Mondays are weekends too, right?

There are two sides to this blog. The normal accounting of what has happened is obviously one of them but today the thoughts about the trip back to the UK over winter have really been dominating my mind so I think I should also talk about that. I'll get them out of the way first before going into the pictures.

It is not something I can avoid, going home this winter. Financial considerations and earning potential make it the only choice I have and intellectually I know this however with the last few days having been so brilliant I think the expected contrast of going from a place where just myself and A live to a place where upwards of 200 people will be crammed into the same area is quite jarring. I won't pretend and say today is the first day these thoughts have got me slightly down but it has been bursting in me more today. I still have six weeks until we leave though so it isn't completely imminent but it is close enough now that plans are starting to be made (I've bought the ferry tickets already, booked Ralf and Rambo into their accommodation, sorted Sassy out and started making her run for the winter and I'm nagging my mate about housing for us) which is making it feel very close indeed.

Lastly on this subject I don't want you to think I'm getting down as such; rather the pleasures of being here are being put into a sharper focus and I'm drawing every tiny bit of enjoyment out of everything there is about this place and the life I am leading; as well as feeling quite unhappy that I won't be experiencing this winter: won't be able to sit on the balcony and roof terrace as the snow falls, won't feel the bite of cold as the thermometer drops below zero and then next year won't see the first shoots of spring. This will all have to wait for next year.

Overcast for the early morning

Anyway, away from those maudlin thoughts and to the normal update. Last night after I published unfortunately the Saints lost their game in overtime however it was a cracking performance from both sides and A even enjoyed it. Shock! It was late by the time it finished though so bed called immediately and I think I slept really well as I don't remember waking up at all and when I did it was 6.10 and I wasn't getting out of bed before the alarm. When said alarm went off A was off like a shot but I felt quite jaded so stayed for another five minutes or so and went through only to get my camera as it was a lovely morning with the clouds near the mountains and sunrise.

Fire still burning from yesterday

I was slow to start this morning and sat cuddling my cup of tea and finishing it before I was able to do anything but stare stupidly at the computer screen. When the cup was empty however I dragged myself into motion and headed out the back. There was still more wood to be sorted through and tidied from the old roof. There was a strange smell out there which I wasn't able to identify at first but then I noticed that the burning drum was still smoking from the burn yesterday. I headed over and found that the large plastic bag of plaster I had dropped in was smouldering and had barely reduced; maybe I won't put any more on there.

I moved a load of wood again

I have just found, by looking at the photograph timestamps, that I was outside shifting and sorting untangling and excavating the wood from this last pile for over an hour which maybe explains why I was so tired during the rest of the day. I did achieve quite a bit though and I now have another pile of burning wood, the pile you see of beams pulled from the rubble, and the plank mountain is getting bigger and bigger. There is maybe another morning of work to get what else can be salvaged from this and then I will leave it to the digger machine to clear out. Talking of which I still have to decide what to do with Georgi's quote for drainage.

Another gorgeous bloom

A got back from collecting the men while I was still shifting and I kept at it while she played with Ralf and Rambo, getting Ralf running really hard in circles to tire him out for the day. The men went past the landing windows and shouted out to me which was really nice. We went back in round the side and through the front door and this meant I walked past the Hibiscus which has put out yet another bloom and has what seem like more on the way. What a stunning plant; I shall be sure to get more.

Painting the glue on

After this I went up onto the roof to find out what was happening up there and found that they were finishing off the waterproofing on the south side. There was also a lovely example of the ingenuity they bring to the challenges they face. As Sally was applying the black sticky stuff Orhan went on the top of the roof with the bucket and lowered it down the slope with a stick with a nail in it to hook round the handle. Bekir was meanwhile putting more of the wooden strips on which the roof tiles will sit against.

Dramatic clouds mid morning

While I was up on the roof taking these shots I saw that the clouds from earlier were still there and they had become even more mottled and marked than earlier. The sun was shining through though and it was a much nicer day than either Saturday or Sunday had been already.

I might have been laughing at her

Breakfast for me was bacon and eggs on the lovely fresh bread bought at the men's village by A this morning. Stunning. For her, however, there was something entirely different as slices of banana on toast were her choice. Very adult.

Bare twisted wires into socket

After eating A disappeared and then I felt a bit tired so I went through to the bedroom to doze and found her there. I didn't stop for long, and maybe dozed for about fifteen minutes or so, but I woke quite refreshed and got up leaving A to have a bit more of a doze as she hadn't managed to drop off. I went upstairs to talk to the men and laughed so much when I saw what they had done; as we have been using the Bulgarian extension they have had to improvise and they have done this by cutting the plug off, twisting the wires, and sticking them into two of the three holes of a uk plug socket. Safe as houses.

