How egg-citing!

Evening once again and once again this is typed while my middle finger is wrapped up in a huge bandage containing a tomato. It does seem to help somewhat and I have no alternative as I don't believe that Iodine stuff helped at all. Anyway, onwards.

Not the best moon pic ever, but it isn't bad

Last night I was just about to head to bed when A shouted down that the moon was epic so off I trotted with the zoom and I snapped a raft of pictures of which only one came out even well enough to adjust the contrast on; the exposure time was way too long for me to hold completely steady for. It was so bright that when we went to bed it was nearly possible to read. I was reading with the paperwhite anyway but eventually felt tired so dropped off to sleep after a while. I think I slept OK but I could not get up at all so I was still in bed when A got back with the men; a proper lay in.

Look at all that not-free water!

When I did finally get out of my pit one of the first things I did was to go down and check the water; I turned the tap and wouldn't you know there was high pressure water from ViK. This probably means we should go and pay whatever money we owe as we haven't paid anything since it was installed, what with having no bills yet. How exciting though; as soon as that is reconnected to the house we will have reliable hot water in Room 13, be able to put the boiler in there back on its timer, be able to do our washing up and wash our clothes whenever we want. Ahh the freedom.

Final bits before the wood is fitted

Bekir was taking the wood rafts from around the staircase and then doing the last little bits, like soaking the concrete with water to stop it cracking. He had asked first thing for work to do as the wood isn't here for the steps yet so I pointed to the ceiling fan for the bedroom which he said he would get to in the afternoon. He had also said he wanted to go to town to get pipes for the trench however this ended up never happening today.

Sally starts chipping away at the paint

Sally was also needing work so I waved my hands around the living and said "everything" so in his usual way he got straight on and started chipping the old paint off the walls and he made so much better progress than either me or A managed. He had finished this completely by just after lunch time. They work so hard!

Here comes the sand and cement

My finger was still not better this morning so I decided that it would have to be a visit to the clinic. We also packed up my ex-friend's petchka, and grabbed all the stuff to take to the carpenter to get the quote. We went past her house first which was relatively painful, though incredibly so driving away considering what has been lost there. The carpenter was shut again so I took the phone number off the door but then forgot to ring it during the day. Finally it was in to the main town where we went to the clinic but were told they wouldn't see us. I am pretty sure she said I need a referral so that's that. We went home feeling a little deflated but at least we had tried. When we got home we had some lunch and then went to bed and slept for ages. We must have been more tired than we realised. When we woke up I went to see what was happening and found that a delivery truck had arrived with loads of sand and cement; this must have been why Bekir was keen to get the pipes in and close the trench as they had had to put a ramp of stones back in so the truck could reverse to its dumping location.

LOOK AT OUR FIRST EGGS!

After this I went in to the chicken run to talk about where we wanted the pipes to go and what we would be doing with them and Bekir commented that he thought the chickens would be laying soon so I went to the nesting box and wouldn't you know there were THREE EGGS THERE!! How excited was I! Almost as excited as A when I called her down and got her to have a look. We picked them up, they are small but feel very solid, and have brought them in and dated them. I can't wait to eat them. Well done KitKat.

Keep rolling that tar

The other men were late turning up today, not arriving until after A was back with our men, and I did think they may not come at all however far from that happening they have slaved away and stayed very late. One of them was carrying on the asphalting of the roof, doing the dog leg back along the back of the building, while the other men worked to plan out the wall and the amount of drop there would be for drainage. They are making excellent progress the only question is when will we see the tiles so we can know if we like them or not.

Precariously balanced on his ladder

Meanwhile Bekir had figured out the ceiling fan, put together the parts that he could while on the ground, and was up the ladder (precariously as usual) to measure so he knew where the holes should go.  From this point on he worked away, getting the scaffold into the bedroom eventually which made me calmer as he could easily have fallen from that ladder, and then drilling down and through.

