Banking and more clearing

After the energy-filled day I had yesterday (probably helped by the epic lie in) I have been a little less full of energy today, particularly this afternoon. One of the pleasures of this life is the fact that this hasn't really bothered me that much; if I want to do less I'll just do less.

Misty in my front yard

Anyway, the morning dawned misty and a little chilly however I put my shorts on anyway with faith that it would warm up, and so I looked like the complete foreigner in town. I had a brew to wet my whistle and was in Thomas and on my way to town by 8.45 local time, arriving about 9am at my usual parking spot. A few minutes of walking and I went into the bank and was shown straight to a desk where a very nice lady who spoke English very well (she said she had stayed in America, and the accent told me this) helped me to change the address on the account and set up my internet banking. The address had to be changed to my UK one as I don't have a residency card so I will have to go through a few steps now. First of all, get some money going into the account. Next, get a letter from the bank to prove this and use it to support my residency application and then, when I have it, change my address (and name into Cyrillic characters) at the bank. A bit of a long process but not too complicated and at least I know which person to go to in the branch in future for good help.

I left there happy with myself as it took about 25 minutes to achieve all of this and when I got back I had the email for the internet banking and I have been able to log in and check it out, which is great. Now I just need to ring my UK bank and start sending myself money. I had decided that I would get myself the mesh chair I had seen in the shop the other day, and also a USB hub with keyboard and mouse so when I start my two days a week next week I am fully comfortable and happy. I went to the shop and asked for a flat pack of the chair and the guy went and brought back a box with more than one chair in it and proceeded to pull out each part and show it to me and hand it separately. He helpfully went and got a box to put it in when I went through the checkout though. I parked in Lidl, got the IT equipment from next door and then dived inside Lidl to check if they had more of those buckets (they didn't) and pick up a few other bits.

The dis-assembled chair

From there it was home and time to try and get the chair build before I was due on the conference call to arrange my work for next week. It was actually pretty easy to put together and I had all the parts I needed which was a relief. It was just a case of using an allen key a lot and the only tough part was attaching the back to the seat. I am pretty pleased with the chair and it'll do for the next year or two until I get a really nice one.

The funky swinging chair which I really want

I did take a picture while in the builders merchant and home furnishings shop of the awesome chair which I really want for the summer. I may not buy it as it is 600lev and that is a ridiculous amount of money, but it really looks brilliant. I'll probably just make my own hammock and sling it from one tree to another. Who knows, the urge to buy it may overtake me. I also saw some AMAZING polished wood rocking chairs that I just love; I think (if the deaf/mute carpenter bloke actually has finished my friend's furniture and it looks good) I may commission one; I've always ALWAYS wanted to have a rocking chair on a terrace. Anyway, enough Deliverance style fantasies.

The assembled new chair

I installed my new keyboard and mouse and then sat on my new chair and waited and waited and the meeting never occurred. Rather I should say it occurred but they had a bit of a mare and forgot to set up the laptop so I could join in. I'm not sure I've ever actually been disappointed to miss a standup before but I was this time. We have rearranged for Friday and I really hope it happens then because I'm supposed to be starting next week.

Marmite and wooden pegs; my aid parcel

While I was sat waiting for the meeting I heard a banging on the door and went down and there was a different person to the Kmet, but he was delivering my post. It was an aid parcel from my parents containing some wooden tent pegs, and a little bottle of marmite. My first aid parcel! Thanks mum and dad, continuing to help me even though you aren't here any more!

One is inside,the other out

When I got back from town I found that two of the swallows/swifts/whatevers had somehow managed to get back in and were flying around the upstairs landing and corridor in quite a state of panic as they didn't seem to be able to find their way out. I realised that I had left a door open to a room with open windows so that must be how they got in. I spent a fair while trying to encourage them out, opening a window they flew past repeatedly without going through and eventually, with the aid of a broom to guide them, managed to get them out the back door. I really hope they get the hint and stay out now; I hate panicking creatures of any kind.

My first job outside was to empty the two full humanure buckets and this took me about ten minutes including rinsing them and then refilling each with sawdust. Being honest I think I was a bit lazy when I made my collection point as the liquid is seeping out the sides and flowing away; you're supposed to make the bottom concave and I didn't do mine enough. I am very pleased with the lack of smell, however; there is nothing from my waste, the only smell is from the waste from Sassy which I am also putting there.

Piles of leaves and twigs to clear

As I said yesterday I had set myself the task of completing the clearance of the gate and entrance stairs today; this is relatively time critical for next week when the fence is done so people can get in to see me. It turned out to be much more of a job than I expected with loads of rocks and large branches mixed in with the leaves and rotted compost. I filled three or four wheel barrows with this before deciding enough was enough and heading upstairs for a sandwich and a rest for lunch. This is where my lack of energy today really kicked in.

The composting area, temporary

After a nice relaxing lunch and some good chatting online I headed back out as I hadn't covered over the compost heaps with spiky branches to keep the chickens off and I decided to do one more wheelbarrow before closing up this task for the day. As I was doing it my energy returned and I was able to move nearly all of the twigs and branches and leaves and put it into compost heaps on either side of the humanure heap. In this way, the seepage will not be a problem any more and will actually assist in the decomposition of the second heap. Result.

I made a good dent in this task

I have made a good impression on this task and left myself with the task of sifting through the soil that is left for reuse as potting materials. I will do this on Friday I reckon, as tomorrow I am going to be sorting out the architect mess I hope.

Rubbish before being lit

My next task was to burn the rubbish I had collected as my receptacle was full in the kitchen area and with all the stuff I had bought I had packing materials to get rid of. There is no refuse collection service in this village (some have a central wheely bin you can put things in but not my village) so the only thing you can really do with things is burn them. Of course I am going to recycle and reuse as many things as I possibly can so as to not waste things but you can't have stuff piling up too much.

I also threw on the cardboard box that the chair had been put in and it created an interesting chimney effect so I grabbed the phone and took a video of it for those pyromaniacs amongst my readers. I know there are a fair few of you out there too.

The walnut which had started growing

I knocked the cardboard in with my fire pokey stick and went on to my next task which was to make use of the compost and leaf mold I have collected in the past couple of days to pot up the juniper and fir trees, and the clematis, however the first thing I did was plant a walnut that I had found while clearing the steps. Unfortunately I hadn't noticed it until I had broken the root a bit so I hope it recovers and grows; it would be great to grow my own Walnut tree from a nut.

The plants, potted up

I potted the rest of the plants quite quickly and easily, using up nearly two whole buckets of mold and compost in the process but it is there to be used so I just whacked it in and I hope all the plants survive. The base of the Clematis is a bit woody and weedy (is this normal?) so I will be keeping a particularly close eye on that. It does seem to be shooting up every day though, growing fast. I'll train it up one of the walls by the entrance as soon as the fence is in so I don't have to move it again.

And so I am now sat inside on my standard cattle-watch waiting to chase them off from destroying the trees I put in prematurely. I really am kicking myself for not waiting to be fair; I am worried that they have already distressed them so much they will die. My friend's ones, which are not being attacked every day by cows, sheep and goats, are looking very healthy and mine are looking a bit sad. What a pity if they die.

I'm going to be getting an early night tonight so this is a very early blog post for you to enjoy :) Tomorrow is quite a big day with hopefully getting to the bottom of the PuP fiasco and kick starting that process again. I can't say too much but suffice to say I am going to get to the bottom of it.