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| 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.
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| Real roofing going on |
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| 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.
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| Tree to be removed |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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