Thelma with her hand grenade

Louise looking expectant

We were chilling on the sofa on the landing, then spending time looking at the living room to work out where we want lights and how we'll probably arrange it, and this pretty much took up the remainder of the afternoon. It actually proved quite difficult to imagine how things will be but I think we've come up with a relatively good solution. We were also playing with the girls which was just great fun; Thelma in particular loves to have her toys thrown and swung and she will chase and kill what you throw.

The extent of the trench

It has been a really hot day today, it was still 33 degrees when I took the men home, and Gyuner has been outside all day extending the trench. He managed to reach the fence and get a fair way across the inside towards the building today so tomorrow he may reach it. I need to decide if we are going to take the pipe inside and split it there, or whether we should continue the pipe for the pond in a trench along the front. We also need to urgently design the pond. I'm tempted to just have a tap to refill the pond, and worry about more complex solutions another time.

New window ledges to be fitted

Sally completed the stripping of the walls then went on to removing the excess expanding foam around the windows. With everything within reach done of this task he asked if I wanted new windowsills which I answered "yes" so he started doing the preparation for that. This involves knocking down the old brick sill outside and then chipping away the bricks from underneath each window. Tomorrow he will probably get to building the rafts and putting the metal in them. Such exciting progress today!

Laying forms for the concrete

As mentioned earlier the other workmen have been preparing themselves for starting to lay the concrete tomorrow. as we need to make sure there is a good slope for water to run off and through the drainage holes they will leave in the parapet they have build little forms which they will use to keep the slope regular and accurate. I am quite excited about the progress I will see tomorrow.

Super excited to have the fan up

We were sat still discussing the living room (A has drawn a plan out which really helped) Bekir came to find us as he had finished fitting the fan. We went in and played with the settings and first impressions are really good; it gets pretty fast at its top setting, but moves plenty of air on the low settings and at no point did it seem to make any noise at all. Now we just hvae to get moved back in to that room to check it out. Of course by the time we are (after the living room is done) it'll not be hot any more. Oh well.

Superb dinner

And so the end of the day came without the ViK being connected as Bekir needs to get some more plumbing bits so I took them home with no excitement at all and when I got back I settled into typing this up. Our dinner this evening was bacon, cabbage and mash and when it was ready we took it onto the roof and it was absolutely lovely. I even had a beer with it, for the first time for a while.

Glorious is the only word I can apply to this

And it disappears again

It was another glorious evening with a beautiful sunset which started happening as we sat down and finished not long after we stopped eating. The sun is setting very much noticeably earlier than it was but that is meaning that the roof terrace is no longer way too hot to use so we have been able to get back up here, having lost our balcony for the time being. It was so quiet this evening, only the dogs next door barking but very irregularly, disturbed the peace.

So tomorrow I may well end up having to go and register at a doctor somewhere, make an appointment or maybe even see one. I've removed the tomato on my finger for now but may strap another on there before I go to bed. Time to go and shut the chickens away (I helped with the watering round this evening which was nice but no sign of Harvey).

Tomato finger

So another "two days in one" update and another day typing without my middle finger left hand as it is wrapped up, but more of that later. Here goes, what happened yesterday?

Cement in and drying

I didn't sleep that well and ended up in the other guest room as I was up and down and didn't want to disrupt A. She had a lovely lay in on Saturday morning while I was awake to unlock the door for the workmen and let the puppies out. I forgot to let the chickens out until A reminded me when she finally woke up. The workmen arrived very early in a van with more stuff delivered and they went and got on with what they were doing. I went and rested on some more and then decided to get a picture of where Bekir and Sally had got to on Friday; wouldn't you know they had finished the cementing before leaving. Of course they had; that is what they are like.

Real roofing going on

Hot work in the hot sun

The other workmen worked really hard all day today; they outdid themselves. It was a hot day all day and they were out there on the balcony painting the "grunt" on and then using a blowtorch to melt the bitumen roll onto the "grunt". They arrived at 7.10am and were still at it when we left to go out in the evening and about 50% of the roof was completed. They also filled in the final gaps and dents with cement round the corner, including the place highlighted the other day where a hole had actually been knocked through into the gardening room below. I'm really impressed at the moment with what they are doing; all I'm waiting for now is to see the tiles and find out if I like them, or whether we'll be finding some of our own choosing.

