Sunny Saturday

What a satisfying day of achievement today has been; it's amazing what a bit of sunshine does to you. Indeed, I'm not the only one who feels it as once again this morning Rambo was chirpy and bouncy and really happy when I fed him which I am starting to feel is directly related to the weather. And today has been a corker.

Beautiful start to the day

I woke up naturally at about 8 which was just about right for me as I got the extra sleep from 7, but also didn't waste the morning too much. I was straight up and out to make a brew and while the kettle was boiling I grabbed the camera and popped along to the balcony. This early it was absolutely perfect weather, with very little breeze and also still not too hot. I stayed out there until I thought I could hear the kettle whistle so I had to pop back inside.

A mushroom down near the driveway

Once I had made the brew I didn't even take a sip before I was out and doing my morning rounds and today it was back to the full routine. Fill the watering can, go to Rambo and top his water up and grab his bowl, round the silver birches and run out of water, refill the can then go in and get the food for him, back to his house to give him the food and then up onto the top to water the Magnolias and the Zinnias. While I was down by the silver birches I first of all saw a large mushroom that had popped up over night. I managed to stop Rambo from jumping on it (just); he has the habit of wanting to be involved in everything and when I stop and focus the camera on something he just HAS to be in shot and this does involve him trampling my subject.

Grass bits around an ants nest

The other thing I saw was right in the middle of the driveway; an ants nest but this one was awesome because the ants had dragged grass towards it and chopped it up but had then discarded it around the edges of the spoil pile. It was almost perfectly symmetrical. The ants over here are so amazing.

Because of the rainy weather we have had the past few days the hay which I cut last week has become soaked through. Before I went in for my brew (yes, I was this motivated and disciplined this morning) I grabbed the hay fork and turned it all over and spread it out so the wet grass underneath has a chance to dry out again and stop it rotting. I did this first thing because my plan for the day potentially involved more cutting of grass with the scythe.

Morning cuppa and a good book

I returned upstairs and sat down to drink my brew but then I thought "what am I doing" so I grabbed a new book and yes when I say that I mean a real book and went out onto the balcony to read, drink my brew, and enjoy the warmth of the morning. I'm reading the last book in the epic Tales of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever and if you like you books populated with real characters (in other words, people you don't like) I can't recommend it highly enough. It isn't the happiest book you'll ever read though, so be warned.

Full English for starting the day

Brew drunk, and a fair few pages read, I headed back inside as my early lack of hunger had been replaced by the need for a feed. I also had decided that, out of all the possibilities for chores to do today, I was going to do the scything so I would need my energy. I didn't do the normal bacon and egg on bread today but decided to do a full traditional fry up (minus the sausages) of bacon, eggs, onions and mushrooms with toast. It was really nice and a tasty bit of variety.

Mo managed to get himself stuck

Jesus climbed up to get to this grass...

.. and then got himself stuck as well

The boys have been on form today and above you can see three pictures showing some of the stuff they have been getting up to. First of all they were really close and almost climbing on each other (but the pictures didn't really come out) and then, a bit later, Mo managed to get himself tipped up so I had to save him. Then Jesus kept climbing up onto the wood that I had put in to provide Mo with shelter the time I took him outside which was fine until he decided (three times, no less) to take a dive down the side and get stuck. I didn't think I'd ever have to save Jesus as his legs work fine but it just goes to show that physical ability doesn't necessarily mean sense.

I was still inside until lunch time (more cheese and tomato butties) as I have found a way of streaming Sky Sports and so I watched the England rugby match against the All Blacks. This was a great game that we sadly lost but I expected that result before the game started. The worst thing was, though, that we played well enough to win and a combination of butter fingers, and some outrageous refereeing, denied us.

The helicopter just over the back again

While the game was going on I kept hearing the helicopter really loud and eventually I gave in and grabbed the camera. I wasn't sure where it was so I legged it to the balcony and what a good choice that was. As I went out it was just performing one last run over the field near me and then it flew away and didn't come back.

First small section scythed

And so, lunch inside me, I went out to start my chores. The first target was a spur of the moment decision to trim the grass at the end of the green building. This was mainly informed by my decision to use the concrete ledge at this end as my sharpening post for the scythe and the grass and weeds were so high it was hard to reach this ledge when I first went out. It didn't take me long (and enabled me to start to get my eye in) to finish this area and then I forked all the cut grass into a pile and left it for the time being on the drive.

