Driving back in the dark

And not just the dark. Today it has been raining all day and it got worse as it got darker. Winter is definitely tightening its grip and the conversation I just had with Bekir makes me think we only have another couple of weeks or workmen and then it's just me and A for three months or so until winter breaks and spring returns. Exciting times! Anyway, I didn't do an update yesterday, and I'm very late starting this one today, so I'll crack on.

Out enjoying the night air before the weather changes

After finishing the update last time I persuaded A to take her brew out with me onto the balcony to enjoy the evening. It was still quite mild and the stars were out so after a bit I turned the outside light out so we could enjoy the darkness. A thought she saw a shooting star while I was interested in trying to get pictures of the moon which was really bright and outlining the house in silhouette. Once we finished our brews we headed inside and went to bed and I think we slept well. I was up in the night with the puppies but got back to sleep pretty well.

Louise with her scab

I had a little lie in after A got up but not that long and headed through to Room 13 to check on Louise. The speed at which she is healing is amazing. Already by yesterday morning she had scabbed over and the wound was looking far less angry than before. There was still a little swelling but at least it is no longer bleeding at all.

Working my way through this backlog

When A headed off to get the men I went outside with the chainsaw but once again decided against a noisy morning so just split the kindling off of logs and stacked up the thick bits in a pile for later on. It was a chillier morning and I had to go inside to get a jumper almost straight away which is very unlike me. I worked away until A got back with the men and actually made quite a dent in the pile.

Bringing the ball back

As usual Thelma and Louise were both in close attendance while I was working and Thelma had stolen Rambo's heavy ball and was demanding I throw it for her every minute or two. She has got quite patient now while I'm working and doesn't harass me like she used to. Louise was back to chasing her and looking her usual pugnacious self which was really good to see.

Steps are ready

The driveway workmen arrived while I was working and after getting themselves ready the tiler went to continue grouting and the other two men set to work on the steps which is the last task left out here for them before they leave. They were pulling the wooden frame away from around the steps where the cement was now dry and firm.

Before we realised we'd done something wrong

I headed inside and A made me a lovely bowl of porridge and then we injected Louise which we thought had gone very well as she didn't cry at all. I was really busy with work once more and so was A and we both stuck our noses in our computers. Louise was a little needy and was on both our laps before finally settling in the space behind A. Mid morning A moved and Louise went to go with her and fell over as her back leg wasn't working. We had seen her be a little unsteady prior to this but now she was totally unable to use it! This was the leg we had injected her in earlier, having injected in her leg the day before and watched the vet do so as well. I had to go to town anyway with Bekir and so immediately I got him ready and we scooted off towards town.

GI Jane

Being in a rush it was typical that there was some kind of political march going on and most of the roads around town were shut so we had to drive all the way around to get to the vet. He saw us straight away and was able to put my mind at rest that Louise would be fine. He was also very pleased about how well the wound was healing. He injected her again and said she'd be fine soon and so off we headed. I had some things I wanted to get done, first of all was to buy A a little pressie. I got this and also some more fireworks and then we headed to get the metal for the garage door. This took longer than expected and I had to use their toilets which was one of the most unpleasant experiences of my life! Eventually we got back home to A who was understandably panicking about Louise and then relieved when she got the news. And THEN massively excited about her present.

Now ready to pour for the side walls

I was straight back to work and ate some tasty butties at my desk and then got a chance to go around and see all that had happened while I was away from my desk. Outside the driveway men had put some more boarding up and then put metalwork in place to create a shallow wall along both sides of the steps. This was not something that I expected to see and initially I was a little put out however having thought it through, and seen how high they are making the wall, I quite like it now. I am a bit worried they have gone on step too high however I think the reason they have done this is to stop water running down the steps so that is logical as well.

Eight holes now dug. Only ten more to go

Gyuner had carried on with digging out the holes for the orchard. The first row the two holes on the right had been quite easy then it got more rocky as he moved across. For the second row it was only the first hole that was easy and the others proved quite rocky. It's a good thing, after all, that I bought that pneumatic drill and it has been getting quite a lot of use. At this point he had just started to mark out the first hole on the third row.