Tree to be removed

All that is left

We had originally said that this morning we would be up early to strim as much of the long grass on the front as possible. Next week is due to be another heatwave, possibly the last one of the year, and the thought is to get it cut, dried, and stored before the weather changes. With A not waking up til 9am I thought we'd missed the chance but she decided she wanted to do it anyway so we gathered everything up, including my chainsaw, and headed down. While A was getting stuck into the strimming I took the chainsaw to the downed tree; it has started growing again however is taking up so much space that we'd decided to remove it. I left one of the saplings to grow again into another tree, though I may yet still dig the stump out.

More grass drying

After I did that I got the rake and followed after A and we cracked on with it, taking a short break in the middle, until we were pretty exhausted and needed to get a rest. I reckon when we tidied up we have done about 3/4 of the front and that left a manageable amount for this morning. I had tidied almost all of the cut grass into piles so it can dry for next week. I had gone out with a sore finger, sore arm and constipated and when I went back in I felt better on all fronts; it's amazing what a bit of hard work will do.

A putting another coat on the door

We had a good long rest, I had a lie down, and then made some non-posh scrambled egs on lovely fresh bread which went down a treat. It was nice to be hungry and want to eat, after feeling blocked up. Then it was time for more chores. A got on with hers first while I continued resting. The list said "paint doors" and off she went. She put another coat on the double doors which are slowly turning white as they stop soaking the paint and it starts to build on the surface then she put another coat on the other door. We decided against doing any more on the bedroom door while we have workmen going through there and potentially marking it.

I hung a sliding door!

My job, when I got round to it, was to fit the sliding door on the bathroom. This involved getting the hacksaw out and trimming everything down as it was a bit too long and wide for the gap however eventually I managed to get this done and then slowly I went through the steps and we now have a lockable door on the bathroom. This is going to be really important for when my mate Kirsty comes over, as we'll probably still be in the guest room then what with work being done next on the living room.

Our relaxation location for the afternoon

With these chores done I sat at the desk in Room 13 and asked A what she wanted to do next. She started looking through the list of remaining chores but I was more hinting at maybe getting out into the grounds down by the front where we spent a lot of time last year, but haven't been at all this year so far. When I suggested this she was very happy so off we went with brews, kindle, a book, a rug, two pillows and the puppies. It was a really lovely hour or so we spent there, laying in the shade as it was really hot out, listening to the breeze in the trees and just relaxing and enjoying. We have decided that next year we will put some grass seed out down here, get some sprinklers to run for an hour or two every morning and evening, and get a proper lawn mower and try and cultivate it down there, both in this area and the slightly raised one to the right.

Gorgeous view from the terrace

I had been planning a surprise meal for A's birthday with SandS all week however our tentative plan to go on Friday was postponed both by my ill health and they couldn't do it either so we delayed it til Saturday. I subtly suggested we go out to eat and then when we were on our way I drove towards the restaurant that SandS had suggested. She started getting a little suspicious as I went to a totally new place as if I knew where I was going but when we got there we were both very happy about the choice; it is probably the nicest location so far on the lake with a stunning view, a lovely swimming pool, and excellent staff.

Waiting at the table

We found a table in the shade again and waited a bit for a drink then realised this was not a table service bar. I went to the bar to order, text SandS to find where they were, and found that the barman spoke good English and had lived in Scotland for a fair while. He asked the normal question which is "why are you here?!" but I just had to turn round and point at the view and the weather to explain. After we had been there for a bit SandS turned up and made A jump but she was happy to see them and a little later their friends arrived as well, who are two young local men. They were very lovely as well and we had a nice chat before heading down for dinner.

