Plums

Well what can I say about today.... I suppose you're about to find out.

Eggshell blue sky with pinkness beginning

I slept early last night and woke up thinking it was just before the alarm, wondered why it was so dark, and saw it wasn't even midnight yet. Fortunately I was pretty much straight back to sleep but when I did wake up with the alarm I felt far more tired than I had done in the middle of the night. Strange how that happens. I snoozed once but desperation for a wee dragged me out of bed before even that time had passed and the snooze alarm went off as I was making my brew. The morning was absolutely stunning today - baby blue sky with a few clouds and the glow of the sun approaching. I snapped many pictures from different angles so I could always look back and remember it. Every day it is slightly different.

Tiny second leaves (already huge as of this evening)

Feeding was OK again, with them being barky but shutting up so I could go in, and then Ralf demonstrating his intelligence again by pulling the bowl to himself when he reached the limit of his lead. I did try and get a picture but it didn't come out well enough. I didn't let them come with me on the watering run again as it is too much of a pain to try and control them both so they weren't that happy to be locked back up again. The water pressure on the free water was good again so I was able to use the hose to do the Olive trees, Melons (pictured), lettuces and a splash and dash around the flowers down the entrance garden. The Fuchsias are starting to put flowers on again after being battered by the storms which is good as well.

The sun, drifting into the sky

By the time I got onto the top bank with my full watering can the sun had risen well into the sky and was igniting a blaze of glory, over the reliably misty valley. This picture is stunning and I am really rather proud of it. It was taken not right up with the Zinnias at the sunbathing spot, but about 1/3 of the way across the land. Brilliant.

Will it be open tomorrow?

First to be watered was the Zinnia bed and the flowers that were just starting to show still haven't burst forth but are getting very much closer indeed. The water I put on, however, didn't really sink in and I am going to put my mind to a solution to this; maybe just take the dipping trowel and indent around each plant so it sinks to the roots. They do seem to be doing OK though.

My house looking gorgeous

As I made my way across to the second Magnolia I had to stop and snap a picture of the house from this angle to show you both the lovely light this morning, and also a slightly different angle of the current state of progress. (Editorial note - typing that just reminded me to get the progress picture so I just legged it outside hah.) The building is, I think, really quite an attractive one and when the new roof is on, the insulation is done, the windows are done (and we have plans for the long term for a load more windows on this aspect) I think it will look really pretty.

I think this is a damselfly

Next as I was walking across to the second Magnolia (yes, it took me a while to make this short walk today) I saw a creature flitting through the undergrowth and spent a while trying to capture a snap of it. It was moving so fast this proved quite hard and this is the best I managed. I think it isn't a dragon fly, but a damselfly? Maybe? Anyway, I saw a few of them while I was up there. Finally for my watering adventures I pulled a load more of the nasty spiky things from down around the silver birches and then, when I was walking back across the front lawn (or what will become that) I was shocked by how many weeds there are there. This will have to be addressed over the next few years indeed.

A shot of my favourite view on the way to the men

I finished my rounds with plenty of time before I had to leave despite my dilly dallying with pictures and weeding so I made the decision to head off really early, in the hope of catching the birds at breakfast. As I approached that spot and went round my favourite bend on the road I decided to pull off onto the turnoff just round the bend and get a picture of the ridge across the river. What a stunning place this is and if you can imagine something about 100000 times more gorgeous than this picture, that gets close. I carried on my way but there was no sign of the birds so I got to spend ten minutes parked on the cheren put, looking at the view, before rolling into the village to collect the men. As we drove back past the feeding point I saw the storks flying overhead so today they were obviously later rather than earlier. Typical. I'll have to get down there pre-dawn one day and sit there waiting for a couple of hours. It's a gorgeous spot so that wouldn't be a hardship anyway.

Plum processing station

When I got back I had breakfast (bacon and egg butties - lovely), fed and watered Sassy (she reached out of the cage and tried to bash the food out of my hand as I put her water bowl in - naughty bunny!) and then set to my main task of the day; preparing the plums. the bucket full which was still sat on my floor was starting to smell funny and I could see that a fair few were bruised and looking unpleasant so it was today or bin the lot. I prepared my desk as last time, put some Goon Shows on for entertainment, and set to it.

Orhan hauling away

Meanwhile the men had already started banging and working away, with Bekir going round checking all the joints and reinforcing them, and Orhan loading cement into the bucket for Sally to make use of. As I said yesterday their plan today was to finish off the ribs and do as much of the wall as possible.

Two big boxes full of prepared plums

I stuck to my task all morning and chopped and chopped and chopped, preparing two boxes for the freezer before taking my first break. It took me over 1.5 hours of continual chopping to do this and I was starting to feel like I hated plums as much as I did the apples from my first jam making day. Once I had done these two boxes they went into the freezer, I stretched my legs, made a brew, and sorted out all the other plums that I could find in the bucket that weren't spoiled.