Making a sieve for the sand

He wasn't working on the holes when I went out but was assisting Bekir to construct something. I asked what it was and was told he was making a sieve through which to sift the sand which had been outside for a while and had bits in it, so his mortar for the tiles was smooth enough. I didn't stay outside to watch them as it was cold and I was very busy at work.

Sally smoothing the cement

Inside Sally was working on the task we had given him having completed the corridor windows. He was sealing all around the doorway into the kitchen from the corridor, and doing an excellent job of it as always. I had told him to do this door and the outside kitchen door however it wasn't going quite as fast as expected so he didn't end up doing both however the inner door had a lot more to it than I had realised.

The grouting is being done on the floor tiles now

I was then glued back to my desk for the rest of the day with only a very short trip out onto the balcony for some fresh air and to see what was going on there to break the day up. He had made quite a lot of progress across the tiles and was cleaning them as well as he went which was good to see. It looks so amazing out there now; I cannot wait for next summer to use it every morning.

Moved stuff around in Room 13

And so I was back to work and then when I finished I headed outside and chainsawed up all the wood that was on the side waiting to be cut. It was then time to take the men home which was a little strange as there had been some raised voices towards the end of the day and it was a very quiet trip back. I got back to home after this and we got all of Room 13 cleared ready for Sally's work the next day. This is why the blog did not get done as it took a long time to do this and by the time it was finished I had no desire at all to type up this update. So there you are.

Puppies staying warm

We both slept very well last night and I was only out once with the puppies. When the alarm went off A got up and left me to sleep but I was awake so followed her out shortly. As forecast the weather had changed and it was a cold and drizzly start to the day. Because we had moved Room 13 around last night we no longer had a petchka plugged in in there and so A wrapped the puppies up in a blanket and they were happy about that.

Red wine for breakfast

I didn't do very much this morning in terms of wood but I did pull all the chopped sections inside and stacked them onto a new pallet temporarily. I also brought in the non-chopped lengths that were outside still and stashed them so they stayed dry and I'm pretty glad I did this as it has rained quite hard all day. When A got back with the men I was just finishing the washing up and apparently she got a good laugh our of Sally about me not being outside working as I have been for the past few days. Gyuner had not come to work today though apparently this was not down to the falling out the day before but because he had some paperwork to do so hopefully he'll be back tomorrow. He picked the correct day to take off, for sure, as outside work proved impossible. First thing Bekir, Sally and the other workmen gathered around with a small glass of red wine to fortify themselves against the cold which made me laugh so much I had to get a picture.

Little lizard on A's glove

It had a long tail anyway

Raised beds with no tomatoes in them

After this Bekir got on with the tiling while the other men swept off the balcony in the hope of getting some grouting done. The rain got heavier and heavier though and this proved to be the extent of their progress and after waiting around until after lunch they headed off saying they may be back tomorrow and maybe on Saturday when the weather is set to improve. Sally had a few bits and pieces to finish off down on the kitchen door before he joined me in Room 13 so I settled myself to work (A had finished her typing tasks first thing) and she went out to work in the garden in the drizzle like a trooper. She called me down after an hour or so to bring the camera and see a little lizard she had found hiding among the tomato plants she had pulled out from the raised beds.

Manure into the raised beds

After this she headed off up the village with the wheelbarrow and got the first of several loads of manure from her cows and dug them into the raised beds, then covered the top over as well. I'm not sure what we will do with these now; I had planned on putting my small selection of winter veg in there but that hasn't done so well after being munched by insects; maybe I'll transplant it anyway and see what happens.

Sally on with Room 13

Mid morning Sally came in and joined me in Room 13 and in the warmth (I'd decided to test out the heater we bought for the bathroom while I was cooking bacon and egg breakfast earlier and it worked very well) and he started to trim down the expanding foam around the windows so he could finish them with cement.

Louise is chirpy and bright eyed, but scabby

Bekir had helped us with the injection for Louise this morning and made it look very easy and so today there was no panic by making her leg dead. She is continuing to look better and it is continuing to heal, though slower now as it has scabbed over and the re-knitting occurs underneath this protection. We're still having to prevent her from scratching it a lot as of course it is quite itchy now it is healing but her eyes are much brighter and she is playing with Thelma much more again.