The happy group

The food was outstanding however mine and S's dinner got mixed up so I ate his and he ate mine which was a shame. That was the only blemish really and now if we want to go back there next week during the day for a swim and lunch. We're very lucky to have these kinds of places so close to us and yet be able to live in unspoilt countryside as well.

A stunning evening

By the time we left it was getting dark as we had spent a very enjoyable, and unrushed, time over our meals. It really is an absolutely stunning location as you can see. A was kind enough to drive as I'd had a few beers (though I did have to turn the truck round as it was hemmed in quite close by other cars) and our drive back was eventless.

Dead toy, taking a new one in the background

When we got back we had a brew before bed and played with the puppies who had done their usual tricks and dug out a plant, eaten some footwear and, in a new twist, chewed the wicks out of three candles. It is impossible to remain angry with them however and so we got to playing and we are now another toy down as Thelma completely destroyed this one.

She's a demon with that strimmer now

I think we both slept a fair amount better last night which was a relief after my relative lack of sleep recently but A still beat me awake and out the door. I slept in a bit then joined her for brews; today we could not go on the balcony as it is almost covered in bitumen where the sun goes in the morning. My finger felt a little bit better this morning which gave me hope and I spent an hour or so soaking it in salt water before wrapping it back up with the Iodine. We had a lovely lazy start (I even watched some NRL) but eventually I went through and made A get out of bed and we went out to finish the gardening work. Again A was on the strimmer and I was on the chainsaw.

Another damaged tree is removed

I had a few issues today as I took the machine apart to clean it but then when I put it together I had put the chain on backwards. Fortunately I'm very careful and as soon as I went to use it I noticed it was not running correctly so I took it back to pieces and corrected my mistake. From then on it ran very well and the tree I was attacking, the quince tree that had fallen onto the tortoise garden, was quickly reduced easily movable logs. A had done the strimming by this to so we then dragged these up to the wood sorting area, then went and moved the branches from the tree I had done yesterday, and then feeling pretty tired we went towards the house.

Will a tomato really help?

As we were heading there we were hailed by the Little Lady to come for coffee so we headed in quickly to splash water, put some fresh clothes on, and then we were over there. It was a lovely visit with coffee and milk to drink, turkish biscuits from another guest, and lots of laughter and a bit of conversation that we managed to get involved with. The funniest thing to happen, however, was when I showed them my finger. After much discussion they decided that putting a tomato on it was the best thing to do and so off they went, got some bandages and said fruit and after a little while I was sat there feeling stupid. I look skeptical because I am however I will say one thing for it; it was very soothing on my finger. While we were over there we got to see Teddy as well which was excellent - he is looking really well, he's put weight on and his eye has cleared up. It was really awesome to see him so happy.

We have green things!

I mentioned in the last full update that I was very excited indeed that the seeds I planted the other day are already coming through. When we got back we watered them (as I keep forgetting about them) and there are a load of each with seedlings now. These will hopefully be some winter veg for us and they will go into the raised bed when it has been cleared of the tomatoes. Lovely.

Maybe better? I don't know....

I had been told that I couldn't take the tomato off my finger for four hours so there it stayed; I got a bit annoyed with it the whole package was so large I really couldn't do anything with my left hand at all. It also leaked a fair bit. I dozed on the sofa outside Room 13 for a fair while which was really lovely and I woke feeling quite refreshed. Eventually it was time to remove the bandage and so off it came; I am not sure how much it helped but it had soothed it a lot and the redness was now white because of all the water in a tomato. It was a good enough result for me to put another tomato back on it from our own stash. We have now decided that tomorrow we will be off to the clinic.

So today A finally got out her wheels again and skated up and down the top corridor for a bit. Within a short time, however, this was not adventurous enough so off we went, me helping her as she was still wearing her blades while we walked up the lane, to the tarmac at the top of the village. The puppies came with and they were very obedient, staying close and not running off after any livestock. One of the ladies from the village came walking up the road while we were doing this and she watched and laughed as A did her practice stops, and almost fell of a few times. After twenty minutes the heat proved too much and we went back. It's good that she likes her present so much, but I am very nervous of her hurting herself.