Sally the bricklayer

I popped upstairs during this break and saw that Sally had already done five panels and was keeping going, while (no picture of this) Bekir was finishing the last of the ribs, carrying on reinforcing the joints, and Orhan was supporting them both, rushing around carrying, fetching and when they didn't have anything for him to do, organising and tidying the spare materials.

Vital ingredient

It took me another hour of chopping to get one more box (in the freezer) and the weighing scale bowl full of chopped fruit and after this I stopped chopping, discarded all the other fruit as wasted, and started making the Whisky Plum Sauce that I was using this recipe for. All this involved was chucking some sugar in, scraping a lemon and putting the zest in, and then pouring a liberal, unmeasured, glug of whisky on top. Suffice to say I didn't use one of my expensive bottles however it was lovely as the smell of whisky filled Room 13 for most of the rest of the day.

It looks like I feel asleep in a bath with piranhas hah

Plums are super juicy and having been immersed in that for 2.5 hours my hands were wrinkly like they had been in water for ages. On top of this the damage to my thumb from the other day was compounded by more cuts done this morning and all in all my thumb was sore and injured. The dangers, not normally publicised, of jam making.

My jam (well, sauce, but I think it'll be closer to jam) was bubbling away on the hob and the jars were again being heated to a high temperature in the oven. Once it had got to a good setting stage I ladled it into the jars and filled two smallish ones to the brim, with a little left over. I will try that little left over tomorrow as my lunch, eaten while it was boiling, of cheese and home-grown-tomato butties on bread had really satisfied me.

After lunch working

With this task completed I vegged out for a bit, while the men had their lunch. I thought it was quiet at one point and climbed the stairs to see what was happening and Orhan was asleep across two beams. I have no idea how he was comfortable but he was sparked out. I didn't feel right taking a picture so I crept downstairs and left him to it. About ten minutes later Bekir and Sally appeared from where they had been snoozing and the work carried on.

After this I was feeling really tired and so, when I hit a wall with my paid work, I decided to go and have a lie down and nap. Once again the banging, chainsawing and other construction noises from above did not stop me falling pretty much straight to sleep (apart from when Ralf started digging at the carpet where he got shouted at, and proceeded to fall asleep as well like he was supposed to) and I slept for over an hour. When I did wake I wanted to stay there and was so tempted but I got up to make the men a coffee and check if I had any solution for my work. I didn't really but I managed to work through it a bit though now I am once again waiting for an email.

Ralf and his hunk of bread

Ralf was looking at me hungrily as he always does and I threw him a hunk of bread which he fell on and munched through really quickly. I snapped this picture showing you just how much he loved bread. He has been naughty and good today in equal measure; barking too much when in his enclosure but then obeying me when on the lead. I really will need to start letting him off again briefly outside to test his boundaries again.

The men were ready for leaving about 10 minutes earlier than normal so I put the boys away and we headed to there village, past a police car parked with a speed gun at the bottom of my hill which had moved by the time I came back and was further up towards them, at the bottom of the road to my friend. It started rolling forwards as I drove past but fortunately didn't follow me.

Food porn

I had in my mind to have the remaining two burgers from the batch bought the other day, as again I hadn't eaten loads today - chopping plums seems to suppress your appetite, so as soon as I got in (having watered the dogs as they were gasping - they have gone through so much water today!) I started frying the burgers, then sliced and added some bacon and finally put the eggs in. This is a frying pan full of food porn.

Just two small burgers for dinner

The resultant sandwich, with cheese added as well, was huge and it took me a while to eat them both but I did, washed down with a beer; my only one so far tonight as I am bribing myself to type fast by holding off on the next drink until I have finished typing.

Current state of the building

As alluded to earlier I took the current progress picture quite late as again I forgot, with the excitement over the food, to go and do it when I got back. There is not much visible change to yesterday however loads more ribs went in, and also as I say all the joints are reinforced now. This is the last I'll see of the men until next Thursday which gives me a good time to tidy the wood pile at the back and just be antisocial for a bit.

It wasn't just me who was hungry

While I was walking back down from my photography point for the progress photograph I saw a huge spiders web and in the middle a colourful spider with the abdomen of some less than fortunate creature, probably a large ant from the looks of it. I do love these spiders, they are so garishly coloured, that I had to share it. Sorry for those of my readership who don't like spiders.

A glimpse of the sun as it sets

Finally for the pictures, and this update (I'm gasping for a drink now and it is still about 27 degrees in here in Room 13 so I do need to stop typing and pour a beer) Ralf was farting away so I took him out for a toilet break. He didn't go however and as I was coming back up the stairs I glanced out the back and saw something I thought I wouldn't get to see today; a sun set. I absolutely pegged it to get my camera then up the stairs and this is the best I could get; it is a clear enough evening but those thick clouds have covered the sky all afternoon pretty much and haven't shifted as of yet.

Right time to pour that beer then put those pictures in place. I have a massive list of to do for the next five days so watch this space.