work to keep us warm. After cancelling our Sunday Roast on Sunday because neither of us were really feeling up for a big feed A finished the slow cooked pork for Monday, and paired it with a lovely vegetable dish with baked eggs. It was superb. It's so nice to be trying new things out, and we do have a LOT of eggs to get through.

Tuesday

The frozen water bubbling through

Thelma eating A's nose

Louise caught mid "super excited moment"

Settling in front of the fire

I had a little lie in on Tuesday after A got up to get the kettle on as I hadn't slept well again. I eventually dragged myself out of bed and went to sort Sassy out and swap over her water etc. Unfortunately I forgot all my other morning chores, like cleaning the fires out, which was bad of me. While we were sat working away we suddenly heard a very strange sound and immediately panicked about rats but as we looked around we saw that Sassy's water bowl, stood on the side to defrost, was outgassing through a crack and fizzing. Very strange. It was quite warm in Room 13 by this point with the fire going well so the puppies were at least happy.

The clouds clearing away towards the South

Sassy skating around on the ice

I called Rambo from the window of Room 13

The puppies finally came sprinting over

They have started to love the snow

So long as the sun is out, of course

Even they will come out, if it is sunny

After a cloudy start it started to clear up and eventually it was a sunny day pretty much all day, which was great as we opened all the curtains to let the daylight in. All the animals were out and about, even Sassy skating around on the ice on the balcony. Rambo was doing rounds and I caught his attention from Room 13. I was looking out to see where the puppies were as they were barking and barking and I couldn't see them. I took a quick stroll across the patio and found them in the far bottom corner in the long undergrowth there and after calling them a few times they emerged looking very pleased with themselves. As I strolled back the birds made an appearance and started to peck around the dirt outside their house.

Looking back up to the house

Thelma and Louise playing with a stick

Louise always ends up getting bored and wandering off

The raised bed is really doing very well

It really had suddenly become a rather glorious day so I didn't rush back inside and stood watching as the puppies had a play and Rambo bounced around like a puppy, even though he really is too old for such larks. I realised that, with the sun now out, I really should clear off the snow from on top of the raised beds. I'd deliberately left it there while the temperature was so low as it actually acts as an insulator however with the sun providing heat I wanted to get the benefit. It didn't take long to scrape both sides clear, using some scrap rubber piping on the floor (after starting with my bare hands and getting really cold). The plants inside are looking remarkably healthy and once again I'm so happy with how well these raised beds are working.

Wood for the floor in Sassy's room

Just after lunch, as I was settling back down into work, there was a phone call from the lady at the builders yard. I didn't really do very well with her on the phone, sadly, as she used words I don't know however we got there in the end and so when about an hour later the truck drove along and beeped I was ready to open the gate and show him where we were unloading. It was the same chap who delivered the stuff for the insulation and again he helped me unload, which isn't really what delivery drivers do over here, but this time he had to lift it with me up the stairs. I gave him a little bonus when he left to pay for the extra time and effort.

Sun glinting above our village as it sinks

One of the little houses that is occupied

The ridge, contrasting darkly with the sun

Sparkling snow on the chimney

Sunflowers in our lovely vase

Towards the end of the day I noticed that the sun was going down and so I sprinted onto the roof terrace to get some pictures as the light slanted its way across the landscape. It was a magical view and I was up there for a while taking various photographs. I have been a bit slack in my photographing how the scenery is changing with the seasons and I was very pleased to be putting that right. What a lovely place, even when it is so cold. On the way down I finally got a picture of the lovely vase that we were given as a gift by the neighbours; A has picked some fake sunflowers to go in it and while she thinks she'll have to get a few more to finish it off I think it looks lovely.

Wednesday

Blue sky first thing this morning

Sassy hiding in the warm until her food was given her

The pond is again frozen solid

The ice shapes are visible on the front right corner

To the left the ice is wrinkled

And so we come to today. Last night was a terrible nights sleep for both of us for various reasons and it ended up with A taking herself off to the spare room for the last few hours. I think we both slept better after that which was good but I was the first one up and so I got to do all the chores, hopefully making up for missing out on them on Monday. When I fed Sassy she was hidden away inside her little warm cave, showing just how cold it is, and she stayed there until the food appeared. The birds were furious at how late they were let out (it had been a lie in) and came bursting out the door. The ducks are not going to be getting to swim any time soon, however, as the pond was completely frozen, with some interesting shapes and textures in evidence.

Washing being hung up to freeze

Ice on top of Sassy's hutch

I got the fire on, made brews, and then went and woke A up with a coffee. She got up pretty much straight away and we set ourselves to work. Breakfast today was soft boiled duck eggs again and they were amazing. The flood the other day had gotten into our just-washed clothes so I put them through a wash again this morning. When it finished A took them and hung them out to dry outside. Just now she's brought them in to finish on the airers and said they were frozen solid out there! It really has been cold, though.

Up the scaffold once again

Hoovering up the loose bits of floor, and rabbit poo

A getting her mix on

Filling the Sassy-dug holes

The big holes are filled, ready for the beams

With the wood finally delivered I am able to start work on Sassy's room which is really exciting for me. Of course now I realise just how much I could have done while I was waiting for the wood as today I've had to work on things that didn't even need it, but still. First of all I took down the light fittings that are in that room still and then I got the vacuum and picked up all the loose bits left by Sassy, and the rubble from where she'd dug holes, so that I could fill them cleanly. A is the master of mix so she got to making the terracol up for me to fill the holes with. Sadly I found that the SDS which I thought had been fixed actually hasn't been and it didn't work at all. Fortunately another of the mixing paddles fitted into my new hammer drill so we could use that. It was then a very quick job to slop the mix into the holes and smooth it roughly over. Tomorrow I hope I can get the first board down to see how well this is going to work.

The farmer driving his horse and cart down the lane

And so the rest of the day was taken up with working. I'll leave you with a photograph I took very hurriedly out of the window as the farmer went scooting past on his horse and cart; such a lovely wintry scene. Now I'm going to go and do a bit more planning for the first section of the model railway, something I've been spending about twenty minutes at least every evening sketching scale plans and working out how to do what I see in my mind. I can't wait to get started, but it'll be a few weeks before the first benchwork is created.