Harvey the Hedgehog

So the rest of the day passed and I played my computer game while my finger soaked in tomato juices and then it got time to start this update. Just as I was settling into it I was called to the gate by the Special One holding a bucket which at first I thought had milk in it but actually had quite a large hedgehog. As these are really good at keeping pests from your plants I thought he had just brought it to show us so I took it up to show A (who was feeding the chickens) then offered it back but he said no, it's for us. After a quick research we confirmed that yes, they eat insects and slugs and snakes, so we released Harvey (as he is now called) into the long grass at the top of the fenced garden. I hope he is OK in there and does a good job of eating our pests. He rushed off very fast and looked OK and healthy; maybe we'll put some water and food in there for him as well.

Dinner on the terrace again

Dinner was a really lovely curry, eaten on the roof terrace. Rather than overload us, my stomach isn't quite back to normal yet, we decided to have wraps instead of rice and this worked really well. It was so tasty and that one bowl proved enough for me. While we were eating we were hailed again by the neighbours as they had guests who wanted to see around the place however we asked them to wait which they did. When we were ready it was once again "tour time" and we got to show off all the progress that has been made since the last time they were over.

So tomorrow may be a lovely day, or it may be horrible. I'm no fan of hospitals but I think, unless by some miracle when I wake the swelling has gone, I must go to get this finger properly checked out. Our plans to go swimming at the place we went for dinner rely on that being a short trip with a simple outcome. We shall see.

Birthday meal interrupts updates

So once again it's a short update due to other activities happening. This is becoming something of a habit which is great as it means we're getting out doing stuff more often. I will get an update about today done, maybe first thing, maybe combined with tomorrow as a double day update, as quite a lot got done however there is no way that I'm starting it at 10pm.

The happy group

The reason we are late, and I'm not doing an update, is that this evening as a surprise for A we went out to a new restaurant with SandS and two of their friends we hadn't met before. It was an absolutely awesome evening with lots of laughter, good conversation and excellent food, and the surprise was a good one for A. We stayed out quite a long time for us and got back to some puppy-caused chaos such as one of A's nice sandals now needs its sticky stuck back on, one of the lovely green and red plants has been dug out, and they have eaten the wicks out of some candles. They have been in trouble and are now back out playing around and being super overwhelmingly excited to see us.

Anyway, more of this tomorrow. I'm to drink my brew and get to sleep.

An orange

How well can I type without using my middle finger on my left hand... we are about to find out. Another update which I don't know if I'll get to the end of so here goes.....

I slept very badly; I read in bed (the new paperwhite coming in very handy as the bedside light stopped working) until I finally felt sleepy and then dropped off, only to wake to hear very faintly the music from the club (very quietly though, so maybe my complaint to the kmet via his daughter had reached the owner like I have been told and he has turned it down) and lay there until I heard the cockerel crowing and the day was starting to dawn. It was only then that I fell back to sleep. I wasn't struggling because of my finger though, sore as that was; I had stomach cramps and they came and went and would not leave me alone. Not a great couple of days; I could do with being fully better by tomorrow. When I did finally wake up it was when A got back with the men. The puppies were with me and jumped onto the pillow to look out of the window! I stayed in bed for a fair while longer, dozing on and off, then got up. I wasn't feeling that hungry, after the cramps, but did want to have something so I peeled an orange and ate that. This is all I have eaten all day so far.

Work starts for the day

We were joined today by Sally after one day off. He looked a lot happier in the morning but I'm glad it is the weekend as I think he probably needed more time off than he took. Anyway I think Bekir was happier and they have really cracked on today. The main task has been to get the shuttering up around the stairway hole so they can pour the concrete today and leave it to go off over the weekend. This is quite an involved job, and there were a lot of corners to do, and it took them nearly all day. At one point we pointed out one of the edges was slightly out of kilter so without any complaint Bekir fixed it.

