A really lovely day

Today has been lovely. Really lovely. I'm siting in Room 13 now with the fire blazing up, having just set the one in the bedroom and wishing the chimney in the living room was open so we could be in there still. Next weekend we should be able to be in there properly til late which will be awesome.

A misty start normally means a glorious day 

So yesterday as planned we went to bed with our brews and once they were drunk the light went off and we both slept like logs. It was an unusual night in that I didn't wake up when the puppies wanted out and A had to take them. The clocks changed last night which meant that when I checked the time at about 7am and then turned over and went back to sleep, we'd managed to achieve full lie in status. After a bit we were thirsty and I was dispatched to get the brews in. It was a really misty morning so while the kettle was boiling I dashed onto the balcony to get some pictures.

How many layers?!

It was quite a chilly start to the day and A decided that rather than drinking our brews in bed she wanted to sit on the sofas in the living room which was a lovely idea. She was really cold, though and put three pairs of socks on and then Thelma was really unhappy with it being so cold so A put her inside her jumper to warm up both of them. I was even cool enough to put socks on!

Almost entirely healed now

Louise's wound has continued to heal really well and now doesn't need cleaning with the saline fluid as it has sealed up. After today's injection (done by A as I held her as she was wriggling a lot to avoid it today) we also only have one more injection of antibiotics and I think that means she is pretty much fully back and only needs her hair to grow and she'll be good as new.

Putting gravel on the driveway to prevent slipping

Once that first brew was done we got ourselves set for our tasks for the day. I got myself all togged up with wellies and everything and took the wheelbarrow down to outside the front gate to get sand and gravel from the big pile there. This I then wheeled up the hill (and it is a hill; you don't realise how steep that bit is until you're pushing a heavy wheelbarrow) and spread it over the driveway on the corner where the mud has been worst recently. It took seven trips with 14 spadefulls in each one. Yes, I counted.

Yes she is sweeping the wall

When I came back in for a brew I found A was hard at work on her job. The top corridor had been a dumping ground for stuff over the past few months but now we have the living room, and have been able to move the sofas, we are finally able to clear it out and put things where they should be. We are also determined to limit the dust we have to deal with over winter (hence us getting Sally to take as much loose stuff off the walls and ceiling in Room 13 as possible) and so A was continuing this process along there also.

After resting up with a brew, and having some toast for breakfast, I headed back outside for the next job. Seeing as the day was so nice, and we have so many other things that are massively urgent around the house to get done before the men finish for the year, I decided to go out and dig some of the holes for Gyuner. The first one had about 4" of soil which I cleared quickly but then it was down to the rock so the pneumatic drill was brought out. It was really easy to use and broke the rocks up so quickly; a great investment.

Taking the weight off on the balcony

By this time the mist had all burned off and it was a really gorgeous day with hardly a cloud in sight and the sun shining bright and warm. I was working away without really paying attention to the time and A was hard at work inside as well and when she wanted a break she came out and watched me drilling while enjoying the sun. It isn't a bad way to live.

Thelma in her coat with her ball

I had Thelma in close attendance the entire time I was working outside. She had her ball (of course) and I would throw it for her while I was shoveling the spoil out of the hole, then she waited very patiently whenever I was using the drill to break more ground. She's so very good and really has become more and more aware of what is going on and understands that she's not being ignored if I'm busy. Sometimes, of course, she did get a bit too over eager and so I wedged the ball into the handle of the drill and she just waited, watching it. Bless her.

Down to stone already

I took a break after completing the first hole to a satisfactory length (though on later inspection I think it may be a little shallow and need extending tomorrow) and started on the second. This time there was barely an inch of soil covering the bedrock and so it was pretty much straight on with the breaker. It was getting close to lunch time by this point so I was called in for some VERY lovely Irish Stew and bread which gave me a much needed rest. I have a lot of respect for Gyuner for digging so much out in such a short time as I was starting to run out of steam after only one and a half holes and he has been doing four holes a day.

The bird is top left. Expand the picture to see it

After lunch I decided that I'd finish up the second hole and then we both stop working and enjoy the remainder of the afternoon as it was such a lovely day. While I was out drilling I noticed a bird of prey circling in the distance. I only had the short lens on my camera so this isn't the greatest picture; it makes me really want the 18-135mm lens for its flexibility particularly in these situations.

Lots of holes (14 now) only a few more to go

Looking across to the parents' old hotel

Lovely hazy mountains behind power lines

I finished up quick quickly and found A was also ready to stop so we stood on the balcony for a bit enjoying the warmth of the sun and the absolutely glorious views all around. It really had turned into a stunning day and as the sun now slowly started to descend the hills across the valley were getting that lovely gentle haze over them and had a beautiful colour to them. We spent a little time checking over the tiles out there as well as I found a couple that are a bit loose and will need resetting tomorrow and in total now four tiles have big yellow chalk crosses on them. It's not surprising considering the quantity of rain that fell on them; all the loose ones are in the ungrouted area.

Waiting patiently again

We spent the time kicking the ball for Thelma, trying to stop Louise from attempting to have sex with Thelma (she thinks she is a boy and keeps mounting her!) and talking about Sassy's future accommodations out on the balcony. I have now got another task on my list of Things To Do which is construct a run for her to prevent hawks, like the one in the picture earlier, from grabbing her. And stop her from jumping over the edge like a kamikaze.

Evening draws in; this was a beautiful sight as well

And so we settled ourselves inside to watch a film in the new living room. I got the sound working by plugging it direct into the DVD player which is never ideal as it causes the sound to come out slightly ahead of the TV. Once I had fixed the loose connection to the speakers it was OK but not great and this will require some thought. It may be we have to put A's TV in there as it might have a working audio out. No matter, it was lovely to sit there, if a bit chilly (we ended up wrapped in a duvet) and we both enjoyed the film we chose; Grand Tourino. As the film was drawing to a close I was watching the moon rise of the mountains out of the window and as soon as the credits rolled I dashed out to get a picture. A had also taken a photograph of the view from her seat and this makes me think we've chosen correctly in our layout.

And so I sit here while the fire blazes next to me, dinner is very close to ready now, the puppies are asleep on their beds in front of the fire and that moon is now shining white and bright through the window in front of me. It has been the most lovely of days, though it has also highlighted how much we need that chimney doing for the living room. Hopefully this will be completed this week and next weekend we can sit for an evening in there without having to run back to Room 13.