Before, during and after shots

The main target for today was to get back from the tree I had finished near last time and then carry on down to the next silver birch. I set my scythe swinging and after about an hour had already achieved almost my entire target. That is the middle picture of the one above. I went in, had a brew and rested up (as soon as I sotpped I was saturated with sweat; I hadn't really sweated at all while doing it so much so that I paused half way through for water, and doused myself over the head with a cup full) and then went back outside and cracked on. While I was scything away I had a couple of visitors. The first was the cousin from the farm who came to say wasn't it too hot to be working, and then went in his car for food in the local town. The second was the Special One and the little girl, come over to ask me again for the WiFi key. She ran off as soon as I had put it in her phone but the Special One hung around and gave me some visual tips on using the scythe. My technique is more of a pendulum; he is cutting with the blade far more "closed" and angled towards him and with a shorter arm. Either way he helped a lot and I did quite a lot more after he left, finishing right down to where the grass got too wet to cut. I think I'll do some more tomorrow as well.

As well as putting the silver birches in my plans for the driveway are to line each side, between the trees, with the white stones. While I have been scything I have kept coming across stones which obviously are in the way of the blade so, to move them and also get a start on this, I managed to get enough together to go between the two top trees on the left as you come in. As I finish cutting down between the trees (and today I have gone a long way to doing that on this side) I will continue this all the way to the front fence. I also want to carry on up to the corner of the green building.

The boys, together

And so, tired but really satisfied (and very sweaty again once I stopped) I packed everything up and headed inside. It is so good to achieve stuff and really does make the day a good one. Once again the boys had been active and they were sat right together, almost on top of one another again, when I got back inside. This time the picture has come out. It is good they are getting on and not fighting.

Afternoon blue sky

I made another brew (there have been a fair few of them made today I can tell you) and then took my book back out onto the balcony to read. It really was an absolutely lovely day and the clouds, which had obscured the sun every now and then while I was scything, were clearing. Now a little note on the weather changes through the day. As I have observed earlier this morning it was dead still. As the morning went on (and particularly while I was watching the rugby, and having my lovely call just after, the wind got right up and it was very very windy. This lasted most of the day and even when I was out reading it was still quite breezy.

This storm blew up out of nowhere

As I was reading I heard some thunder and, looking up, I saw a pretty impressive looking storm that had blown up out of nowhere and was heading my way and fast. I saw lightning flicker as I was watching and so I gathered my book, camera, chair and hat and took myself inside, then legged it downstairs to get the 4m 10x10 beam inside which I was planning on using for the centre support for the bed. This storm was heading my way and the speed it was approaching gave me I thought maybe about five or ten minutes before I would experience the rain.

It's not quite central, but yeah

As my relaxing in the sun had been curtailed I decided to pull the beam upstairs and get the bed done while waiting for the storm to blow over. It didn't take me long and I now have a very sturdy bed with a (kind of) central beam down the (nearly) middle. The only thing left to do now is make the head and foot board and I have a good idea for that.

A lovely peaceful evening

The storm never actually hit me, as it happens. It raced towards me then screeched and turned 90 degrees up the valley, dumping its rain there. I'm mainly glad about this because of the hay as I'm now getting quite a lot of it piled up and I don't want to have to keep turning it. Pretty soon I will need to shove it into a hay rick like the locals do, but I've a fair amount more to cut first before I can do this. The evening sky has been outstanding again as usual and, while I have been writing this blog, I have kept dashing out out to take pictures. I won't bore you with another sunset picture so here is one looking the other direction across the valley.

The dregs of the thunder storm

For the weather buffs amongst you (and I'm sure there are some) here is a quick snap as well, taken around the same time as the last picture, showing the remnants of the thunder storm as it now stands up the valley and looking very much blown out now. To finish the brief description of local weather conditions (namely, the wind) it is now a really calm and warm night; not long after the storm went past it calmed right down. This is the general pattern I think.

So it is time for me to upload all the pictures and hit publish. Just one more thing to add to this. Today, on facebook, the chap who brought Rambo over advertised that he had rescued a little terrier and it was looking for a home. Now I have been wanting to have a little friend for Rambo for a while and this seemed like a great opportunity so I am probably going to go and collect this little fella some time next week. No name yet, but I 'm sure he'll fit right in with my little menagerie. I also need to get over to Bekir's to collect those chickens!