A delivery for my other builders

After checking on Bekir and Sally and saying good morning I headed out to find A as she wasn't in Room 13. I was distracted in this by seeing that a huge truck had arrived and was unloading materials for the next steps of doing the balcony. The black rolls will go down as waterproofing and are the same as that which we put on the roof.

Kindling tying

A was out doing one of the jobs on the list; tying up the bits and pieces of kindling I had left over when I gave up on the wood chopping earlier in the week. She had the puppies with her playing around her feet and stealing twigs whenever they could and that definitely brought a smile to my face.

A whole lotta harvest

After going inside, telling my boss I wasn't working today, and having a lay down I dragged myself out of bed again to get some more fresh air. A was out doing a few bits and I caught up with her as she was harvesting things from the garden; tomatoes and peppers and chilis, mainly. We're a way off self sufficiency but it is still a pleasure that we have these things; most of our meals involve something we have grown. As we expand our garden and start to grow in new places it will become more and more self sufficient here.

Thriving vine

One plant that is doing spectacularly well at the moment is my vine. Only one of the seedlings looks like it actually survived the winter however it is shooting up and is not far off the top of the fence already. I will have to get some scaffold poles next year to build the arbor that I want to create down this side of the building, and maybe get another couple of seedlings as well.

Fire in the bucket

Another chore that we had to do was to burn our waste which has been building up so with the harvest completed we headed up the top bank and filled the barrel up then set it on fire. Yesterday as we were driving through the villages we watched a village woman throwing a bag of rubbish onto a big pile right at the edge of the village; why they don't burn it and chose to create these eyesores I do not know.

Taking advantage of my shadow

We have discussed a couple of times the difference in personality between Thelma and Louise. Thelma is much more cautious while Louise throws herself into everything (another example later if I remember to add it) but one other difference is while they both love the sun, Louise will lay down in shade a lot of the time while Thelma will always be in the sun if she can be. Up near the burning drum there is limited shade however Louise found some; right behind me! Bless her.

Working filling in the holes

Earlier in the day, pretty much when I first got up, I had gone onto the balcony to see progress and decided the time was ripe to highlight the holes and dips in the slab. My concern was that they would just lay the black tar rolls over the top, leaving voids which could eventually collapse through. With Bekir's help I explained this and a bit later the boss turned up and when he realised I was just talking about the dips, and not asking for a full complete skim underneath the overlay (though that would have been nice) everything was resolved. Gyuner really helped here as well, translating for me.

Sally back in the saddle

The first issue that had met me today was regarding the wood I had picked up last night. He hadn't noticed at the time however when Bekir went to offer it up to the steps he realised it was the wrong size. He was on the phone to the wood yard straight away and it turns out they have to order bigger logs in from the Balkans as Bulgaria doesn't grow them that large. I've decided to keep the planks we got anyway as they will make a very nice bookshelf. Other woodwork was ongoing through most of the day with Bekir sourcing wood and Sally cutting it and hammering it together into shapes.

Looking at his food, but not eating it

The one thing that I had to do today was to go to the bank as I've finally received confirmation of what I can draw from the business. Before we went I fed Rambo which is still a painful process as he really doesn't seem to want to eat. I do not understand it; the dog we took to his winter lodgings would wolf his food without breathing but now, if you aren't there to encourage him, he just wanders off and lies down without touching it. Very strange.

A good workman with a bad tool

Gyuner has kept up with his digging today and he has almost reached the chicken fence. He was used making cement for the afternoon which I think was a relief as today it really has been hot today. He had a few problems with the pickaxe through the day and kept having to hammer wood into the top to stop the head flying off.

Stained because of the cream

So with the chores done we headed into town. First of all we stopped past the building supply place to look at drains for the balcony but found they were all too big for what we need. Then it was a fuel stop (the attendant came over after I had already started fueling and looked very disappointed) and finally we went to the bank, driving past the clinic in case I need to go there tomorrow. The girl who spoke English was just going on her lunch but, showing just how amazing the service is here, she delayed herself and her friend to serve us. What an excellent bank. When I got back my finger was sore so I took the plaster off to soak it in salt water for a bit then recovered it. It is still sore and I am not sure if it is improving at all. I've been told that I have to go to the clinic if it isn't better by tomorrow, but we shall see about that.

