First guests of the year are here

After my slightly overwhelmed update last time I am happy to report that my migraine cleared and I'm feeling a lot more on an even keel. It's still super busy, and work has still been insane, but I don't feel like my head is going to explode any more.

Wednesday

I say I'm better however Wednesday morning I wasn't so sure. I had a disturbed end to the night and when A got up she apparently asked me if I wanted her to collect then men to which I answered "yes please" and went straight back to sleep. I don't remember this but anyway.

Very thick fog in the morning

The sun was trying to break through

Reinforcing metal in place

Kitchen platform width is set

Okhtay and Sally get to mixing lots of cement

Bekir searching for some more scrap metal

When I did wake up she was already back with the men and I was feeling a whole lot better for the lie in. It was super misty though and didn't clear very fast. I headed down to see how the men were and found Bekir had finished his task of joining all the metal grid together for the reinforced concrete shelf above the fireplace. In the kitchen A and I had a chat with Sally while we tried to work out the exact dimensions of the the platform. We were able to come to an understanding about the width but were waiting for final unit dimensions for the length. This didn't stop him being able to work as could start at one end and hopefully know where to stop in time. Okhtay was assisting with cement mixing, and they'd need a lot for this job, while Bekir was out hunting for more metal to use in the fireplace.

Puppies are loving having Ivan to play with

Insulation goes on the wall

Outside the workers had got up and started on the first stage for the final section of the wall with the complicated and cautious process of working out a level for the wall. It is important that they start off correctly and with enough thickness of insulation that any unevenness is not missed and then becomes a problem later on. Ivan had taken up his station on the back bank with the puppies and they were once again overjoyed to have a body to entertain them all day. They workers got stuck in with huge energy and even though this is a slow part of the process they went really fast.

Chimney breast is begun

The platform levels are set and concrete is being poured

Looking at the back of the building

Rambo is warm under my feet

Thelma enjoying the heat of the sun

Later on in the morning, just before lunch time, I took another stroll around to see progress. In the kitchen Bekir had finished the concrete work for the fire lintel and was putting a few bricks around to start the chimney breast. Every time I go down to look at this I have a huge grin on my face, it looks so good. Sally was making good progress as well and had worked out the levels for the new platform and was just starting to pour the actual floor. I found Ivan sat on the top bank next to the fire circle and went and sat with him for a few minutes and chatted and enjoyed the sun which was very warm by this time. Rambo was sat with us and being very calm which was lovely while Thelma sat and basked in the heat. It really was a gorgeous afternoon. We were also distracted briefly by the Little Lady who came over and demanded that we go for hot milk, including Ivan. This was a very nice visit but we couldn't stay as long as we wanted as I had to get back to work.

Loads of excellent progress on the insulation

The platform is about 2/3 complete

Chimney at the end of the day

Lots of these have been put in

This is where the platform will end

The next time I got away from my desk was pretty much when it was time to take the men. We had finally managed to get an answer from the kitchen design people as to the length of the kitchen and told Sally so he could build the correct thing. That was quite a lot of fun as they don't understand Belfast sinks and I'd had to find a picture to email to the lady and when she saw it, while on the phone to Ivan, I heard her noise of recognition very clearly from across the room. Anyway the insulators had been making great progress and had done a lot more than I expected them to do in one day which was very gratifying, particularly as there is only four of them at the moment. Sally had done one half of the platform and made a good start on the other so that is also going well. Bekir put a few bricks up for the chimney and then left it to go off over night while he went round and fitted back boxes for all the plugs in the kitchen and nook. There are a lot of them. A took the men but was back really quickly as one of their friends drove past and took them most of the way so she could come straight home. We had reheated curry for dinner and I was working until after 8pm and then called it a night and sat and read before bed. This working long hours thing is not good.

Friday

I had a very much better nights sleep and woke up pretty refreshed but this time A was battered and struggled to wake up. She wasn't quite as bad as I'd been the previous day and was awake and drinking her brew before I left to get the men.