Breaking rocks in the hot sun

Bekir came past at some point while I was relaxing in Room 13 to ask me to drop down to get some more nails so I legged it and was back really quickly. I had decided early on today that I would be doing no paid work as I wanted a longer weekend so I spent a large amount of today reading my book and relaxing. I was not idle all day however as you will now see. With all the frames made for the raised bed all I needed to do was set them in place and secure each round to each other. With A's help we dropped the frame in the hole however it was quickly apparent that this needed some more digging out, including at the stone end. I got the pickaxe and swung it heavily for a while, getting quite hot but enjoying the workout. A even had a couple of swings but her hands aren't tough and she risked blisters so stopped after that.

Weed protection layer

My next challenge was to get the weed protection in place. The first try involved setting it into the hole and then putting the frame on top and when I had A assisting this worked well. For the real thing, after finishing expanding and leveling the hole, I was on my own and it was obvious this would not work so I changed tack and instead nailed the waterproof to the underside of the frame before rolling it over and into the hole; much easier. Finally when the frame was situated I got the garden fork and pressed regular holes through the black material to allow drainage.

All in place

I managed to pull the second frame on top of the first without any outside help and then set to the fixings which were a bit more awkward than planned, and didn't quite pull the slightly out-of-shape wood completely square but are enough for what I need. With the second frame in I wasn't sure if I would manage the third but with some pulling and heaving I got it lifted up and then fixed that in place in its own right. The raised bed is now done and ready for the final sloped frame and then the windows to be put on.

The work on the guest suite continues

I had talked with Bekir this morning about priorities and said that I needed the window in the guest suite bedroom to be completed (the inner plaster to be put on) so I could start the partition wall this week. He had agreed with this and said Sally would move down to work in there while he carried on with the roof. While I was still out working on the raised bed Sally commenced this task and he was removing the supports for the reinforced lintel, and then putting more in to frame the plaster, while I was outside.

He's already more than half done

Sally was cracking on really fast and by the time I went in after completing the last of the raised bed he was already well over half way done on the plastering. Orhan was assisting him and said that Sally was a super master and I can't help but agree. He was working with a smile on his face, particularly when I was snapping pictures, and the job was complete before the afternoon was half done.

The roof is slowly closing up

Bekir and Shengen were on the roof banging and hammering putting the planks on the last open section of the roof. Once again the use of having labourers in to help them work is proven. I stood and watched for a while but then decided to go and sit on the balcony and read. This was when the feelings I described in the first paragraphs of this blog really took over; I sat there with my book, in the shade but with a warm breeze blowing, looking over the back garden with flakes of wood falling around me as Bekir trimmed a length of wood and it struck me how crowded Manchester is going to feel after this. No matter, I have to go back. I spent most of the rest of the day sat out there, other than when I was suddenly really tired and went in to have a nap. I woke about half an hour later after an incredibly deep sleep, barely able to open my eyes, but aware that it was now time to take the men.

New doorway in place

Fortunately they took some time getting ready to leave and I was able to get a drink of water down me, then go outside to play with Rambo and I was fully awake by the time we were driving. The drive was really easy and I got back very fast. After finishing the window Sally and Orhan had got on with finishing the door for the guest room and from a very uncertain hole in the wall know we have a doorway complete with concrete side lintels.

Ralf wants a beer

When I pulled into the parking space I saw that A and Ralf were on the balcony and Ralf was super excited to see me and Rambo and couldn't work out who to look at. He didn't jump over the edge but he did leg it down to see me and met me by the front door and jumped all over me as usual. While he had been on the balcony before I got back he had seemed to express a large amount of interest in A's beer.

What an incredible light show

The evening since I got back has involved me writing this blog and eating the last of the third day curry made over the weekend; it has got better and hotter every day and today it really was outstanding. The drive home was made enjoyable by the golden light of the sun as it sank towards night and this promise was fulfilled with the sunset which was as stunning an example as any we've seen yet. Just beautiful. This is only one of many pictures taken during the evening.

Ralf's dinner

It wasn't only me who enjoyed the curry; Ralf was sniffing around loads and he gulped down a small helping from A's fingers. This prompted us to give him a little more in his bowl and he really is his owner's doggy; he scarfed it, licked the bowl, and came back for more. Bless him.

So I am going to leave this here. A is out on the balcony getting pictures of the moon which is stunning as well this evening; it is a fully moon and it looks huge but I don't want to wait to post this. We're going to watch the second episode of Sopranos tonight.