Comfy spot

I took myself off to bed after this and read and rested, then got myself moving to do the chores that had been assigned to me namely sweeping up Baker's little hospital room and cleaning out Sassy, then putting the whole into the humanure. I did this and then rested again and when I got back up I found A dozing on the sofa with both puppies sat on her asleep. Bless them.

Cement is poured into the shutters

Things had been continuing apace while I was dozing and the cement was finally being put into the wooden shutters around the stairway. I watched for a bit as he packed it in carefully then shoveled more in however I haven't been past since to see how far they got to; I'm hoping it is completed.

First application of grunt going on

Out on the balcony there was good progress as well. The "grunt" was being painted onto the good surfaces (this is really thick black tar waterproofing) while the still uneven bits round the side were being chipped away with a hammer and chisel. Hard work on a hot day. As we went back in we noticed that the workman had inadvertently got some "grunt" on his shoes and there was some on the bedroom tiles so I scrubbed it off, then we put a long rug between doorways so this doesn't happen again.

Shifting hay into storage

I am getting really fed up with sitting around and moping, even though it has only been two days, and so towards the end of the day I decided that I should get out and turn the hay that we had cut the other day. When I got down there I found that it was all bone dry and ready for shifting into the green building so I set to it. After a while A arrived with beer, camera, and puppies and she stayed to take pictures and play with the girls. I had to go round to clear space inside the building at one point and as I did I found Louise sniffing around. When I came back she was eating another egg the same as the one we found the other day. Research suggests it is neither a snake nor a tortoise egg so it must be ground nesting bird. It is very late in the year for these to still be around so my hope is these were non-viable dead eggs anyway.

Awesome construction

Talking of bird nests A had found one in the end room in the green building which is really rather impressive. I know I could google to find out what made this and maybe I will, if you lovely people don't provide me an answer in the comments...?

A when I got home from dropping the men

And so suddenly it was time to take the men and we piled in the car and the journey was pretty standard with lots of crazy driving, but then a nice conversation about immigration with Gyuner just before I dropped him off. Orhan was again at their village and gave me a big wave; he is working in Belgium and is back for a holiday at the moment. When I got home I found the old school deserted but the door to the roof open and sure enough, A was up there with the puppies and a beer. It was a gorgeous afternoon so I joined her.

The shame of non-amber liquid

I had no drink, and was still all blocked up, so A suggested I have some vodka as in the past that has helped in this situation. I went and found the bottle of Mary Jane vodka and poured a slug into the only glass I could find; a whisky glass. There is something very wrong about doing this and I am sorry to all whisky lovers out there. I got this down me and then A refilled and I've finished that as well but no movement yet.

Smiling as they sleep

Onto better, happier, news A says she saw Teddy playing on the neighbour's porch which is just great news; it's good to know he's still alive and well. Our puppies were getting cuddles off us until they decided they wanted to lie down and so off they went, once more Thelma in the sun and Louise in the shade. The other difference I promised you now; A showed them over the edge earlier and Thelma pulled away while Louise had a good look around.

Sun kissed hills

I have been very dedicated in writing this update and missed the sunset, the watering round and the chicken feeding and locking away however A took the camera to capture the light of the sunset on the hills opposite, which you normally see when I take pictures of the sunrise. I caught glimpses and right now the really bright full moon is directly ahead of me through the window; lovely.

Yesterday I had a comment on the blog asking me to explain what it is me and A do for a living. Briefly, and I won't go into too much detail, I am a software developer who is able to work remotely. I have managed to get a good remote contract at the moment which is very good indeed. A was a PA in our old life and she is also working through an agency doing audiotyping which provides the income we need for our day to day needs. So there you have it; it is possible. I'm going to leave this here as I want to try and sleep though I doubt I'll be able to.