A really gray and nasty start to the day

Sally mixes yet more cement

The bedroom and living room walls get the treatment

Good progress along the other wall as well

Asen's brother having just ground down some metal

Waiting for Okhtay to bring more concrete

Bekir and the chimney continue

It was such a cloudy start to the day and there were even drops of rain as I drove back with them, this was not on the forecast and it being the day our guests arrive not really the weather we wanted. This possibly put the insulation people off from starting too early but by the time I got back from collecting the men they were just about out and getting started. I didn't go around with the camera straight away as I had some work to be getting on with but when A headed out to do her shopping trip I took a stroll around to see what was happening. It turns out quite a lot. The wall of the living room and bedroom along the balcony had been well started and they were grinding off the old electrical hookups that protruded in places along these walls. Sally was mixing more cement, with Okhtay's help, and carrying on with pouring the concrete for the platform. Finally Bekir was up the ladder working on extending the chimney up following a rough route drawn on the wall which looked perfect to me.

Space knocked for the reinforced beam

The platform is complete

Bekir bending the rebar

A strong tie into the existing beam

Sally continues the chimney

Again today was super busy. I helped A unload the car when she got back but that was about the extent of my "away from the desk" time in the morning. I did get a bit of a doze in at lunch time as I was waiting for stuff to happen in the office and that was a life saver. I woke up and took more pictures including how much more of the chimney had been done, and the fact that the platform was now complete. Bekir had transferred from Chimney Duty to Reinforced Concrete Duty as he bent up the rebar that would be going into the lintel to spread the weight of the floor above. Sally had taken over on the chimney and Okhtay was still shuttling buckets of cement in to him. They work very hard, they really do.

We keep getting told off for not watering enough

The back wall is nearly finished now

Bekir was in a hurry here

Not yet done for the day

And since then I have pretty much been glued to this desk. A legged it down to town with Bekir for another load of cement and a few bits of metal that he needed and I distracted myself for ten minutes when Ivan informed us our washing line had collapsed again so we went out to string the new one A had bought that morning and then I used the hose to water the trees in the orchard which were badly in need of it. The insulation had been carrying on apace as well and the whole of the wall is now done, including quite a lot of the fiddly bits up by the roof line. They haven't really started on turning the windows yet, though. It got time to leave for Bekir and Sally and Okhtay and then went past time as they continued working, rushing to finish pouring concrete into the new reinforced beam before the day ended. Of course this has made A a little late for collecting our guests but they don't seem to mind. They should be back any minute now, actually. The insulation guys had chosen, rather than turning the windows, to work around below the balcony and they have just finished for the day. The wind is really gusting fast at the moment which must be hard for them however the forecast continues to be good.

I'm going to stop this here and will return for a final paragraph later on.

Louise sniffing the new toy

A new way of having Lamb Kavarma called "Govetche"

The lovely head waiter took this picture

Ivan is very happy to get dessert

We're just back from dinner and what a lovely evening it was. Not long after I finished typing, in fact just as I was putting the last picture in place, I heard Thomas coming along the lane so I went down with the puppies to wait. It was lovely to see our friends and I gave both of them a huge hug. They were more interested, of course, in the puppies and brought toys for both Thelma and Louise, and Rambo. We relaxed for a bit and then went for a slow tour around the building. The workmen hadn't finished at all when I thought so we waited for them to stop and then when Ivan was ready we headed to our favourite restaurant. As per usual this was fantastic, and again the entertainer sang us a song. We do miss the Singer with the Unfeasibly High Shoes but she has disappeared off to a better paying gig in Varna so we won't see her again sadly. Ivan has chosen to stay in a hotel rather than Julian, which is perfectly understandable, so we dropped him in town and have just got back. Tomorrow is the excitement of collecting the bath and other items so I hope I get a good nights sleep as I'll mainly be driving all day.

Until Sunday....