Sore finger

I have just sat down having fed the chickens (apparently this is a "demic job" so I don't know what that makes A who does it every day) and then doing the watering round. Today has been roundly destroyed by my infected finger and I don't know, again, how much I will be able to type. We shall see.

So many birds on Rambo's power lines

The morning started off on the balcony again but at about 7.15 we were disturbed by the two workmen on the roof arriving to start up. It's a good thing I was dressed this time for that eventuality. I had decided against doing any more chopping until after my hands are better (remember the possible tendon strain in my right hand from wall scraping) but this morning I had a whole list of other things to do instead. First of all was the humanure which I emptied and covered quickly. We're again running low on sawdust but that was on the list for today and I think we have enough for another few weeks. With that done I did the watering round as we hadn't got it done last night. I did something else as well but I can't remember. I was feeling pretty tired still so wasn't moving very fast at all. When A arrived it was only two men as Sally had got arc-eye and had gone to the clinic to get some cream. Not cool. I hope he gets better.

On it once again

Bekir was straight on with his work when he got here. Now we have worked out that Bekir is the wood man and Sally the metal man which explains why Sally didn't enjoy working on the doors for the guest room. Today it was sadly Bekir's turn to work on something that Sally is better at however he's so competent he cracked on very well. He has been finishing off the very top steps which will be concrete and tiled, and putting the rebar into shapes so it can have concrete poured to dry over the weekend.

Proving what a strong man he is

The other men were also hard at it with the big pneumatic drill. The pile of rubble that is over the edge on the drive is really quite impressive now; the next job I will have these workmen do is the drive so they will then have to move it all. For now they finished removing the rest of the previous water proof skim and started on the next task. This was to chip out the porch area over the back door to allow more light into those windows into the nook in the kitchen. Nikolai is such a big man he was using the pneumatic drill with one hand; last night Gyuner was struggling with both.

Not where I want the drainage to go

The chipping away has not been without collateral damage and today I found a couple of small holes which would lead down into the gardening room (the only room that was previously waterproof, as A pointed out) however this is all going to be reskimmed and covered in thick black bitumen then cement then tiles so it'll be resealed pretty quickly.

Stymied by the road builders

Because my finger was giving me so much grief I decided to go with A on her mission to town which had the main aim of getting more sawdust and asking for quotes for the toilet, the garage door and the new wooden split kitchen door. I tried to go the normal way however nearly all the way along a lovely new road that has been laid I found out what the sign had meant at the beginning of the road; close. They were there laying the road surface and I had to turn round and go back.

Travelling in style

Rather than go all the way back round the long we we decided to go up the cheren put past my ex friend's house. It was really nice to go up there and see what has been happening on that road I know so well. It has also had the treatement and once you are off the cheren put it is lovely smooth new tarmac all the way. A lot of the house which had been mid-renovation last year are also now looking really nice. It was nice to get out and drive with A again as well anyway, and we had the puppies as we also wanted to try and get Louise to a vet for her eye. Thelma was restless but we managed to get her settled by putting her on A's neck. She was very happy then and sat looking out the window all the way there, and returned there on the way back as well.

Iodine soaked finger to draw the infection

Our trip was a mixed success. The chemist took one look at my finger and sold me an iodine based cream to put on twice a day, and some plasters to cover it with. She didn't seem unduly worried so I will apply this cream and see how I am tomorrow. The visit to the garage shop wasn't a success as she just shrugged and said to take Julian to the garage to get looked at so that goes on the list. And the most important part of our journey, the carpenter, was a bust as he was shut. We also found that the vets was closed and is now a better shop so it was back home with finger treatment but not much else. I bashed my finger a couple of times while driving which was very painful indeed and now I wish I had gone yesterday not today. When we got back we washed the finger, covered it in the cream, and then wrapped two plasters to protect it. Since then it seems to have stayed the same but I'm aching a lot all over my body so I hope that is just my body helping fight the infection and not some nasty bloody infection spreading.

Continuing to smooth the joins

The rest of the day I pretty much spent in bed tying and failing to sleep. I rested though and read then cuddled the puppies and to be honest when I finally did get up I felt a little better, briefly. A went into the big town to Kaufland for our main shop and I had some beans on toast, meaning the puppies would get the chicken I had saved from last night for lunch today, and I tried to work but I really wasn't up to it. Right now I also cannot wait to get into bed after eating. Bekir had been cracking on and he had used the new face guard for welding that I bought them while I was out which was good.

It takes my weight without buckling

At the end of the day when I got up I found that it was 5.50 and therefore really close to time to take the men. I went down to see Bekir and he said he wasn't sure if the ceiling needed knocking back any more. I decided that I would take my chance and give the stairs a go to see how much clearance my head had as you go down through the floor. It turned out there was loads so the extent of the hole is now fixed. I then went out to talk to Gyuner who has made excellent progress today pickaxing his way through bedrock for my trench in the 30 degree heat. He says that next week is going to be even hotter. I offered him a holiday until it cools down but he just laughed. I am actually quite disappointed in myself for not being able to help him today but I could barely get out of bed for most of it.

Loads more light reaching these windows now

Bekir had rung the wood yard about the steps for the stairs and found at that they were ready to be collected so when I went I didn't take them straight home but went past the wood yard and loaded in 21 planks of lovely white oak. I helped load them in as always and it was good to be of some assistance at least. I dropped Gyuner off much nearer his house which gave me an appreciation of how far he walks in the morning to get collected by A. When I got back I wasn't allowed to start this until the previously described chores were done but I did get A to help unload the wood and got a picture of just how much more light there is now coming into the nook now with the porch reduced.

And so I am sitting here amazed I have typed all that, having only eaten half of a fantastic sweet and sour A made and when I publish I'm off to bed to lie down again. Here's to feeling better very soon, I'm already bored of this.