Mainly tiles

It's another scorcher today, the thermometer in Room 13 is sitting in exactly the same place as it was yesterday right now, but in contrast with yesterday it has been a day in which lots of physical exercise has occurred.

Rambo flaked out in the breeze

We'll start with yesterday evening after  published my super short blog. Because our neighbour (who I now know is called Urkan (though I'm unsure of the spelling)) had asked for the tiles I went out to get prepared for that. I moved Julian and shifted lots of wood and made it all ready to be able to just load them straight in today. You know all this because I mentioned it yesterday. What I didn't show you was Rambo, after I had done this and as we were ready for going out, was laying down in the breeze along the patio and was just so chilled out he didn't even hear me approach. He jumped up when I walked past him though; some guard dog.

Relaxing at the table

Shortly after this we headed off to our dinner date. When we got there the overflow carpark was full and even had several coaches in it however we were waved through into the normal carpak and found ourselves our normal table. There was a wedding going on in the formal area near the swimming pool but the restaurant was operating as usual, with the keyboard playing tinkling away and the singer there in improbable shoes and a tight skirt. She is so lovely, though, and said hello to both of us and at one point got a severe case of the giggles as the music from the wedding pounded away in a totally different time signature to her music.

Main course of loveliness

We ordered our dinner and the salad was excellent (we've started having "Salad of Boss" instead of "Green Salad" recently and it is lovely) and then my kavarma came and A's pizza. The duck hearts were not the best quality this evening but we just wrapped them up for the puppies. It was a very lovely meal and we both enjoyed it and the entertainment. We didn't stay that long and headed back as soon as we had eaten and when we got home I put the first Pulse CD on from Pink Floyd and listened to that while we played with the puppies and drank our tea. A lovely way to end the evening.

Morning has broken

I think I slept OK but I woke early so when A was dragged out of bed by the puppies I stayed there and laid in for quite a while. While I was in bed she was out on the balcony enjoying the sun rise and took my camera with  her.

Thelma and Louise hard at play

The puppies had been encouraged to stay outside this morning, after a few days of them coming straight back in and not playing first thing, and A also got some lovely pictures of them playing with the "sperm" (which is now completely destroyed) in the sand pit. It's good that they get this exercise as it tires them out for the rest of the day.

More bundles, less loose kindling

When I finally dragged myself out of bed (about 7.30 so not THAT late for a Sunday) we headed out after a brew to get on with the firewood preparation. A was tying up the bundles while I worked away with the axe to trim down more kindling. The sun was up high enough to reach A where she was settled doing the bundling but the pile she was working on was not easy enough to move her into the shade. We kept at it until my bandage fell apart completely and they gave the perfect excuse to go in for breakfast. The heat was such that neither of us was wanting bacon and eggs so we still haven't properly tried our own eggs.

We start the loading

After eating my yoghurt for breakfast I went onto the sofa and was just dozing off when the puppies started barking outside. Just as he had promised Urkan had arrived for the tiles, with the Special One and two other people, dead on 10am. I went down and we got stuck straight into loading them onto the trailer. It was pretty warm by this point but we just stuck at it and after about half an hour the trailer was full and we turned to Thomas. A helped out a lot, and also brought us water and my hat, which was excellent. The problem occurred when we went to hitch Thomas to the trailer and found that for various reasons (overloading trailer, trailer on a slope, soft ground) we could not hitch it. We unloaded a load of tiles and then, with the help of digging away the ground underneath the jockey wheel, managed to get it engaged and safely hitched.

Unloading the first time

We then really carefully drove along the dirt track to the middle of the village where we parked up and unloaded. The mobile shop came past as we were doing this and Orkan made him stop and bought us a beer each for after we finished the job. This was completed pretty quickly, though with a second trip required, and just about 12.30, after about 2.5 hours of solid physical work in 38 degree heat, we all went and sat in his new extension, the roof for which is going to be covered with my tiles, and relaxed. We had a nice chat about a few things and then when the beer was done headed off for home, exhausted.

Pie and potatoes

Since then I have dozed on the sofa, A has been on the balcony and also dozed, and we've had Orkan round slightly later to pay for the tiles and have a guided tour around the building. I invited him for a BBQ so we'll have to arrange that for some time soon; it'd be nice to make more friends in the village however I'm also liking the slow pace of this; we're getting accepted and becoming known by a slow process rather than pushing ourselves on everyone; it's more how I like to do things. Dinner for today was a very lovely mince and onion and mushroom and nom pie with potatoes and gravy which A prepared wholly herself.

It was too hot to stay up here

When it was ready we took it onto the roof terrace to eat but, despite what looks like lots of clouds it was really hot and after a few mouthfuls A suggested we go and sit downstairs which I agreed to. After clearing the table we had a much more comfortable meal and then she went to feed all the dogs while I started this update. I've just taken a quick pause to go and do the watering round which is now complete and it's nice and early to finish this update so we will probably go back onto the roof terrace to watch the sun go down.

Tomorrow is back to the hospital, back to working and yet more exciting progress with all the workmen on site; see you then. Finger crossed that the ViK, having been on for two days and then been off ever since, will come back to life tomorrow as we have lots of washing and other things we want to do with it.