Mercury exploring

Hermes hiding

One of the problems with having pulled the tomato plants out is we have been forced into a decision about Mercury and Hermes. They could not stay in there now as it was too exposed so A carried them over to the compost heap to let them burrow in there and hopefully stay warm. I was able to get out with the camera in time to snap them before they disappeared and I don't know if we'll see them again now.

Sealing with plastic

And cement going in

Sally cracked on behind me as I worked away and he made very fast progress. After removing all the expanding foam that was over the sides of the windows he got scraps of plastic sheeting and taped it in place to protect from cement splashes. He then chipped away loose plaster and bricks so that his new cement would be secure and finally got a load of lengths of wood and nailed it in place. With this done he started the painstaking process of putting chips and chunks of brick in behind and then smoothing it all over with a cover of cement. Excellent work.

No way you could grout these tiles today

BBQing in the rain; just like England

Lovely looking wall

I popped outside towards lunch to see what was going on and, as I said earlier, found very much that the weather was way too wet for progress on the balcony. They were able to get their fire going for their BBQ at lunch but they ate inside today. The one good thing with this rain (other than seeing that our drainage is working well, and the driveway has no pond) was it has really cleaned up the wall well. Look how amazing it looks. How lovely!

Clearing the old beds

A had been out all morning working away on the gardening and she had made some very good progress out there. This is not a final picture for the day as I didn't get one after this but she has dug over these beds and dug in manure as well and also weeded a bit more towards where I was stood with the camera. Next year we need to grow more, and more of the stable crops like potatoes, cabbage and onions.

Mushrooms on the hugelkultur

The hugelkultur has again done well with the chilis and the tomatoes however A spotted that there is loads of mushrooms growing all over it. These were definitely not there the other day so this brief burst of rain has obviously given them a boost. It does seem to suggest that it isn't draining well but then the point of a hugelkultur is to remain very wet and retain water so we'll see. Next year we may try the peas in this, and I'll erect a strong frame over it first.

Really easy to clean the new petchka

The rest of the day passed in a very frustrating way for me as I was so busy with work however I was blocked by other people. Mid afternoon I felt so tired, and was fed up of waiting, so I headed in to have a doze and fell into such a deep sleep when I woke up an hour later I felt like I had a hangover. I really needed it and when I couldn't find A I realised she was just as tired and had gone to bed in the guest room so as to not disturb me. Eventually I got unblocked and managed to ship the code I had expected to finish for lunch time. A woke up as well and cleaned out the new petchka in Room 13 and we saved the ash to go on the garden.

All the floor tiles down

Bekir had been cracking on all day and he finished off a little more than I expected him to and now is only left with the steps (both onto the balcony, and the first one down the spiral staircase) before he can start grouting. It looks so awesome in there and while we MAY not not be in there for the weekend it's awesome to see how it will look. I had to open both balcony doors and step out into the rain to get this shot; that is suffering for you guys right there.

Acrobatic Bekir

Sally constructs the pipes

Before they left for the day I asked Bekir and Sally to fit in the petchka pipes in Room 13 so we could have it going for our evening. They gladly did this and it took far longer than I thought it would as they struggled to get the lengths correct, and then to get the pipe to fit in the turn to the wall. I ended up footing Bekir's ladder after he almost fell off it doing this crazy manouvre to reach above the tall fridge. He was grateful to turn round and see that I had moved to help. Sally also got involved and put the pipes together while Bekir was drilling holes and putting the wooden plugs in the ceiling so he could attach the wire for the pipe. When it was done it looked great, though we had quite a mess to clear up which I helped with until they were ready to leave.

A's new desk position, which I have stolen

The drive home was interesting due to the weather and we were so late I ended up taking Sally back to his own village. On the way back I was held up by people who were totally incapable of driving at a steady pace through a bit of rain and then I was locked out of the front door (by accident, she claims) but it wasn't too bad for all that. Dinner was on and the fire was lit and it was warm and comfortable and it has been a really lovely evening with superb steak dinner and flaming fire and good conversation while I've typed this.

So now I'm going to get this out of the way and then go have a shower and then bed time. We have plans for tomorrow evening which means there may be a missing blog post as well, though I'm so over typing two days in one when we're this busy. What a mission.