Anniversary

I will open this update by explaining the title. It is two years since A and I got together and what a two years it has been :) Here is to many more!

So I'm starting this in the few minutes I've got while the kettle boils before A and I settle down to listen to my birthday present. The Sunday roast has jut been put in the oven, late as we've had a super restful day, and I'll return to write the main part of the text a bit later on.

Friday

After having workmen on site and working for six weeks the past three days have been completely workmen free and what a pleasure that has been. Not that we don't love the progress being made but it's so nice to get to enjoy the place by ourselves and not have noise when we stop doing our own work.

Driveway blocked by a locked Thomas

Spud towers grow another level

A admiring four of the six doors being made for us

Because we knew we had no workmen on Friday we had a superb lie in and weren't up and about until quite late indeed. A is now doing her shopping run on a Friday so after a brew she headed off, though not before I'd snapped a picture showing how we had blocked the diggers in with Thomas the night before. While she was out I set a burn going of the rubbish from the kitchen and then spent ages looking for my makita driver before finding it on the shelf hidden behind something; I was then able to add another level to A's spud towers as the plants are growing fast and every time she covers them they burst through. We had a quick chat with Ivan after A got back and found that the carpenter was ready for us to go and see our doors and confirm we were happy with them. We managed to agree on handles and also fill lots of bags of sawdust so that was a pretty successful trip.

Lots of rubbish piled in the Green Building

Pushing the brushwood back over the top

Louise sheltering from the drizzle

The fire starter in action

The fire starting to take hold

Burning a broken chair

Thelma like a statue waiting for her stick to be thrown

And she's off chasing the stick

The state at the end of the day

After lunch we went out to do our allotted tasks. A was with the wheelbarrows and digging out form the huge pile of soil we now have on the top bank to take and earth up the spuds. This was hard work as the pile is up the bank and not very close to the towers but she took regular breaks and finished it well. I was in the Green Building going through all the rubbish left by the insulators. I'd asked them to save big bits of insulation for me to use on the model railway however they had interpreted that as just save everything so the whole front corridor was full as tall as me with rubbish. I got Thomas down onto the front patio by driving around the house past the garden (the trench means we can't get through the normal way) and I took three truck loads up before finally pulling the brushwood over the top so we could light it. By this time it was drizzling but this didn't effect the bonfire at all. It blazed up super fast and consumed everything very quickly indeed. We sat and watched it to make sure it didn't spread and threw a stick for Thelma to chase (Louise was chasing lizards) while we were up there.

Lasagne and baked potato and home made coleslaw

Interesting textured clouds

Sassy saying goodnight

We were both quite tired after our exertions and so had a relaxing evening. A had cooked me a wonderful lasagne for dinner which was superb and we enjoyed that, leaving enough for lunch the next day as well. After that we settled on the sofa and watched the first episode of the BBC adaptation of Gormenghast which we had talked about a bit a few days ago and as both of us were in the mood to watch something this suited. After that episode we were not in the mood to watch anything more as it's surprisingly exhausting watching TV when you aren't used to it and we were not long before heading to bed. All in all a very good day indeed.

Saturday

Once again we had an excellent lie in on Saturday though it was rudely disturbed by the sound of engines on our land. I dashed outside and found that the driver had come to collect one of the mini diggers for a job he had that day; I explained I was worried it was being stolen and he seemed slightly bemused.

Beautiful blue sky revealed as the morning fog clears

In the valley the flog slowly drifts away

Rambo back on patrol

Louise chewing her rawhide on the balcony

Thelma with one of her many bones

After this I decided to stay awake and get on with the day, which was an absolutely beautiful one. Rambo was already up and about as well, doing his rounds on the top bank like when he first came here. I made a brew for us both then jumped into Thomas to go to town and I found that the driver had returned again to collect the lorry that had been parked on the top bank since Thursday. I followed him down the hill and had a very quick and successful trip out though when I returned I realised I had forgotten the main item I had gone for; a load of black bin bags. I had picked up a "sump" style pump and a sump which will get fitted on Monday as part of the grey water system, and also a few other bits and pieces. On my return I made us breakfast of bacon and eggs which we ate sat on the balcony while the puppies each played in their own way.

All of this has been cleared

As has all of this

Three storks low over head

They circled for quite a while

Before heading off towards the river

Me in the Green Building emptying it out

After this it was time for us once again to get on with our tasks. I was working in the green building to try and get as much emptied as possible as I was aware anything I don't get done now probably will be left for months and it'll be an ideal home for rats. I worked hard and took loads of trips up to the top bank with Thomas and cleared all of the corridor to the right, into the hay room, and all the way to the door to the next room by the time I was shattered and had to stop. A helped for the last bit. There's still a couple of hours work left in there. At one point as I was driving up I turned the corner and stopped and jumped out, shouting for A to look. There were three storks circling low overhead and they stayed there for ages as I took loads of pictures, then swept over the house and down towards the river. Stunning.

A tray of seedlings to plant out

Four tiny melon seedlings

Louise mid "shout at me"

A large number of tomato seedlings

An even larger number of caterpillars

While I was working away in the green building A was in the garden. She transplanted all the swedes that she had seeded in rows and moved them into a big bed of their own. If all of these do well we'll be having lots of awesome stews at the end of the year! She also planted out the melons which had started well on the balcony and took a load of the tomatoes out of seed trays into the dog food tins. She was busy. I was burning as I was emptying and was quite lucky at one point when I went to throw another bag onto the fire and an aerosol that I hadn't seen in a bag filled by the workers exploded. My ears rang a bit but not just that, Louise started howling at me from the balcony; she was not best pleased at the shock. Anyway, it was fine. The other thing was we started our routine of checking our greens in the garden for caterpillars and not a moment too soon as you can see; all of these went to the chickens who were very impressed.

The sun between one cloud and another

Just a blaze on the horizon

Gone behind clouds

It was time to relax after this and we spent some time on the balcony while a very lovely chicken curry was cooking. It was nice enough that we were able to stay sat outside and eat at the table on the balcony which was lovely; the forecast isn't great for the rest of the time before I head back to the UK so taking what opportunities to be outside I can is a good idea. The sunset was absolutely stunning and that is what I have to show you now; I took my pictures again just pointing the camera without looking through the viewfinder and they came out well. We settled inside to watch the next episode of Gormenghast and then A went to bed while I made the mistake of finishing my book before getting through.

Sunday

I woke with Louise yipping to come in at 5am and felt like death; I have no idea what time it was that I got to bed but it didn't feel like I was reading for long. No matter I did manage to get back to sleep and when we finally got up after our third lie in on the trot, and unheard of record, I was feeling a lot better.

The early morning mist clearing from the fields

Duck eggs in my new egg cooker thing

Soldiers ready to dip in my not-running eggs

Loads of poppies

Sunday is our traditional tidying day and today was no different though we had a lot to do as we cleaned after the workmen left. I did the humanure and sorted out the stuff piled up in the corridor before decided it was time to make breakfast. I've got quite good at dippy eggs in the pan but Chaz and Ivan had bought me an egg steamer for my birthday and I wanted to give it a go. As it turned out I slightly over did the eggs but I think this'll work well once we're used to them. It was a lovely start to the day and we were able to sit on the balcony and eat. The poppies have really come out in force on the pile of soil next to the chicken run and they are a riot of colour. Stunning.

Watering the grass seed, and trees

Two puppies taking a chill

With my awesome present

We got back on with our cleaning and just about managed to get it done by lunch time which is the cut off for doing chores on a Sunday. There was just so much to clean. I never did get time to go out into the Green Building and finish that off so I'll have to ensure I do it this week, weather permitting. After finishing the tidying in the house I spent some time watering the garden and then I scattered grass seed on the newly spread soil in the orchard, raked it over, and finally spent ages with the hose soaking it all down. It took a fair while. After this we really were done and both of us went onto the balcony and lay in the sun. Eventually it got too much for A who went to lay down inside but I stayed out there, dozing off for a bit and reading at other times. It was lovely but I got a bit pink. We dragged ourselves from our lovely lazing and got dinner on and then went and cuddled together on the sofa and listened to my birthday present. We finished the final side off as we were eating a very lovely roast chicken sunday roast and since then I've been sat here doing this.

Right, I'm heading off as tomorrow is back to the routine and I want to enjoy the remainder of this evening.